dwarven_stout
Well-Known Member
(BBIB? New acronym! Sweet!)
This thread will be notes from my 1.125+ Russian Imperial Stout Brew in a Bag experience, for anyone interested in trying something similar.
I haven't been brewing long, and I got bitten right off by the all-grain bug. I had two 5gal pots when I started out, making full boils impossible, and neither an object remotely resembling a mash tun nor the funds to construct one, so I went for the BIAB method. I did a few session beers that way, then got to itching for an Imperial Stout to age the summer away down in the basement.
First off- big beers + BIAB = giant PITA. Don't do it this way if you have another option, such as a friend with brewing equipment or whatever. That said, it is completely feasible to make a big beer in a bag.
To do this, I had a 7.5gal pot and a 5gal pot, and 14.5lbs of grain. I could have bumped the 2-row up to make a total of around 16-18lbs and still fit it all in the pots, but I chose to make that up through late additions. I did a decoction mash to keep the water volume lower, which was actually super simple with the BIAB. I boiled down to a 4gal end volume- I spent too much time on this beer already to want to watch it go out the airlock!
Here's the recipe:
Grain bill:
10lb Pale 2-row
1.5lb Aromatic
1.5lb Roasted Barley
1lb Special B
0.5lb Black Patent
2tsp Gypsum in mash
Dough in 14.5lbs grain with 20qt of water at 130 degrees
Rest at 122 degrees for 15 minutes
Added 10qt water at 155 degrees
Immediately pulled 8qt thick mash for decoction- just pull up the grain bag and dip out of it.
Rest at 133 degrees for 30 minutes while decoction boils
Add in decoction
Mash at 150 degrees for 60 minutes
Ran off 7.25gal at 1.050 corrected gravity – 74% efficiency
Boiled down to 5gal before starting 90minute hop schedule.
Hop bill:
2oz Northern Brewer (8.4% AA) @ 90m
1oz Northern Brewer (7% AA) @ 90m
1oz Warrior (18.4% AA) @ 90m
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA) @ 20m
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA) @ 10m
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA) @ 5m
Late sugar additions:
5lb Pale 2-row
3lb Sucanat Sugar
3lb homemade Belgian candy syrup (280 degree - estimated 200 SRM)
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA)
Mash grain, boil down to 1.5gal with sugar. Add 0.5gal on days 3,6 and 9. Targeting a 1.130 composite OG here. The hops is to act as a preservative while jars of syrup sit in the fridge.
Misc:
0.25 oz star anise @ 10m boil
1 tsp WLP1000 yeast nutrient @ 5m boil
2oz medium toast oak chips in secondary
Yeast:
400mL thin slurry from White Labs WLP530 yeast cake
I racked this baby to primary at 6:30 last night- 4 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy, with slurry from the yeast cake of the Belgian Golden I had just taken out. I had airlock activity within the hour. This morning it has a 2.5in krausen. Glad I took it down to 4 gal!
I'll update here with progress for anyone who's interested.
This thread will be notes from my 1.125+ Russian Imperial Stout Brew in a Bag experience, for anyone interested in trying something similar.
I haven't been brewing long, and I got bitten right off by the all-grain bug. I had two 5gal pots when I started out, making full boils impossible, and neither an object remotely resembling a mash tun nor the funds to construct one, so I went for the BIAB method. I did a few session beers that way, then got to itching for an Imperial Stout to age the summer away down in the basement.
First off- big beers + BIAB = giant PITA. Don't do it this way if you have another option, such as a friend with brewing equipment or whatever. That said, it is completely feasible to make a big beer in a bag.
To do this, I had a 7.5gal pot and a 5gal pot, and 14.5lbs of grain. I could have bumped the 2-row up to make a total of around 16-18lbs and still fit it all in the pots, but I chose to make that up through late additions. I did a decoction mash to keep the water volume lower, which was actually super simple with the BIAB. I boiled down to a 4gal end volume- I spent too much time on this beer already to want to watch it go out the airlock!
Here's the recipe:
Grain bill:
10lb Pale 2-row
1.5lb Aromatic
1.5lb Roasted Barley
1lb Special B
0.5lb Black Patent
2tsp Gypsum in mash
Dough in 14.5lbs grain with 20qt of water at 130 degrees
Rest at 122 degrees for 15 minutes
Added 10qt water at 155 degrees
Immediately pulled 8qt thick mash for decoction- just pull up the grain bag and dip out of it.
Rest at 133 degrees for 30 minutes while decoction boils
Add in decoction
Mash at 150 degrees for 60 minutes
Ran off 7.25gal at 1.050 corrected gravity – 74% efficiency
Boiled down to 5gal before starting 90minute hop schedule.
Hop bill:
2oz Northern Brewer (8.4% AA) @ 90m
1oz Northern Brewer (7% AA) @ 90m
1oz Warrior (18.4% AA) @ 90m
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA) @ 20m
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA) @ 10m
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA) @ 5m
Late sugar additions:
5lb Pale 2-row
3lb Sucanat Sugar
3lb homemade Belgian candy syrup (280 degree - estimated 200 SRM)
0.5oz Willamette (4.8% AA)
Mash grain, boil down to 1.5gal with sugar. Add 0.5gal on days 3,6 and 9. Targeting a 1.130 composite OG here. The hops is to act as a preservative while jars of syrup sit in the fridge.
Misc:
0.25 oz star anise @ 10m boil
1 tsp WLP1000 yeast nutrient @ 5m boil
2oz medium toast oak chips in secondary
Yeast:
400mL thin slurry from White Labs WLP530 yeast cake
I racked this baby to primary at 6:30 last night- 4 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy, with slurry from the yeast cake of the Belgian Golden I had just taken out. I had airlock activity within the hour. This morning it has a 2.5in krausen. Glad I took it down to 4 gal!
I'll update here with progress for anyone who's interested.