April 2014 Rockit Cup: Imperial Stout

For the Three Year Anniversary of the Rockit Cup, we’ll be making our first big beer. And as with any big beer, it should have some time to properly age, hence providing the recipe now. Or, you can be like me, and brew it around the middle of March and hope for the best. Sure, that will be cutting it close. But I’ll still have brewed it.

This recipe comes courtesy of Jeff Fortney. And as per his instructions, I’ve also included the low gravity session British Bitter recipe he plans to use to generate a sufficient yeast cell count for the Rockit Cup Imperial Stout. Jeff notes: “If you have a stir plate, 2 vials in a 1.0 liter starter should be sufficient. Also I highly recommend proper oxygenation. (Something like 30 seconds of direct inject through a diffusion stone) immediately at pitching the yeast.”

April Rockit Cup: Imperial Stout
Calculated for 5 gallons @ 70% efficiency; if your mash tun cannot hold 20 lbs. of grain, then cut the recipe in half and brew 2.5 gallons.
OG: 1.100
FG: ~1.020
IBU: 87.5
Color: 91.5
ABV: 10.5%

10 lbs. British Pale Malt
4 lbs. White Wheat
2 lbs. British Chocolate Malt (Fawcett or Simpsons)
2 lbs. British Roasted Barley (Fawcett or Simpsons)
1 lb. Crisp Crystal 77L
1 lb. Dingemanns Special B (or Simpsons Extra Dark Crystal)

Mash @ 150˚ F for 75 minutes. Add half of the Chocolate Malt and Roasted Barley at the beginning of the mash as normal. Add the other half with 2 minutes left in the mash, prior to sparge.

60 minute boil

1.8 oz. Northern Brewer @ 60 minutes
1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 30 minutes
1 oz. EKG @ 15 minutes
1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 5 minutes
1 oz. EKG @ 0 minutes
1.2 oz. Northern Brewer dry hop

WLP007 Dry English Ale

Ferment @ 66° F; do not let this beer ever get above 68° F; start at 60-62° F and keep the temperature controlled until after high krausen

Carbonate to 2.3 volumes

And the low gravity session British Bitter recipe:

April Rockit Cup No Name Best Bitter
O.G. 1.044 @ 70% efficiency
F.G. 1.012
IBU 37.2
Color: 12
ABV: 4.2%

7 lbs. British Pale Malt
¾ lb. Weyermann Caramunich I
½ lb. Flaked Maize
½ lb. Amber Malt
2 oz. Briess Chocolate Malt

1 oz. Challenger @ 60 minutes
½ oz. EKG @ 15 minutes
½ oz. EKG @ 3 minutes

Mash at 156˚ F for 60 minutes

WLP007 Dry English Ale

Ferment @ 66° F

Carbonate to 2.1 volumes

Beware the Ides of March!