Russian Imperial Stout

[Cloud Surfer]

I thought I would post my recipe in case anyone at home wants to play along.

I recently bottled my first go at a RIS, and had to stop myself drinking all the sample in the hydrometer cylinder. It started at 1.100 and finished at 1.021 after its six week journey into bottle. It was so complex and balanced already. I used the familiar Coopers three tin recipe with some steeped grain. Only two packets of US-05 and temperature control was via moving the fermenter around the house.

So, I think I can do better with what I’ve learnt already. I’ve got a temperature controlled conical fermenter now, and an oxygen aerating setup. I’m also getting a TILT to keep an eye on the fermentation progress. Ingredients will look like this-

1.7kg Coopers Stout
1.7kg Coopers Dark Ale
1.7kg Coopers Lager
1.5kg Coopers LME
1.0kg Dextrose
500g Medium Chrystal
500g Dark Munich
250g Chocolate
250g Roasted Barley
40g EK Goldings (10 minutes)
4 packets M42 New World Strong Ale yeast

From the first brew I’ve added a tin of LME to up the ABV. I’ve included some extra grains for a bit more complexity. I’ll hot steep the Chrystal and Munich for 30 minutes, but I’m going to cold steep the Chocolate and Roasted Barley for 24 hours. I didn’t add any extra hops first time, and thought I would include a flavour addition this time, though I guess that might be a waste given how long I plan to age the beer. I’m looking forward to trying the M42 yeast and will give it a better pitch rate this time.

The loose plan is to pitch at 18C and raise that to 21C as things are winding down. I’ll add the Dextrose around day 5. Based on my first RIS, I’ll probably leave it at primary fermentation temperature for 3 or 4 weeks total. I can dump the trub and yeast cake whenever I want to keep the wort clean. Then drop to 14C for 4 weeks before cold conditioning and bottling. I’ve got a spare pack of M42, so might use half that when I rack to the bottling bucket. Bottle at 2.0 CO2.

Brew day should be a lot of fun with all the pieces of the puzzle, and given it will be aging only a couple of months behind my first RIS I’m looking forward to comparing the two beers and how the extra ingredients play out.

 

[Paleman]

I thought I would post my recipe in case anyone at home wants to play along.

I recently bottled my first go at a RIS, and had to stop myself drinking all the sample in the hydrometer cylinder. It started at 1.100 and finished at 1.021 after its six week journey into bottle. It was so complex and balanced already. I used the familiar Coopers three tin recipe with some steeped grain. Only two packets of US-05 and temperature control was via moving the fermenter around the house.

So, I think I can do better with what I’ve learnt already. I’ve got a temperature controlled conical fermenter now, and an oxygen aerating setup. I’m also getting a TILT to keep an eye on the fermentation progress. Ingredients will look like this-

1.7kg Coopers Stout
1.7kg Coopers Dark Ale
1.7kg Coopers Lager
1.5kg Coopers LME
1.0kg Dextrose
500g Medium Chrystal
500g Dark Munich
250g Chocolate
250g Roasted Barley
40g EK Goldings (10 minutes)
4 packets M42 New World Strong Ale yeast

From the first brew I’ve added a tin of LME to up the ABV. I’ve included some extra grains for a bit more complexity. I’ll hot steep the Chrystal and Munich for 30 minutes, but I’m going to cold steep the Chocolate and Roasted Barley for 24 hours. I didn’t add any extra hops first time, and thought I would include a flavour addition this time, though I guess that might be a waste given how long I plan to age the beer. I’m looking forward to trying the M42 yeast and will give it a better pitch rate this time.

The loose plan is to pitch at 18C and raise that to 21C as things are winding down. I’ll add the Dextrose around day 5. Based on my first RIS, I’ll probably leave it at primary fermentation temperature for 3 or 4 weeks total. I can dump the trub and yeast cake whenever I want to keep the wort clean. Then drop to 14C for 4 weeks before cold conditioning and bottling. I’ve got a spare pack of M42, so might use half that when I rack to the bottling bucket. Bottle at 2.0 CO2.

Brew day should be a lot of fun with all the pieces of the puzzle, and given it will be aging only a couple of months behind my first RIS I’m looking forward to comparing the two beers and how the extra ingredients play out.

Thats a big beer.

 

[Cloud Surfer]

Big beers are the best. I could drink just RIS and Belgium Quads for the rest of my life. I love their complexity and ability to change with ageing. It’s been a revelation for me discovering that beers like these can be made at home. I had no idea what was possible via home brewing and now I’m hooked. So I’ll spend a lot of time making beer like this, developing the recipes and building up ageing stock.

