Cy Bevenger used the London water profile as the basis for his tasty Russian imperial stout. We’ve modified Cy’s recipe for 72 percent brewhouse efficiency and assume an 84 percent mash efficiency.
ALL-GRAIN
Estimated Pre-boil Gravity: 1.063
Estimated OG: 1.100
Estimated FG: 1.007
IBUs: 85
Estimated ABV: 12.5%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
9.5 lb (4.3 kg) 2-row malt
0.7 lb (318 g) chocolate malt (350 SRM)
0.7 lb (318 g) malted oats
0.7 lb (318 g) roasted barley (300 SRM)
0.7 lb (318 g) Vienna malt
0.5 lb (227 g) crystal malt 30L
0.5 lb (227 g) crystal malt 80L
0.3 lb (136 g) flaked oats
1 lb (454 g) molasses
2.5 lb (1.1 kg) table sugar (sucrose)
HOPS SCHEDULE
2 oz (56.7 g) Magnum hops at FWH
DIRECTIONS
Mash at 150°F (66°C) for 60 minutes. Boil for 120 minutes. Add the molasses in the last 10 minutes of the boil. Caramelize the table sugar on the stovetop, cool it to room temperature, break it into chunks, and add it to the primary before you pitch the yeast. Ferment in the high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit (low 20s Celsius) for 30 days. Move it to secondary fermentation for 90 days.
YEAST
One liter starter of White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale Yeast
BREWER’S NOTES
This recipe goes nuts when fermenting. I typically lose 15–20 percent of the batch out of the blow-off tube when it’s in the primary fermentor. I force carbonate and then bottle with a counter-pressure filler. I’ve had mash efficiency as low as 35 percent on this, so make sure you’re adjusting for your own system.