Russian Imperial Stout for a first brew..?

[Jetpac]

I'm a big fan of Russian imperial stouts and was considering doing the kit form imitation for my first brew (having read about the coopers 3 kit RIS) so that i can get it made and put away for the year then sink my teeth into some other beers.

It is supposed to be 1x Stout, 1xDark Ale and 1x Lager with 1kg of sugar, However i was considering dropping the lager and using spraymalt instead (to drop the cost a little)

1x Stout
1x Dark Ale
1kg Sugar
500g Dark spraymalt
500g hopped spraymalt (to replace some of the bitterness from the lager)

brewed to 20-23litres with a blowoff.

Any thoughts?

 

[chrig]

Its a lot of ingredients to risk as a first brew, it looks good but I would recommend you get something else on first as a trial run... One of the good 2 can / all malt kits would be an excellent start.

 

[winelight]

You need to brew it in 2 fermenting vessels (the fermentation is too violent for a single one), and if you want to rack away from the mess part way through fermentation, then you will need a third.

You don't strictly speaking need the bitterness from 3 kits, in fact it will be impossibly bitter to drink for maybe a few years. So swapping the lager for DME (not hopped) should be fine. It just won't have such a complex character.

You could hold on for a while and keep an eye out for crazy offers. There were 2-can kits at £3.76 in Wilko a while back (I paid £5.50, before the final reduction) and one-can kits for £2.74 in Tesco. If/when such offers ever come up again, get as many cans as you can and then save them for use in experiments like this.

Actually that's a good point... I just need a stout kit then I go with this.

 

[graysalchemy]

You don't strictly speaking need the bitterness from 3 kits, in fact it will be impossibly bitter to drink for maybe a few years. So swapping the lager for DME (not hopped) should be fine. It just won't have such a complex character.

It will also be sweeter as the hop bitterness balances out the sweetness of the residual sugars. The lager may well also be used to make it drier in any case which would be the equivalent at mashing the whole thing at a lower temp which is probably what you would do if your were doing a RIS all grain.

If you are wanting to do it and investing that sort of time and money making it, I wouldn't mess with the recipe and stick with the original. :thumb: :thumb:

But as said be prepared to wait a few months or 12 before it comes into its own high gravity beers need time to mature and the flavours meld.

 

[Jetpac]

You don't strictly speaking need the bitterness from 3 kits, in fact it will be impossibly bitter to drink for maybe a few years. So swapping the lager for DME (not hopped) should be fine. It just won't have such a complex character.

It will also be sweeter as the hop bitterness balances out the sweetness of the residual sugars. The lager may well also be used to make it drier in any case which would be the equivalent at mashing the whole thing at a lower temp which is probably what you would do if your were doing a RIS all grain.

If you are wanting to do it and investing that sort of time and money making it, I wouldn't mess with the recipe and stick with the original. :thumb: :thumb:

But as said be prepared to wait a few months or 12 before it comes into its own high gravity beers need time to mature and the flavours meld.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Yea that is the plan, its why i wanted to get it on as soon as so then i can just leave it be!

With splitting between 2 FVs is it as simple as mixing to full volume in one FV, siphoning half into another then adding half the yeast to both?

With the offers on cans is it only the larger supermarkets that will sell the homebrew cans?

 

[winelight]

With splitting between 2 FVs is it as simple as mixing to full volume in one FV, siphoning half into another then adding half the yeast to both?

I haven't tried it yet myself... the danger is that the wort will not be fully mixed, that there will still be sticky extract at the bottom of the vessel. If you stir it properly, that should be avoidable.

I guess siphoning is the way to do it... or would it be possible to simply use a measuring jug and dip it in - if you don't put your hand in and make sure the jug is sanitised inside and out? I'm thinking it will be too sticky to siphon.