Brew your best beer EVER. Start your Free Trial of Brewer's Friend today! Sign Up ×

American Porter and Stout - Imperial Stout


An intensely-flavored, big, dark ale with a wide range of flavor balances and regional interpretations. Roasty-burnt malt with deep dark or dried fruit flavors, and a warming, bittersweet finish. Despite the intense flavors, the components need to meld to

Flavor Profile: Rich, deep, complex and frequently quite intense, with variable amounts of roasted malt/grains, maltiness, fruity esters, hop bitterness and flavor, and alcohol. Medium to aggressively high bitterness. Medium-low to high hop flavor (any variety). Moderate

Ingredients: Well-modified pale malt, with generous quantities of roasted malts and/or grain. May have a complex grain bill using virtually any variety of malt. Any type of hops may be used. American or English ale yeast.

BJCP Style Guide

Top 10 Imperial Stout Recipes

Title Size ABV IBU OG FG Color Method Views
05 TINY DARK ATOMS
500 L 14.25% 34.61 1.155 1.046
All Grain 13140
Abraxas clone
5.5 gal 14.11% 99.33 1.130 1.039
All Grain 10830
Imperial Stout BIAB
5.75 gal 9.51% 80.77 1.094 1.021
All Grain 8367
Chocolate Vanilla Pastry Stout
15 L 9.49% 58.34 1.101 1.029
All Grain 5750
American Imperial Stout I - Beer
33 L 9.01% 74.3 1.083 1.014
All Grain 5539
Adjunct Imperial Stout v4
20 L 17.55% 67.64 1.160 1.054
BIAB 5112
Beer Geek Vanilla Shake
19 L 9.79% 95.51 1.108 1.034
All Grain 5041
dark horizon clone
21 L 16.14% 73.19 1.145 1.022
All Grain 4330
Bakke Brygg Rye Porter 20 L
20 L 8.44% 59.27 1.085 1.020
All Grain 4324
☆ "Full Monty" ☆
6 gal 9.83% 97.54 1.100 1.025
All Grain 4183

Newest Imperial Stout Recipes

Title Size ABV IBU OG FG Color Method Views
IMPERIAL STOUT GUBE
120 L 8.84% 26.09 1.079 1.012
All Grain 10
Whisky Stout
23 L 5.56% 0 1.069 1.027
extract 27
i dont know how to name this ba imperial stout
10 L 10.61% 51.09 1.100 1.019
All Grain 35
Supermassive black hole
2 gal 9.89% 98.75 1.111 1.035
BIAB 20
Imperial Stout - Keith's barrel project
9 gal 12.49% 113.73 1.109 1.014
extract 52
Graduation Stout
12 gal 9.91% 78.05 1.093 1.017
BIAB 32
Big Brew Dark Goddess
5 gal 10.57% 115.83 1.105 1.024
Partial Mash 29
Barrel Stout
5.25 gal 13.7% 103.84 1.128 1.024
All Grain 59
Quick Stout
260 gal 9.71% 0 1.090 1.016
All Grain 27
impstut
20 L 7.02% 0 1.071 1.018
BIAB 34

Fermentables Used In Imperial Stout Recipes (View More)

Name Recipes Country Category Type Color PPG Avg. Usage Usage Range
Flaked Oats 1,350 Adjunct raw 2.2°L
33 8% 1% - 100%
American - Chocolate 1,139 American Grain roasted malt 350°L
29 5% 0% - 61%
American - Roasted Barley 1,095 American Grain roasted malt 300°L
33 4% 0% - 77%
US - Pale 2-Row 915 US Grain base malt 1.8°L
37 62% 4% - 100%
United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale 706 United Kingdom Grain base malt 3.75°L
38 58% 2% - 100%
American - Caramel / Crystal 120L 642 American Grain crystal malt 120°L
33 4% 0% - 23%
Caramel / Crystal 60L 407 Grain crystal malt 60°L
34 5% 0% - 52%
Lactose (Milk Sugar) 384 Sugar sugar 1°L
41 5% 0% - 54%
United Kingdom - Roasted Barley 371 United Kingdom Grain roasted malt 550°L
29 4% 0% - 16%
American - Black Malt 362 American Grain roasted malt 500°L
28 4% 0% - 100%

