Old Nehampkin Imperial Stout

PARTIAL-MASH WITH EXTRACT

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 65%

OG: 1.098

FG: 1.023

IBUS: 85

ABV: 10.1%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

11 lb (4.9 kg) pale liquid malt extract (LME) 1.5 lb (680 g) roasted barley

1 lb (454 g) chocolate rye malt

8 oz (227 g) caramel/crystal 80L

8 oz (227 g) chocolate malt

8 oz (227 g) Special B

8 oz (227 g) Victory

6.4 oz (181 g) brown malt

HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

2 oz (57 g) Warrior at 60 minutes [72 IBUS] 1 oz (28 g) East Kent Goldings at

30 minutes [9 IBUS]

1 tablet Whirlfloc at 15 minutes

1 tsp (5 ml) yeast nutrient at 10 minutes 1 oz (28 g) East Kent Goldings at

10 minutes [4 IBUS]

YEAST

White Labs WLP001 California Ale

DIRECTIONS

Mill the grains. Heat 6.5 gallons (25 liters) of water to 158°F (70°C) and steep the grains for 30 minutes. Remove the grains and drain well. Add LME and stir thoroughly to completely dissolve. Bring wort to a good rolling boil, and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, Whirlfloc (or Irish moss), and yeast nutrient according to the schedule. Chill to 65°F (18°C), aerate well, and pitch plenty of healthy yeast. Ferment for at least 2 weeks before sampling. When fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized, crash, package, and carbonate. This is a great beer for bottle conditioning—otherwise, be prepared to tie up a keg for 6 months or longer.

IMPERIAL STOUT HAS ALWAYS

been big and bold, but in recent years it’s been getting even bigger and bolder. Brewers are pushing the envelope on starting gravities—going higher, going thicker, and winding up with beers that remain extremely full-bodied even after fermentation. Weight and texture have become as important to the style as its complex malt flavors and compatibility with adjuncts and barrel-aging.

Here’s the thing: There’s no reason extract brewers can’t do the same at home. In fact, we may be uniquely well suited for it, as extracts eliminate the need for gigantic mash tuns or double mashes. In fact, many pro brewers are using malt extracts to help them hit those extra-high gravities. There is no reason for extracts to hold us back from getting that big body and mouthfeel, especially when we steep some well-chosen specialty grains.

Let’s break the style down—a bit of background, some discussion of ingredients, and then some tips on brewing these impressive beasts at home using extracts with specialty grains.

The Basics

Bourbon-barrel-aging and dessert-like adjuncts have helped to keep imperial stout fashionable, but the style has a long heritage—the Oxford Companion to Beer goes so far as to call it a “history lesson in a bottle.” Its roots are as an “extra-stout” porter brewed for export from England to the Baltics and Russia more than 200 years ago.

The story goes that Russian ruler Peter the Great gained an early appreciation for London porter on his travels there, and his successor Catherine the Great— who ruled from 1762 to 1796—also had a taste for it. Thrale’s Anchor Brewery in Southwark, London, exported a specially brewed stout—“imperial” because it was for the imperial Russian court—in the 1780s. (For more about imperial stout, see beerandbrewing.com/dictionary.)

Craft brewers in North America, Great Britain, and elsewhere have revived and revitalized the style. If traditional British versions embrace balance and malt complexity, American ones tend to have more expressive hop bitterness and higher ABV. One of the best-known examples, whose name nods to the Russian story, is Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewing (Fort Bragg, California).

Imperial stouts keep well, and the alcohol is big—from 8 to 12 percent ABV and beyond. The flavor should be rich, exhibiting notes that might include dark fruits, coffee, chocolate, roast, and caramel. The body is full and chewy on the palate. An imperial stout is one to be savored through those dark days and long nights of winter. It’s an excellent beer for sharing, which is what I love to do while camping with friends.

Brewing High-gravity Stouts with Extracts

You can brew imperial stout quite successfully using extracts and specialty grains. Fair warning: The grain bill for steeping is big and varied, but this is absolutely necessary to achieve that complex malt character. The specialty grains bring those alluring aromas and flavors such as rich dark cocoa, fresh-ground coffee, and dark stone fruits (think raisins, plums, and prunes). There is no need to make this an oatmeal stout—but if you must, limit it to a half-pound (227 grams) or so of flaked oats.

The key to brewing an imperial stout—or any big beer, really—is to avoid ending up with one that is overly sweet or syrupy, or one that is harsh in alcohol. Few things are harder to drink than a sweet, hot, alcoholic mess. Proper attenuation is critical to avoid the sweetness, and that means paying attention to yeast choice and healthy fermentation.

Another useful ingredient is time— longer maturation can help temper the warming alcohol and smooth out the edges. I like to think about my favorite whiskeys—the ones that sit in barrels for years, mellowing the alcohol and taking up myriad flavors over time. Apply this

You can brew imperial stout quite successfully using extracts and specialty grains. Fair warning: The grain bill for steeping is big and varied, but this is absolutely necessary to achieve that complex malt character. The specialty grains bring those alluring aromas and flavors.