Russian Imperial Stout

RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

 

The Imperial Stout, over the last few years, has become one of the most popular styles in America. Almost every craft brewery, regardless of size, seems to have at least one on their roster. Imperial Stouts are also some of the biggest and baddest beers available, with alcohol content ranging into double figures. This beer is always complex, bold, and malleable. Imperial Stouts have so much going on that they really allow the brewer to get creative with adjuncts and aging options. Many times these are the base beers for new school pastry and coffee stouts, as well as countless bourbon barrel aged stouts. 

Originally brewed in the 18th century by Thrale's Anchor Brewery in London, England, it was famously made to export to Catherine the Great of Russia as another boozy option in the cold Russian Winters. The "Imperial" moniker was bestowed upon the style after it was given a royal warrant of trade by the Russian government. Since then, the Imperial tag has been added to pretty much any beer from the UK or America that clocks in at over 8% ABV. In the early days of the style, it is unknows exactly how strong the beer was, as record keeping was inconsistent at best, however a ledger from 1856 claims an original gravity of 1.107, leading experts to estimate that brew at over 10% ABV. 

The original Imperial from Thrale's was brewed into the 20th century, when they merged with Courage Brewing, who took over the main production of the beer. It was called Courage Imperial Russian Stout until 1993 when they began to limit production. It was retired from their roster in 2003, however they began to sporadically brew it again in 2011, in order to sell it in the United States an increase their international presence. 

The beer itself, as mentioned above, is big and bold. There has to be some care in making it, however, as the amount of ingredients and the sheer size of the brew itself lends itself to becoming disorganized, a "hot mess," as it were, of profiles that don't necessarily agree with each other. Sweet aromas and an almost port-like thickness are common, along with strong notes of dark and stone fruit. Imperials can be very roasty, with heavy toast and coffee vibes, as well as bready and rich. A significant IBU count is acceptable as well, with hops adding balance to this malty beast. 

Commercial varieties can be straight forward, and there isn't all that much difference between American and British versions of the beer. Craft breweries across the country have added untold amounts of things to Imperial Stouts (ours will include a mock bourbon barrel aging stage), from fruits to nuts to marshmallows to smoke. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout is among the most craved beers in America upon it's release every year, as are the Goose Island Bourbon County series of flavored Imperial Stouts. Both are incredibly high alcohol content with some variants approaching 15% ABV for a single bottle. Others, like North Coast's Old Rasputin and New England Brewing Co.'s Imperial Stout Trooper are more straight up, but no less desirable (Old Rasputin is one of my favorites, for sure).

Our recipe has a lot of stuff going on, but each piece works in harmony with the others to create a big, bold, intimidating beer that is certainly not for the faint of heart. It's one of our favorites to make, which is why we don't do it very often. We use two hop additions, one at the beginning of a 90 minute boil and one towards the end. We use a high Alpha hop to help balance the flavor profile and give the beer a little more of an earthy quality to underscore the sweeter notes from the malt. We also use a pretty basic yeast, but that's more to let the other ingredients shine. On a five gallon batch, it would be prudent to use two sachets of dry yeast in order to ensure you have enough active cells to attain the desired ABV. 

OUR RECIPE

16 lbs Maris Otter
2 lbs Black Patent
1 lb Special B
1/2 lb Roasted Barley
4 lbs Flaked Barley

1 oz Warrior Hops
1 oz Fuggles Hops

2 packs S-04 Dry English Ale Yeast

4 oz Bourbon Aged Hungarian Oak Cubes

Malts We Use
Maris Otter: Mostly used as a base malt, Maris Otter is a English version of Standard 2-row barley. It is slightly darker and starchier than the American base malt and lends itself well to heavier Stouts and British Ales.

Black Patent Malt: Black malt will add dark black colors as well as roasted and bitter flavors to beer. It will impart some charcoal and black coffee aromas to stouts and porters. Black malt should be used with caution as the angular flavors can overpower a beer with astringent characteristics that may not be welcome.

 Special B: A uniquely Belgian malt, Special B is dark and very flavorful. It is responsible for color and sweet flavors such as caramel and raisin. Most darker Belgian beers have some amount of Special B included in their malt bills. 

Roasted Barley: A classic dark malt, roasted barley adds rich dark hues with highlights of magenta and red to stouts and porters. It is heavy on the roast flavor and gives a fresh coffee aromatic characteristic in beer. Roasted barley is among the only widely used specialty grains that are unmalted.

Hops We Use
Warrior: Citrusy and a little peppery, Warrior is gaining momentum as a quintessential American bittering hop. It's generally used in Imperial IPA's and American Pale Ale's, but it is versatile enough to be included in many different styles. One of the things that is holding it back from being a more popular hop is its difficulty to cultivate, so it's not too widely available, especially in foreign markets. 

Fuggle: A versatile and traditional English hop variety, Fuggle was introduced in the 19^th century and has been a staple of British beers ever since. Usually an aromatic hop, it can be used at any point in the brewing process. 

Yeast Used
SafALE S-04: An English ale strain of dry yeast, S-04 gives the beer plenty of room to work. This yeast won’t overpower the beer with bready content, rather it lets the malts and hops come to the forefront. Naturally aggressive, this yeast will ferment vigorously for 48-72 hours, quickly petering out over the next few days. The tight sediment base creates a clean beer with traditional English ale characteristics. A blow off tube and bucket or extra head space is recommended during primary fermentation as the powerful action can exceed the capacity of a traditional carboy.

Adjuncts We Used
Flaked Barley: Flaked barley is added to stouts to create a bigger, heavier beer without adding any extra alcohol or color. Flaked grains are one of the key differences between stouts and porters, along with a higher ABV and more robust flavor. Flaked barley adds silky texture and warm, smooth mouthfeel to a beer and can be used liberally in stouts.

Oak Cubes: Adding oak to secondary fermentation is how many small batch brewers create the barrel aged qualities of a beer without incorporating an actual barrel, as those can be cost prohibitive. In many cases, soaking the oak in liquor will impart those characteristics as well, as the booze will infuse itself into the wood and then leach out into the beer during that final stage of fermentation.