Lamington Imperial Stout

[Lionman]

I'm going to try my hand at an imperial stout. I'm thinking chocolate and coconut flavours, maybe.

Looking at some recipes floating around as inspiration, I have come up with this.

8.0kg Munich I
.75kg Chocolate Malt
.75kg Crystal 10L
.5kg Roasted Malt
.5kg Flaked oats

30g Magnum FWH
30g Aurora Cube

Vanilla Pod (split) Cube
200g Cocoa powder Cube

500g Shredded Coconut (toasted) Dry "Hop"
Vanilla Pod (split) Dry "Hop"

WLP013 2L starter

23L Batch
1.097 OG
1.027 FG
46 IBU
53 SRM
9.2% ABV

I have seen some recipes like this use lactose to keep it sweet but I don't want to use this. I have subbed in Munich and a bit more crystal to try and keep it a bit of sweetness to go with the bitter cocoa.

Also, these hops are just what I have on hand. One recipe I was looking at used Columbus early and Willamette late but I think what I have is similar.

Will this recipe work?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

If it does I'll pay postage for a bottle.
I don't eat Lamingtons anymore but I remember the character so I'd make an acception for a specialty beer recipe like that.

 

[mr_wibble]

I've mentioned this in other threads, but - some people can't taste coconut in beer.
I've got a coconut porter, which I dry-nutted for 4 days (toasted, recipe says 100g)
To me it screams coconut, but until l I tell Mrs Wibble what beer it is, she can't taste the coconut at all.

I recently read an interview with Jamil Zainasheff about nuts in beers.
He said he knows the balance of the nut is correct when half the people tell him they can't taste it, and the other half say it's overwhelming.

Why have you gone with cocoa powder (I assume "Dutch Processed" de-oiled) rather than say cocoa nibs?
(I'm not criticising, I just want to know).
I recently used cocoa powder in a stout, and then after the fact googled about it a bit.
A few people cited problems getting the powder back out of the beer.

 

[Lionman]

I am basing my recipe on this one.

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/hopheaded.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/chocolate-coconut-stout-recipe/amp/

Note I have zero experience making stouts at all, not to mention imperial desert stouts.

That recipe calls for half cocoa powder, half cocoa nibs. If I can find some nibs I will halve the cocoa powder and add the equivalent weight of nibs to the cube.

I assumed the powder would disolve and stay in the beer? If it doesn't disolve, wouldn't it fall to the bottom of the fermenter? Or float to the top? Either should make it easy to keep out of the keg.

I want a good hit of coconut, the linked recipe calls for 340g, I thought I would make it an even 500. I figured if I taste it after a few days and if it's getting too much I can always pull it.

 

[Lionman]

So I brewed this the other day, it's in the cube waiting for the FV to free up.

It was a bit too much for my brew rig. I couldn't fit the last 2KG or so of grain in so I removed some spent gain after a couple of hours, added more fresh stuff and extended the mash by another hour. I combined all the grain for sparging.

I triple sparged which pushed the boil time out to 2 hours. It was a long brew day.

I also decided to add 500g of sugar to give it a bit of a boost and went with Columbus for bittering rather than Magnum.

OG come out at 1.105 as I overshot mash efficiency slightly. She is going to be a big one!

I'll report back with further details.



8.0kg Munich I
.75kg Crystal 10L
.5kg Chocolate Malt
.5kg Roasted Malt
.5kg Flaked oats
.5kg Sugar

40g Columbus FWH
30g Aurora Cube

Vanilla Pod (split) Cube
200g Cocoa powder Cube

500g Shredded Coconut (toasted) Dry Nutted
Vanilla Pod (split) Dry Spiced

WLP013 2L starter

23L Batch
1.104 OG
1.029 FG
61 IBU
46 SRM
9.8% ABV

 

[bradsbrew]

I've got a coconut porter, which I dry-nutted for 4 days (toasted, recipe says 100g)

Dry nutted, gave me a giggle. The image of how one would do that is even funnier. :lol:

 

[Liam_snorkel]

have a taste of the wort when you pitch it to see if it needs more chocolate.. and if so get your mits on some cacao nibs. You can find them in the ******/superfood/health aisle at most supermarkets.
100g in the fermenter should get enough chocolate flavour.

