I'm gonna embark on an imperial stout & i wanted to add raspberries. A post on JBK suggested adding 3kgs to the Fv , is this correct/ reasonable?
I've just checked out the price of raspberries at my local veg shop would be 20 quid for 3kg! Tesco frozen come out at 17 quid, any cheaper alternatives?Help! Wish I'd grown some on the allotment now......
Russian Imperial Stout ingredients help
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Aleman
- It's definitely Lock In Time
- Posts: 6132
- Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 11:56 am
- Location: Mashing In Blackpool, Lancashire, UK
Fruit is not an ingredient in traditional Imperial stouts . . . if you want to brew an Imperial stout Pantsmachine, and and myself have posted a few recipes in the recipe and brewday section. . . . If you want to brew a 'fruit stout' 
then don't go for something so strong, keep it to around 5%, and you can get away with something like 0.5-1lbs per US gallon (only reference for fruit beers I have is American) for assertive fruits like raspberries.
You can either steep them in the hot wort (Go for the upper end of the weight range) or add them to the FV toward the end of fermentation (Go toward the lower end of the range) . . . I've done one fruit beer, adding it to the FV and ended up with a strawberry lambic wheat beer . . . not at all pleasant. . . . I'd go with steeping if I ever do it again
then don't go for something so strong, keep it to around 5%, and you can get away with something like 0.5-1lbs per US gallon (only reference for fruit beers I have is American) for assertive fruits like raspberries.You can either steep them in the hot wort (Go for the upper end of the weight range) or add them to the FV toward the end of fermentation (Go toward the lower end of the range) . . . I've done one fruit beer, adding it to the FV and ended up with a strawberry lambic wheat beer . . . not at all pleasant. . . . I'd go with steeping if I ever do it again
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Flaming Barrel
Thanks aleman, I got the raspberries idea from the forum, a guy from switzerland recommeded them, only now I'm not sure & I can't find his post as the search results seem small? Is it just me?
Thanks again aleman.
I like to make beers with different adjuncts such as honey & treacle (see below), so is there anything I could add to my RIM stout? (oak chips maybe)?
Thanks again aleman.
I like to make beers with different adjuncts such as honey & treacle (see below), so is there anything I could add to my RIM stout? (oak chips maybe)?
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pantsmachine
Hello flaming barrel, i remember the post from the swiss bloke a while back. I made a raspberry wheat beer about 6 weeks back and you can taste the rasps in it but i don't think they would come through in an IRS. Personally i added curaco orange peel and french oak chips and after a day or so of going 'oh no what have i done' at the smell from the airlock its now a thumbs up to the smell.
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Flaming Barrel
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Flaming Barrel
Hi ive read youre tread, on making IRS, got the info i needed, thanks.
I was gonna cut the oak down to 100g, maybe buy the strong ones.Will it be enough?
Its not sounding that easy judging from the results on your thread.
What about 2 mash / sparges to collect wort(my mash tun may struggle with large grainbill).
I have a vial of WLP001 to use ,should i make a huge starter?
I was gonna cut the oak down to 100g, maybe buy the strong ones.Will it be enough?
Its not sounding that easy judging from the results on your thread.
What about 2 mash / sparges to collect wort(my mash tun may struggle with large grainbill).
I have a vial of WLP001 to use ,should i make a huge starter?
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pantsmachine
If you have a smallish mash tun i would advise to do it in 2 batches it will be less mess and more controllable.I think in the end i put through a total of 34/36 ltrs of water from start to final pour into FV and i guess i got around the 12 ltr mark into the FV, its a hell of a beer to make on wee kit. With hindsight i think maybe next time i'd aim for doing a smaller single batch scaled to my mash tun and maybe compensate(I.E Cheat) on the fermentables through dried extract and treacle/syrup. It depends on the recipe you develop i suppose and the final volume you are aiming for. Make sure you make your own tweaks to whatever recipe you use as a base so you own it in all its glory!
I guess i wimped out on the oak chips and went with the medium ones. You could really smell the oak for the 1st day or so coming through the airlock but then it dropped off now it just smells great. I intend to leave the orange peel and oak in the FV and go straight to bottling from there(FV this time is a bottom tap kep drawing off around 1 1/2" off bottom).
As i was advised by Aleman i think the chances of getting any yeast signature past the main flavours in an IRS will be remote. I've not used that yeast myself but assuming its a fiver a tube i'd go for the 2 dry packs and upwards advice i recieved from Aleman. I did a 2 pack yeast windsor in a 1/2 ltr of sugar solution and it took off like a mad thing. As did Alemans but he went 4 packs i think?
Bottom line is its massive fun and it doesn't look like anything else i've seen or smelt(in a good way). Going to keep a look out for your progress , good luck 'n' all that. Half the funs in the planning, the other halfs in the brewing so what it taste likes a bonus!
Edit.
Extra food for thought, i brewed a guiness type stout a while back, went a bit overboard on the roast barley so the beer has a lot of presence and roast flavour. I thought maybe too much. Had a bottle 2 nights ago and really liked it, seems to be calming down.
Last night i split a bottle of Black isle brewery organic porter with my wife. She thought it tasted watery and artificial in comparison to my own stout(i didn't pay her or anything ,honest)! It had no head at all(mine had a dark brown head and carbonation on the tongue). My point is that what you make is going to be better than commercial standard and especially with a IRS leave it for a LONG time to condition in bottle or keg to get the max out of it. I am only now realising just what a difference it makes to leave the beers to mature especially the stronger complex ones(my favourites). This hobby is so
I guess i wimped out on the oak chips and went with the medium ones. You could really smell the oak for the 1st day or so coming through the airlock but then it dropped off now it just smells great. I intend to leave the orange peel and oak in the FV and go straight to bottling from there(FV this time is a bottom tap kep drawing off around 1 1/2" off bottom).
As i was advised by Aleman i think the chances of getting any yeast signature past the main flavours in an IRS will be remote. I've not used that yeast myself but assuming its a fiver a tube i'd go for the 2 dry packs and upwards advice i recieved from Aleman. I did a 2 pack yeast windsor in a 1/2 ltr of sugar solution and it took off like a mad thing. As did Alemans but he went 4 packs i think?
Bottom line is its massive fun and it doesn't look like anything else i've seen or smelt(in a good way). Going to keep a look out for your progress , good luck 'n' all that. Half the funs in the planning, the other halfs in the brewing so what it taste likes a bonus!
Edit.
Extra food for thought, i brewed a guiness type stout a while back, went a bit overboard on the roast barley so the beer has a lot of presence and roast flavour. I thought maybe too much. Had a bottle 2 nights ago and really liked it, seems to be calming down.
Last night i split a bottle of Black isle brewery organic porter with my wife. She thought it tasted watery and artificial in comparison to my own stout(i didn't pay her or anything ,honest)! It had no head at all(mine had a dark brown head and carbonation on the tongue). My point is that what you make is going to be better than commercial standard and especially with a IRS leave it for a LONG time to condition in bottle or keg to get the max out of it. I am only now realising just what a difference it makes to leave the beers to mature especially the stronger complex ones(my favourites). This hobby is so
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Flaming Barrel