Since I'm only brewing 5 or 6 gallons at a time, and actual wine or bourbon barrels are typically 59 gallons... I'm using oak spirals and will be soaking them in bourbon first, then adding to the secondary fermenter for 100 days.
The result will be a 13% monster. Expected to be ready early summer, which isn't the greatest of times for an imperial stout... I'd rather be enjoying it in the fall or even dead of winter, but that's how it worked out, so whatever. This will be one that will be even better at this time next year!
THE RECIPE:
22# Pale Malt
4# Munich
1# Crystal 60L
1/2# Chocolate Malt
1/2# Roasted Barley
1/2# Black Patent Malt
8 oz Willamette
2 oz oak spirals
16 oz bourbon (tbd)
Yeast cake from oatmeal brown ale (wyeast 1028)
1/30? BREWDAY:
Hoping to get this brewed before the end of the month!
Holy smokes that is an ambitious beer. What gravity to you hope to get? 28+ lbs of malt? I have never used more than about 18. Jeesh. Will you over collect the wort and boil it down? Might need more pots going, maybe one or two on the stove. You'll need a lot of yeast! Maybe even a yeast cake would be ideal. Also, you might re-oxygenate during the first 12 or 24 hours. People do that with big beers. I've done it once but not a ton. good luck man.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a big'n. I'll probably do a boil down. I know Goose Island does like a 6 hour boil for this one. I am pitching on the yeast cake from my oatmeal brown (1028). The re-oxygenating idea was just suggested to me by someone else too... I unfortunately don't have oxygen to do that, but I wonder what the window is to add oxygen without it negatively affecting the yeast.
ReplyDeleteBecause of some recent events, this is being put on hold for a little while. But I'll let you know how it goes when I get around to it.