 

[Lionman]

Dry nutted, gave me a giggle. The image of how one would do that is even funnier. :lol:

I assume it's similar to T-bagging?

have a taste of the wort when you pitch it to see if it needs more chocolate.. and if so get your mits on some cacao nibs. You can find them in the ******/superfood/health aisle at most supermarkets.
100g in the fermenter should get enough chocolate flavour.

Can you dry bean with cocoa nibs? Or do they need some heat to provide any real flavour?

 

[Liam_snorkel]

I've thrown them direct in a keg before, did the trick. I guess the alcohol helps with flavour extraction.

 

[Stouter]

You are one path forging, experimental mo fo Lionman.
Here I am trying to keep myself in a decent with a consistent taste, and you're pushing the boundaries.

 

[Lionman]

I've thrown them direct in a keg before, did the trick. I guess the alcohol helps with flavour extraction.

Cool, I just have to find some. Local supermarkets don't have any, I might have to check in the city.

You are one path forging, experimental mo fo Lionman.
Here I am trying to keep myself in a decent with a consistent taste, and you're pushing the boundaries.

Every path is experimental to me, I haven't brewed much.

There are so many great beers out there that I can't bring myself to brew the same recipe more than once yet. Maybe when I find something special I will do it a few times.

Im just trying to get a feel for different ingredients and styles really.

There is a lot to be said for consistency though. I really hope that if I produce a truly great beer that I'm able to replicate it.

 

[Judanero]

I've played with other flavours in a RIS (hazelnut, vanilla and chocolate).

I soaked each of the ingredients ( crushed and toasted hazelnuts, vanilla beans, cacao nibs) separately in vodka for a week, then strained the solids and put the extract in the freezer. After a few days a fat layer solidifies at the top while the extract remains liquid.

I added the extract to my priming bucket so I could have different flavours from the same RIS batch, the nibs (chocolate flavour) was smooth and definitely discernible though I'd have to check my notes to provide actual numbers.

Ebay has heaps if you aren't having luck locally.

 

[Ark84]

Can I hijack the thread momentarily?

Wanting to chuck some cacao nibs into the Cooper's SMOTY ale and have wondered about the dry hop approach and now the vodka extract approach.

If you throw the cacao flavored vodka into the FV.. Does that not do something to your brew or is it all fine? Mines been fermenting about a week now and want the flavor short of buying an extract.. Just ignorant to vodkas effect.

 

[pnorkle]

Just ignorant to vodkas effect.

I would imagine, that if you use a good, neutral vodka, that the only effect it would have is a slightly higher alcohol content.

 

[Lionman]

This brew is starting to smooth out now and tasting really nice. more of a chocolate stout, not sure I had much luck getting much coconut in there, its very subtle if there at all

 

[Lionman]

Keeps getting better this one. Definitely just a choc stout, but one of the better imperials I've tried. Holding up well to the commercial ones I have bought to compare it too. This was from the other day.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

looks great

 

[Edd Mather 6]

Can I hijack the thread momentarily?

Wanting to chuck some cacao nibs into the Cooper's SMOTY ale and have wondered about the dry hop approach and now the vodka extract approach.

If you throw the cacao flavored vodka into the FV.. Does that not do something to your brew or is it all fine? Mines been fermenting about a week now and want the flavor short of buying an extract.. Just ignorant to vodkas effect.

It'll probably kill the fermentation, depending on what point you add the Vodka , add it at the end of the fermentation, should be OK

 

[Bonenose]

I have used vodka as above, I think about 100grams of roasted nibs in a cup of vodka soaked for a couple days and then throw in fermenter 3 or 4 days before bottling. Worked well and produced some great flavour I think.

 

[Edd Mather 6]

It'll probably kill the fermentation, depending on what point you add the Vodka , add it at the end of the fermentation, should be OK

Another way would be to evaporate the alcohol from the solution , before adding to the fermenting wort , that way the residual sugars in the wort should be able to provide adequate conditioning in the cask; before bottling after say 2-3 weeks in cask, then bottle and condition for at least 2 - 3 months.