 

[Paleman]

Big beers are the best. I could drink just RIS and Belgium Quads for the rest of my life. I love their complexity and ability to change with ageing. It’s been a revelation for me discovering that beers like these can be made at home. I had no idea what was possible via home brewing and now I’m hooked. So I’ll spend a lot of time making beer like this, developing the recipes and building up ageing stock.

I just made a toucan with Coopers stout and dark ale. Did a mini mash with 2kg of ale malt, added a kilo of milk stout booster and some fuggles hops. About a month in the bottle, no word of a lie its the best stout ( bar one a mates all grain ) that ive ever tasted.

 

[Cloud Surfer]

Sounds terrific, especially with all that extra malt in the mini mash. I can only imagine how much better it will be again with more time in the bottle. I think the secret is to brew them twice as fast as you drink them so you can enjoy their ageing qualities.

 

[Paleman]

Sounds terrific, especially with all that extra malt in the mini mash. I can only imagine how much better it will be again with more time in the bottle. I think the secret is to brew them twice as fast as you drink them so you can enjoy their ageing qualities.

Thats the problem, sooo tasty. I did this as a project for drinking next winter. Not happening. I'll have to do another batch very soon.

 

[yankinoz]

On the recipe, if you steep between about 61 and 71, you're minimashing the Munich and maybe, maybe converting a tiny portion of the other grains. Niot a bad idea to gert more flavour and suigar out of the Munich.

On big beers, do you drink them after standing around all day in the hot sun six days in a row while holding paddles in front of some kind of altar, as I've seen folks do down here?

 

[Cloud Surfer]

On the recipe, if you steep between about 61 and 71, you're minimashing the Munich and maybe, maybe converting a tiny portion of the other grains. Niot a bad idea to gert more flavour and suigar out of the Munich.

Sweet thanks. I steeped 1 kg of dark Munich in my first RIS at 70C for 30 minutes. I think that was great for the flavour and also helped the gravity.

 

[Cloud Surfer]

On big beers, do you drink them after standing around all day in the hot sun six days in a row while holding paddles in front of some kind of altar, as I've seen folks do down here?

Sounds like a good sport.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I thought I would post my recipe in case anyone at home wants to play along.

I recently bottled my first go at a RIS, and had to stop myself drinking all the sample in the hydrometer cylinder. It started at 1.100 and finished at 1.021 after its six week journey into bottle. It was so complex and balanced already. I used the familiar Coopers three tin recipe with some steeped grain. Only two packets of US-05 and temperature control was via moving the fermenter around the house.

So, I think I can do better with what I’ve learnt already. I’ve got a temperature controlled conical fermenter now, and an oxygen aerating setup. I’m also getting a TILT to keep an eye on the fermentation progress. Ingredients will look like this-

1.7kg Coopers Stout
1.7kg Coopers Dark Ale
1.7kg Coopers Lager
1.5kg Coopers LME
1.0kg Dextrose
500g Medium Chrystal
500g Dark Munich
250g Chocolate
250g Roasted Barley
40g EK Goldings (10 minutes)
4 packets M42 New World Strong Ale yeast

From the first brew I’ve added a tin of LME to up the ABV. I’ve included some extra grains for a bit more complexity. I’ll hot steep the Chrystal and Munich for 30 minutes, but I’m going to cold steep the Chocolate and Roasted Barley for 24 hours. I didn’t add any extra hops first time, and thought I would include a flavour addition this time, though I guess that might be a waste given how long I plan to age the beer. I’m looking forward to trying the M42 yeast and will give it a better pitch rate this time.

The loose plan is to pitch at 18C and raise that to 21C as things are winding down. I’ll add the Dextrose around day 5. Based on my first RIS, I’ll probably leave it at primary fermentation temperature for 3 or 4 weeks total. I can dump the trub and yeast cake whenever I want to keep the wort clean. Then drop to 14C for 4 weeks before cold conditioning and bottling. I’ve got a spare pack of M42, so might use half that when I rack to the bottling bucket. Bottle at 2.0 CO2.

Brew day should be a lot of fun with all the pieces of the puzzle, and given it will be aging only a couple of months behind my first RIS I’m looking forward to comparing the two beers and how the extra ingredients play out.

I would spare the oxygenating set up, the M42 along with other Mangrove Jack dry yeast needs no aerating or oxygenating. You will just be, 1) wasting money and time. 2) Pumping oxygen into a wort which will not be taken up by the yeast. Hardly surprising seeing as their yeasts come from the main suppliers and re badged.

