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Pyatiletka Stout


Vital Statistics:

Batch Number:24
Style:Russian Imperial Stout
Brew Date:3 July 2010
Original Gravity:1.086 (20.68 °Plato)
Final Gravity:1.024 (6.08 °Plato)
ABV:8.1%
ABW:6.3%
Calories per pint:376
Estimated IBU (Rager):56.5
Estimated IBU (Tinseth):36.4
Mash Temperature:156°
Mash Efficiency:62%
Days in Primary:29 (into secondary on 1 August 2010)
Days in Secondary:43 (kegged on 12 September 2010)
Ferm. Temp. Notes:73-75°
Yeast Used:1028 London Ale
Apparent Attenuation:72%
Real Attenuation:58%
Rating:4.10
Entirely Consumed:Yes (finished 23 April 2011)
Availability:223 days
Recipe:

16 lb 2-row pale malt
2 lb flaked barley
2 lb chocolate malt
12 oz black patent malt
8 oz black barley

16 AAU (34g @ 13% AA) Nugget @ 60

Wyeast 1028 - London Ale
General Notes:

Used a yeast starter. There were several disasters with this beer, including breaking the mash tun and shattering a hydrometer at an inopportune moment.
Tasting Notes:

Tasting notes taken 18 January 2011. Dispensed from keg into a pint glass.

Appearance: unequivocal, inscrutable black with a thick finger of creamy dark brown foam which dissipated over a couple of minutes. Getting these black beers to look good is simply no challenge at all, but I admit I would have liked a bit more head retention. (4)

Smell: deep mocha-chocolate aroma which is neither especially complex nor particularly flawed. The smell is positively creamy and extremely enticing; a sweet finish complements the fact that there are no harsh edges here. If all my porters and stouts smelled this good, I would be exceedingly happy. (4.5)

Taste: rich coffee flavor comes through a lightly fruity foretaste and finishes with a strong roasty bitterness. Some chocolate remains, and toward the end a vegetabley hop bitterness comes through. While some imperfections remain (hops could be more on the bitter side and less on the flavor side, and brash roast could be toned down a little), this might be the best-tasting beer I've ever concocted. (4)

Mouthfeel: texture is silky-smooth with a nicely well-integrated carbonation filling out a medium-rich body. This beer could use a little bit more body, and with my next RIS I might try boiling down some first runnings as I did with Backbreaker Wee Heavy; still, the texture of this is really nice. This may be my best-textured kegged beer. (4)

Drinkability: strong and smooth, with some rough patches at the end. These imperfections just make me want to take another sip so I can sample that heavenly introduction -- a serious boon to drinkability. I think with just a few tweaks in recipe and process (and fewer brewing disasters), this could become a downright fantastic recipe. (4)

Overall score 4.1 (A-). By rating, this is the best beer I've made, and that is held down to the aroma. I could seriously wax rhapsodic about this aroma. Overall, though, the beer is excellent, and I look forward to tweaking this recipe and implementing another five-year plan.
Hops Table
Hop Variety Addition Time AAU AA% Quantity (g) Type IBU (Rager) IBU (Tinseth) Notes
Nugget 60 16.00 13.0 34 Pellet 56.5 36.4  
Competitions Entered
Competition Category Date Submitted Final Judging Date Score (High/Low) Outcome
Cascade Brewers Cup 2011 BJCP 13F - Russian Imperial Stout 24 February 2011 12 March 2011 34/50 (36/32) Did not place (37 entries in Stout category).