Belgian Imperial Stout

[pads72]

Mixing styles up here, but I'm planning the following...

Belgian Imperial Stout

Fermentables:
Pale ale malt 84% 8kg
Wheat malt 6% 560g
Chocolate malt 6% 560g
Black malt 1% 100g
Roasted barley 1% 100g
Flaked oats 1% 100g
Golden syrup 1% 100g (end of boil)

90 min mash at 66 degC

Hops:
Goldings 90g 90min from end
Northern Brewer 20g 15min from end
NZ Cascade 20g 15min from end
Williamette 20g 5min from end
NZ Cascade 20g 5min from end

Yeast:
Safbrew T-58
I'll make a starter with this beforehand. Inspired by Darkonnis' comment in this thread about using this Chimay strain viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62838&p=660501&hili ... yn#p660501

Target stats:
23 litre batch
OG 1.095
FG 1.024
ABV 9.7
58.6 IBU
90.2 EBC

Then use the spent grain for a parti-gyle brew!

Any pointers/thoughts?

[pads72]

Oh, and planning to ferment at 18 degC, and lay down for as long as poss! 1 year maybe

[pads72]

No-one got a view?

[6470zzy]

I am going to suggest that you not make a starter out of the dried T58, but rather that you pitch more than one pack. Just rehydrate 2 sachets in warm water and then pitch, you will be just fine and you wont have to worry about oxygenating

Cheers

[far9410]

Hi yes go for it, I recently brewed a Belgian yank, a blonde beer using aromatic malts and Belgian yeast, with late additions of us hops, it's very nice, but different, so experiment on!

[jmc]

Sugar % quite low for a Belgian strong brew. May be a bit cloying. I'd go for 10-15%.
I started a Belgian Imperial Stout on New Year's day. I'll dig out recipe and get back to you.

[pads72]

I am going to suggest that you not make a starter out of the dried T58, but rather that you pitch more than one pack. Just rehydrate 2 sachets in warm water and then pitch, you will be just fine and you wont have to worry about oxygenating

Cheers

Thanks Ozzy, I normally rehydrate the dried yeasts anyway, but on ly have the one packet of T-58 in at the moment, which lead to my thinking about using a starter. Maybe I'd better order more!

[pads72]

Hi yes go for it, I recently brewed a Belgian yank, a blonde beer using aromatic malts and Belgian yeast, with late additions of us hops, it's very nice, but different, so experiment on!

Thanks for the encouragement! It's great to hear about others mixed up styles

[pads72]

Sugar % quite low for a Belgian strong brew. May be a bit cloying. I'd go for 10-15%.
I started a Belgian Imperial Stout on New Year's day. I'll dig out recipe and get back to you.

Thanks for the tip JMC, be great to see what your version looked like

[50quidsoundboy]

imho if you're going to the expense of all those ingredients, and are prepared to make a starter, you should use a proper liquid belgian yeast as the results will be lightyears ahead of what's achievable with T-58.

[Hanglow]

De Struise Pannepot is made with t-58, it's a spectacularly good beer.

[6470zzy]

imho if you're going to the expense of all those ingredients, and are prepared to make a starter, you should use a proper liquid belgian yeast as the results will be lightyears ahead of what's achievable with T-58.

T-58 is a very good yeast and really isn't in the sub-light category. Once again just my opinion.

Cheers

[jmc]

Sugar % quite low for a Belgian strong brew. May be a bit cloying. I'd go for 10-15%.
I started a Belgian Imperial Stout on New Year's day. I'll dig out recipe and get back to you.

Thanks for the tip JMC, be great to see what your version looked like

Hi

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you

My recipe can be seen here - The Bis - Belgian Imperial Stout-AG95

You can see its got ~11% sugars added to it. A mix of Belgian style candy sugar/rocks and golden syrup.
OG was 1071 on 1/1/14. Down to 1016 by 8/1/14 ( I used Duvel yeast cake from a single)
Sugars added 8/1 which raised SG to 1027
On 8/2 it was 1013 and I siphoned it to a plastic barrel to mature. Purged with CO2 but no sugar added as I think it may still ferment a bit very slowly.
Samples were a bit rough with some molasses flavours that I'm hoping will mellow before Christmas.

Freshly milled grain on 31/12



Lively fermentation died down by 8/1/14


Making Candy Sugar / rocks

[pads72]

Thanks JMC, really helpful. Few quick questions if that's ok...

Is the last photo of candi sugar solidifying? I see you added the golden syrup and candi sugar 8 days in, did you dissovle the candi rocks and heat the solution up prior to pitching?

1kg of rauch malt seems like a fair bit - were the samples particularly smokey?

[Mr. Dripping]

Personally I would up the IBU's to around 80.
It will be in the bottle a long time maturing, so the flavours will mellow....you also have a big malt bill to cut through.
I would also be tempted to mash a bit lower....64 deg. This will aid attenuation and help prevent the beer being a bit sweet.