After 12 days I racked to secondary with a FG of 1.007. With my OG being 1.042 that will give this beer an ABV of 5.5%. A good session beer for the spring/summer I think. I did get the promised hints of citrus and pear with a bit of spicey notes. One unfortunate thing that happened was that I cooled the heated fermenter down from 74 degrees to room temp of 59 a day prior to racking. The air and liquid must have condensed, therefore pulling in about 1/2 cup of the water in my blow off vessel, up through the tubing and into the top of the bucket and into the beer. I didn’t see any film on top nor smell any off smells, so hopefully all is good. Note to self to leave the temp alone prior to racking.
I also cracked a couple beers that have been aging for a while. My Imperial Stout and Belgian Dubbel turned out great. They’re a little low on the carb but it has only been a couple weeks and it has been cold so they’ll only get better from here on out. So far, the stout has been the best tasting beer I’ve made. Very excited to share.
After some serious initial fermentation I’ve racked my Imperial Stout to a secondary fermenter. I think after this brew, I’ll purchase and use some Fermcap to reduce too much krausen and issues with excessive blow off.
My FG was 1.027. My OG was 1.081. I used this site to calculate my ABV and it gave me 7.2%. Ooofta. The color has a slight tint of burgandy, maybe from the malt. The rest looks like motor oil.
I’ve been wanting to brew this beer ever since I got my eyes on the Northern Brewer catalog. Here is there description:
“Imperial stouts were first brewed in England for export to the royal courts of the Russian Tsars. The Tsars are gone but the beer remains, the “War and Peace” of stouts. This kit yields a pitch black beer with tan head, resounding with burnt, bitter chocolate character, hops, and syrupy malt. A viscous, chewy body finishing with lots of roast grain and a warming alcohol note. A nice companion on a cold winter night or accompanying chocolate dessert. Recommended: 2-stage fermentation and yeast starter.”
Imperial Stout
Extract kit from Northern Homebrewer, Milwaukee, WI
Target OG: 1.086
Malt 1: 6 lbs. Dark Malt LME
Malt 2: 6 lbs. Dark Malt LME
Grain 1: .5 lb Simpsons Roasted Barley
Grain 2: .5 lb Simpsons Black Malt
Grain 3: .5 lb Simpsons Chocolate
Hop 1: 2 oz Galena – alpha 13.0% (60 min)
Yeast: #1728 Scottish Ale Yeast w/ decanted starter using stir plate (55°-70°F)
Boiling Schedule:
Steep grains at 155°F for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil. Sparge grains with 1/2 gallon of boiled water. Remove water from heat and mix LME @ 60 minutes. Bring water back to a boil and add Hop 1 @ 60 minutes.
Notes:
Suggested 292 billion cells for a 2 L starter. Transfer to secondary fermenter after about 14 days or begin taking daily hydrometer readings – when hydrometer readings are the same on consecutive days, primary fermentation is complete. Proceed to secondary fermentation for 2 months. Bottle with .75 cups of corn sugar. Bottle condition for up to 1 month. My OG was 1.081.
It has been a while since I posted.
A very busy summer and severe disappointment with my Tripel. Way to sweet and about 90% of the bottles were very flat. I’m not sure if I didn’t clean adequately or if there was something in the secondary that contaminated the beer. I’ve had to pour several bottles down the drain, which kills me. The alcohol level wasn’t lacking at all though. Very strong and a pint was all I cared to drink on a conservative evening.
The Biere de Garde and Chocolate Stouts turned out well and friends/family have enjoyed thoughout the summer. I’ll definitely make the stout again. Now for something new.
I’ll be moving forward this fall with an IPA extract kit from Northern Brewer. I’ve really enjoyed IPAs this summer so I thought one should be in order. I’ll be using a yeast starter. More to come soon.
