So I recently brewed a Russian Imperial Stout OG 1.081, and I ran in to a problem with a high fermentation temperature, rising to around 85 F during the first days of primary. This is the third batch of beer I've made and it was the first time I used a different fermentation room. I've created a swamp cooler for my next batch, however this batch just went into secondary after an extended 2 week primary. I gave it a taste and it did taste a very hot, although the banana ester smell from my airlock did not give a forward banana taste to the beer.
I've got several questions, the hot alcohol makes it difficult to taste the malt backbone of the beer, will this balance out after bottling and 2-3 weeks of carbonation? Or will this require a few months to a year of aging to balance? I also have 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 oz of oak chips in a bourbon bath. They've all been soaking for 2 weeks now, if I add all of this to the secondary and let sit for a week will this over power the beer? I'm trying to get a good balance between cinnamon, vanilla, and malt, with the spices having a good presence, and easily distinguishable character. Right now the bourbon mix smells very cinnamon heavy, so I'm contemplating splitting and scraping another vanilla bean and tossing it in.
The stout will stay in secondary for at least another two weeks, and I plan to add the bourbon mix one week before I bottle. This is my first post so thanks for any support, I've done a lot of lurking and I know how helpful and knowledgable everyone is.
I've got several questions, the hot alcohol makes it difficult to taste the malt backbone of the beer, will this balance out after bottling and 2-3 weeks of carbonation? Or will this require a few months to a year of aging to balance? I also have 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 oz of oak chips in a bourbon bath. They've all been soaking for 2 weeks now, if I add all of this to the secondary and let sit for a week will this over power the beer? I'm trying to get a good balance between cinnamon, vanilla, and malt, with the spices having a good presence, and easily distinguishable character. Right now the bourbon mix smells very cinnamon heavy, so I'm contemplating splitting and scraping another vanilla bean and tossing it in.
The stout will stay in secondary for at least another two weeks, and I plan to add the bourbon mix one week before I bottle. This is my first post so thanks for any support, I've done a lot of lurking and I know how helpful and knowledgable everyone is.
