A Russian Imperial

[Ross]

Ross have you taken out the bit between the fridge and freezer in that fridge

Cheers David.

PS How low does the temp go.

[post="107137"][/post]​

No, my brew fridges are all fridge, no freezer sections - allows 2 fermenters comfortably at a time...

cheers Ross

 

[Ross]

I understand that the wig & pen matures their RIS in wooden kegs - Is this correct? If so, has anyone added oak chips to their stout & what quantities/time scale are we looking at?
Keen to give this a go, but don't want to ruin a brew....

cheers Ross...

 

[Malnourished]

I understand that the wig & pen matures their RIS in wooden kegs - Is this correct? If so, has anyone added oak chips to their stout & what quantities/time scale are we looking at?
Keen to give this a go, but don't want to ruin a brew....

There was an article somewhere where the W&P's brewer basically gave out his Imperial Stout recipe. I think it was one of the Canberra Brewers' newsletters, but their website doesn't appear to let you search the .pdf files. I'd really like to read it again - does anybody know where it is?

As for oak, personally I wouldn't bother. It's very rare that a brewery (Rodenbach and its ilk I suppose) desires actual oak flavour. It's more about slow oxygen permeability helping the beer mature better, which obviously oak chips aren't going to give you. I tried oak chips a couple of times and didn't really like the results, but I don't like oaky wines either. A bit of subtle oakiness might be nice in this beer but I'd suggest it'll be lost behind all that roasted barley anyway. The only reason I can see to use them is if you soaked them in a spirit or something to emulate a bourbon/scotch/calvados/sherry/wine/whatever barrel-aged character, but I think that's getting away from what you're looking for.

 

[Ross]

With February's effort about to run out, put this one down on Wednesday.

Russian Imperial Stout

Type: All Grain
Date: 20/09/2006
Batch Size: 26.00 L
Brewer: Ross
Boil Size: 34.00 L
Boil Time: 90 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.00 kg Pale Malt, Galaxy (Barrett Burston) (3.0 EBC) Grain 34.5 %
3.50 kg Pale Malt, Golden Promise (Thomas Fawcett) (5.9 EBC) Grain 30.2 %
1.20 kg Roasted Barley (Bairds) (1398.7 EBC) Grain 10.4 %
0.90 kg Rye Malt (Wyermann)(9.3 EBC) Grain 7.8 %
0.70 kg Munich Malt (Dark)(Weyermann) (23.0 EBC) Grain 6.0 %
0.36 kg Carafa III (1034.3 EBC) Grain 3.1 %
0.36 kg Chocolate Malt (Bairds)(1200.0 EBC) Grain 3.1 %
0.36 kg Chocolate Malt Pale (Bairds) (600.0 EBC) Grain 3.1 %
0.20 kg Peated Distilling (medium) Malt (Bairds)(5.5 EBC) Grain 1.7 %
30.00 gm Warrior [15.10%] (80 min) Hops 33.1 IBU
25.00 gm Magnum [13.50%] (80 min) Hops 24.7 IBU
25.00 gm Horizon [13.00%] (80 min) Hops 23.8 IBU
25.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20%] (80 min) Hops 7.1 IBU
50.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.20%] (10 min) Hops 6.0 IBU
26.00 gm Fuggles [5.00%] (10 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


Measured Original Gravity: 1.100 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 10.2 %
Bitterness: 97.7 IBU Calories: 991 cal/l
Est Color: 194.2 EBC


Started fermenting this one at 15c along side along side my first Classic American Pilsner, which is fermenting at 11c, but with the probe only controlling the CAP the RIS has risen to 17.7c with the below results:

Tell tale signs


There she blows...


CAP sat on top shelf, happily fermenting at 11c
RIS upto 17.7c


cheers Ross...

 

[Malnourished]

With February's effort about to run out, put this one down on Wednesday...

Looking good!

FWIW, I brewed a slightly modified version of the Wig & Pen recipe posted by Snow earlier in this thread a while back. It's still in secondary, but at racking it actually tasted a whole lot like W&P Imperial. I'm very impressed...

That was the fourth imperial stout I've brewed this year. I think I have a problem. :blink:

 

[Ross]

One Lucky Lizard

Just went out to check on my RIS & found this poor little fellow stuck fast in the dried up overspill - I reckon at 10% alc it was a little too much for him to handle...
Got some mild detergent in warm water & a couple of minutes later he's run back to the bush none the worst except for I guess a sore head ...



cheers Ross

 

[warrenlw63]

Must have thought you had some Bluetongue in the fridge. :lol:

Warren -

 

[Batz]

One Lucky Lizard

Just went out to check on my RIS & found this poor little fellow stuck fast in the dried up overspill - I reckon at 10% alc it was a little too much for him to handle...
Got some mild detergent in warm water & a couple of minutes later he's run back to the bush none the worst except for I guess a sore head ...

View attachment 9342

cheers Ross

Not the first one to leave your place in that condition either :lol:

Batz

 

[Voosher]

Flat out like a lizard drinking?

 

[bindi]

My RIS is close to yours at 9.6% and I am sure it would pickled a lizard or even "kill a brown dog" [not Tony]
That's why my dog Zeus does not sample that one.