Imperial Stout Brewday 4/3/11

In the midst of Div III madness, we managed to make time to brew a beer of greater proportions than we had previously dreamed. This stout is loosely based on the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, with a lot of influence from the stout chapter in Designing Great Beers.

Batch size: 5 gallons

Boil Volume: 3.5 gallons

Calculated OG: 1.095

Measured FG: 1.030

Calculated ABV: 8.4

Calculated IBUs (Tinseth): 54

Yeast: Nottingham (two 11 gram packets)

Fermentation vessel: AHB Bucket

Days in primary: 19

10 lbs Extra Light DME

1.5 lbs Roasted Barley

1 lb Chocolate Malt

0.25 lbs Black Patent

2 oz. Horizon 9.1% AA at 60 minutes

1 oz. Kent Goldings 7.2% AA at 15 minutes

4/4/11: This thing is fermenting so hard its blow off needed a blow off. It's the first time we've had a bucket blow off; I think the lid may now be permanently convex. I guess with the amount of yeast and fermentable sugar we put into that bucket I shouldn't be that surprised, but it's quite dramatic.

4/14/11: Fermentation stuck at 1.030. Tried rousing the yeast by swirling the fermenter slightly, but a few days later, no change in specific gravity. Re-pitched with dry champagne yeast.

Bottled 4/22/11: Gravity still 1.030. Not as attenuated as we were aiming for, but this should still be a very good beer.