The Blackness - Beer Recipe - Brewer's Friend

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The Blackness

344 calories 34.6 g 12 oz
Beer Stats
Method: All Grain
Style: Imperial Stout
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 6 gallons (ending kettle volume)
Pre Boil Size: 9 gallons
Pre Boil Gravity: 1.069 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 70% (ending kettle)
Source: Joseph Wilson
Calories: 344 calories (Per 12oz)
Carbs: 34.6 g (Per 12oz)
Created: Monday March 28th 2016
1.103
1.025
10.3%
70.9
40.0
n/a
n/a
 
Fermentables
Amount Fermentable Cost PPG °L Bill %
20 lb United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale20 lb Maris Otter Pale 38 3.75 83.3%
1 lb Belgian - Special B1 lb Special B 34 115 4.2%
1.50 lb United Kingdom - Chocolate1.5 lb Chocolate 34 425 6.3%
1.50 lb United Kingdom - Black Patent1.5 lb Black Patent 27 525 6.3%
24 lbs / 0.00
 
Hops
Amount Variety Cost Type AA Use Time IBU Bill %
2 oz Magnum2 oz Magnum Hops Pellet 12.4 Boil 90 min 70.92 100%
2 oz / 0.00
 
Yeast
Danstar - Nottingham Ale Yeast
Amount:
22 Each
Cost:
Attenuation (custom):
77%
Flocculation:
High
Optimum Temp:
57 - 70 °F
Starter:
Yes
Fermentation Temp:
66 °F
Pitch Rate:
0.75 (M cells / ml / ° P) 416 B cells required
0.00 Yeast Pitch Rate and Starter Calculator
 
Target Water Profile
Balanced Profile
Ca+2 Mg+2 Na+ Cl- SO4-2 HCO3-
0 0 0 0 0 0
Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator
 
Mash Guidelines
Amount Description Type Start Temp Target Temp Time
30 qt Infusion -- 155 °F 60 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.25 qt/lb
Quick Water Requirements
Water Gallons  Quarts
Strike water volume at mash thickness of 1.25 qt/lb 7.5 30  
Mash volume with grains 9.42 37.7  
Grain absorption losses -3 -12  
Remaining sparge water volume 4.75 19  
Mash Lauter Tun losses -0.25 -1  
Pre boil volume (equipment estimates 8.33 g | 33.3 qt) 9 36  
Boil off losses -2.25 -9  
Hops absorption losses (first wort, boil, aroma) -0.08 -0.3  
Post boil volume (equipment estimates 6.68 g | 26.7 qt) 6 24  
Estimated amount in fermentor 6 24  
Total: 12.25 49
Equipment Profile Used: System Default
 
Notes

The goal is to brew an imperial stout that will improve with age so I can brew it every year and start piling up a few years worth.

Things I've tried to far:

  1. 2# roasted barley and 2# of chocolate malt: this ended up being a little too roasty. Like badly burnt coffee. I decided to drop it down to 1.5# each.

  2. Vanilla: this was good, took the edge off of the aggressive roastiness.

  3. Tanka Beans: interesting flavor, but not great in an imperial stout. I'm thinking it would be good in a nut brown ale. It just seemed out of place with the roastiness.

  4. Cocoa nibs: good but I did not use enough.

  5. Malted oats as part of the base: did not come through in the flavor at all. going to skip this moving forward.

  6. Add enough corn sugar to get it up to 13% abv: doesn't seem to have improved it. going to skip this moving forward.

    Next time:
    • otter base malt, 1.5# each roasted barley and chocolate malt, special b instead of normal crystal malt, vanilla and cocoa nibs in half of it.

      random ideas of stuff to try:
      -I'd like to try a mexican chocolate version where I use some kind of chili pepper, some cinnamon, anise etc...

      -A beligan version might be good. Back the roasted malt off some, add some candi syrup and use belgian yeast. maybe throw in some plums or berries etc... for good measure.

      -It would be interesting to see what happens with like a year on oak. I might brew this twice in a row and stick one of them in the back of my closet with some oak cubes for a year.
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  • Last Updated: 2019-05-05 15:58 UTC