 

[bloodygoose]

Big beers are the best. I could drink just RIS and Belgium Quads for the rest of my life

Totally with you, all my brews now (BIAB all grain) are RIS variants with Kate the Great my current favourite. I’d love to try some Belgian quads. Trappistes Rochefort 10 is my favourite commercial beer - any home brew clones or recommended quad recipe?

 

[Cloud Surfer]

I would spare the oxygenating set up, the M42 along with other Mangrove Jack dry yeast needs no aerating or oxygenating. You will just be, 1) wasting money and time. 2) Pumping oxygen into a wort which will not be taken up by the yeast. Hardly surprising seeing as their yeasts come from the main suppliers and re badged.

That’s ok, I already have the oxygen setup to use.

 

[Cloud Surfer]

Totally with you, all my brews now (BIAB all grain) are RIS variants with Kate the Great my current favourite. I’d love to try some Belgian quads. Trappistes Rochefort 10 is my favourite commercial beer - any home brew clones or recommended quad recipe?

My new conical fermenter will be free in a few days when I bottle the Hefeweizen that’s in it, and then it will be RIS time. That’s going to lock the fermenter away for 8 weeks or a little more, and then it will be time for a quad. I’ve done two Belgium Tripels so far, but the quads are where it’s at. A Rochefort 10 or Abt 12 type dark quad is what I’ll be trying to clone.

The Candi Syrup site has a lot of great recipes, lots of Belgium’s. Their D180 syrup looks great for dark quads. The Wyeast 1762 is the Rochefort yeast I think. That’s as much recipe research as I’ve done so far.

 

[kadmium]

Any reason you will ferment for 8 weeks?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

That’s ok, I already have the oxygen setup to use.

It isn't about having the set up, its about what may or may not happen, if the manufacturers of yeast cultures advise not to aerate or oxygenate the wort prior to pitching, then following the advice seems the sensible approach.

 

[Cloud Surfer]

Any reason you will ferment for 8 weeks?

Not really 8 weeks. For my first RIS I had it in primary for 3 weeks then moved it to a sealed jerry can type container. Over the next two and a half weeks I had to release the pressure four times because the yeasties were still doing their thing. So I’m planning for 4 weeks at primary temp before dropping to bulk conditioning temp for another 4 weeks, then dropping to cold conditioning temp for 5 days, then bottling.

I could transfer it to that jerry can again after 4 weeks and free up the fermenter for the next brew, but that defeats one of the main reasons I bought that fermenter. I like that I can do primary, bulk conditioning and cold conditioning all in the same place without transferring so can avoid oxygen or infection issues.

The best solution is to get a second Grainfather conical and have a better production cycle going, but I’ll hold off for now.

 

[Cloud Surfer]

It isn't about having the set up, its about what may or may not happen, if the manufacturers of yeast cultures advise not to aerate or oxygenate the wort prior to pitching, then following the advice seems the sensible approach.

That’s a good video, David makes many good ones. I did know the best practice for dry yeast was to pitch straight into the wort, but never heard about not aerating the wort. Interestingly, David is a commercial brewer as well, and he said at the end of the video he will be continuing to aerated his wort.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I think its debatable whether Mr Heath is or has been a commercial brewer as he claims, I am just suggesting following the recommend guide lines of Fermentis and the like, can save tears at the end of the day.
Answers about yeast and fermentation

 

[Nullnvoid]

I think its debatable whether Mr Heath is or has been a commercial brewer as he claims, I am just suggesting following the recommend guide lines of Fermentis and the like, can save tears at the end of the day.
Answers about yeast and fermentation

Next you will tell me that Dr Hans isn't a real doctor!

 

[Cloud Surfer]

Brew day was today. That's got to be the best part of the process. Or is it drinking day? I decided to take a few photos this time.

I changed the recipe very slightly. The LHBS ran out of Medium Crystal, so I used Light Crystal instead, and I also decided to up the Roasted Barley to 500g. I decided to increase the batch to 22L, so it was a chance to use some D180 Candi Syrup I was keen to try, so I could maintain my target OG. It has a lovely complex flavour that will complement the RIS well.

Here's a question. Brewfather indicated my OG should be 1.100 without the dextrose which will get added in about 5 days. However it came in at 1.115. That's higher than I was expecting, but I didn't make an allowance for the steeped grains. Does that sound reasonable to get an extra 15 points just from steeping the grains? Anyway given that, I'm going to increase the batch to 23L now. That will get me around 1.123 OG once I add the dextrose. If I can get the FG below 1.028 I will be happy with that.