Recipe Details
| Batch Size |
Boil Time |
IBU |
SRM |
Est. OG |
Est. FG |
ABV |
| 5.75 gal |
90 min |
71.2 IBUs |
56.8 SRM |
1.106 |
1.020 |
12.0 % |
Style Details
| Name |
Cat. |
OG Range |
FG Range |
IBU |
SRM |
Carb |
ABV |
| Imperial Stout |
20 C |
1.075 - 1.115 |
1.018 - 1.030 |
50 - 90 |
30 - 40 |
2.3 - 2.7 |
8.0 - 12.0 % |
Fermentables
| Name |
Amount |
| Vienna Malt |
15 lbs |
| Caramel Malt - 60L |
2 lbs |
| Roasted Barley |
2 lbs |
| Carapils |
1 lbs |
| Chocolate |
1 lbs |
| Light Dry Extract |
4 lbs 4.6 oz |
Hops
| Name |
Amount |
Time |
Use |
Form |
Alpha % |
| Magnum |
1.75 oz |
90 min |
Boil |
Pellet |
13.5 |
| Fuggles |
2 oz |
15 min |
Aroma |
Pellet |
4.10 |
Miscs
| Name |
Amount |
Time |
Use |
Type |
| Yeast Nutrient |
1.00 tsp |
15 min |
Boil |
Other |
Yeast
| Name |
Lab |
Attenuation |
Temperature |
| Dry English Ale (WLP007) |
White Labs |
70 - 80% |
65°F - 70°F |
Mash
| Step |
Temperature |
Time |
| Mash In |
148°F |
75 min |
Notes
Placed third in 2016 Ohio State Fair, Smoked Beer & Wood Beer category.
Did not make it out of the first round of the 2017 NHC. It scored rather poorly (high 20s or low 30s; I’ll find the scoresheets later).
Placed second in the 2019 Ohio State Fair, Wood Beer category. It scored 37.5. I entered it in the specialty wood aged category, using a base style of Imperial Stout (not RIS).
Judges detected the bourbon, but noted it was faint. Aroma and flavor is more dominated by oak. One commented that it didn’t taste like a “Russian Imperial” but more like a standard imperial stout. Not sure now what makes a stout “Russian Imperial”.
I used to think I should have left it on the oak longer, but after two years in the bottle, it really matured into a very nice beer. Three years later, the oak and bourbon are nicely balanced.
I had lots of trouble with the sparge sticking. It eventually got moving after removing around 1.5 gal of wort, bringing it to a boil, and returning it to the mash tun. We also removed some grain, although in hindsight I don’t think this made as much of a difference as raising the mash temperature.
At the last minute I decided to also make a small beer from the second runnings.
Aged on 2 oz. bourbon soaked oak for seven weeks. I detected oak and bourbon in the aroma and taste of the beer after about three weeks in secondary, but it’s much more subtle after bottling and carbonation. |
