Darth Vader's Imperial Stout (The Dark Side)

Source: Tim Black
Recipe added: 01/28/97
Email: trblac00@pop.uky.edu
URL: http://sac.uky.edu/~trblac00/recipes.html

This beer has been in the bottle for about two weeks, and it is phenomenal! Rich and malty, with lots of complexity. Coffee flavor is slight, but definitely noticeable. Alcoholic warmth is imminent in a beer of this high gravity, but it's not overwhelming. The Special London version has slightly more body(also is maltier) than the American version and the Wit version has some crazy aroma/phenolics going on! There really is no mistaking these yeasts from one another in a beer like this. I plan to do some taste tests - yeast recognition tests - with this at the next B.O.C.K. (Brewers of Central Kentucky) meeting!

Specifics

Recipe type: Partial Mash
Batch Size: 5 gallons
Starting Gravity: 1.092
Finishing Gravity: 1.026
Time in Boil: 90 minutes
Primary Fermentation: 3 days at 76-70F
Secondary Fermentation: 6 weeks at 43F
Additional Fermentation: bottle conditioned with 1/2 cup corn sugar

Ingredients:

Grain Bill:
5 lb. Briess Pale 2-row malt
2 lb. Crystal
1 lb. Chocolate
1/2 lb. Roast Barley
2 oz. Black Patent
1 lb. flaked oats
1 lb. flaked barley
Extract:
3 lbs M&F extradark dme
3 lbs M&F light dme
1/2 lb. M&F wheat dme
Water:
6 gal boiled tap water + 1 Tbsp. burton salts
Hops:
1 oz. CHINOOK 12.25 60 min + 3 oz. US Hallertauer whole 4.4% 30 min + 1.5 oz. Cascades 5.5% 20 min + 1 oz. Fuggles 4.5% finish
This is about 94 HBU's!</TH>
Other:
1 cup molasses 60 min
1 inch brewer's licorice 20 min
1 tsp. Irish Moss 20 min
2 tsp. vanilla extract added when wort cooled to 150F
1 Tbsp. normal ground Royal Kona coffee beans added when wort cooled to 150F</TH>
Yeast:
Special London yeast slurry from Tim Black Beer(3 gal=2gal wort+1gal water)
Chico Ale yeast slurry from Tim Black Beer (2 gal=1.3gal wort+.6gal water)
Belgian Wit yeast slurry from TimwiT (1 gal=.6gal wort+.3gal water)

Procedure:

Mash 3 gal water with grain. Strike heat: 165F Mash-in: 150 Mash-pH: 5 Starch Conversion: 1.5 hrs @ 155-150F. After recirculating until clear(about a gallon), Sparged with 3 gal water@pH:6.5 @ 165F using rotating sparge arm. Sparge time: 9 hours(overnight due to stuck mash) Wort Boil time:90 minutes Bottled with 0.5 cup corn sugar. Added 2 qts sterile water to the Special London, 1.5 qts to the American, and 0.5 qt to the Wit version at bottling time.

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