Hops Used In Imperial Stout Recipes (View More)

Name Recipes Average AA Avg. Usage Usage Range
Magnum 555 15 57% 2% - 100%
East Kent Goldings 370 5 38% 7% - 100%
Columbus 358 15 45% 0% - 100%
Willamette 329 4.5 36% 2% - 100%
Cascade 310 7 36% 1% - 100%
Nugget 302 14 43% 5% - 100%
Centennial 271 10 32% 1% - 100%
Chinook 269 13 37% 2% - 100%
Northern Brewer 235 7.8 36% 5% - 100%
Fuggles 216 4.5 39% 2% - 100%

Steeping Grains Used In Imperial Stout Recipes (View More)

Name Recipes Country Category Type Color PPG Avg. Usage Usage Range
American - Chocolate 56 American Grain roasted malt 350°L
29 31% 7% - 100%
American - Roasted Barley 48 American Grain roasted malt 300°L
33 24% 3% - 70%
American - Black Malt 27 American Grain roasted malt 500°L
28 20% 4% - 50%
American - Caramel / Crystal 120L 27 American Grain crystal malt 120°L
33 25% 1% - 100%
United Kingdom - Black Patent 19 United Kingdom Grain roasted malt 525°L
27 18% 5% - 40%
United Kingdom - Chocolate 18 United Kingdom Grain roasted malt 425°L
34 24% 9% - 50%
United Kingdom - Roasted Barley 16 United Kingdom Grain roasted malt 550°L
29 28% 8% - 50%
Flaked Oats 15 Adjunct raw 2.2°L
33 24% 3% - 100%
American - Caramel / Crystal 40L 15 American Grain crystal malt 40°L
34 30% 13% - 44%
Caramel / Crystal 60L 11 Grain crystal malt 60°L
34 36% 13% - 100%

Yeasts Used In Imperial Stout Recipes (View More)

Name Recipes Laboratory Type Alcohol Tolerance Flocculation Attenuation Min. Temp Max. Temp
Fermentis - Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05 599 Fermentis / Safale Ales Low Medium 81% 54°F 77°F
Fermentis - Safale - English Ale Yeast S-04 293 Fermentis / Safale Ale .0975 High 75% 54°F 77°F
White Labs - California Ale Yeast WLP001 202 White Labs Ale High Medium 76.5% 68°F 73°F
Wyeast - American Ale 1056 175 Wyeast Ale 0.1 Med-Low 75% 60°F 72°F
Imperial Yeast - A10 Darkness 112 Imperial Yeast Ale Medium 71% 62°F 72°F
Lallemand - LALBREW® NOTTINGHAM HIGH PERFORMANCE ALE YEAST 104 Lallemand Ales Medium High 80% 50°F 72°F
White Labs - Dry English Ale Yeast WLP007 99 White Labs Ale Med-High Med-High 75% 65°F 70°F
Danstar - Nottingham Ale Yeast 98 Danstar Ale Med-High High 77% 57°F 70°F
Mangrove Jack - New World Strong Ale M42 73 Mangrove Jack Ale n/a High 79.5% 61°F 72°F
White Labs - San Diego Super Yeast WLP090 61 White Labs Ale High Med-High 79.5% 65°F 68°F

Other Ingredients Used In Imperial Stout Recipes (View More)

Name Recipes Type Use Avg. Usage Usage Range
Gypsum 393 Water Agt Mash 14% 0% - 100%
Calcium Chloride (dihydrate) 221 Water Agt Sparge 16% 0% - 100%
Baking Soda 193 Water Agt Mash 15% 0% - 100%
Whirlfloc 190 Water Agt Mash 48% 0% - 100%
Epsom Salt 162 Water Agt Mash 7% 0% - 100%
Lactic acid 132 Water Agt Sparge 66% 0% - 100%
Irish Moss 131 Fining Boil 47% 0% - 100%
Chalk 126 Water Agt Mash 20% 0% - 100%
Calcium Chloride (anhydrous) 119 Water Agt Mash 20% 0% - 100%
Vanilla Bean 90 Spice Secondary 43% 0% - 100%

Photos