#175 RIS IV

...and we're back! Fell out of the blogging habit for quite a while there. As this blog was meant mostly to document my brewing and record my thoughts on the results, these posts will probably slim down (unless there's a good reason to really get into the weeds on ingredients, process, etc.). Onward!

My latest quarter-century batch came up in July; time for my fourth Russian imperial stout! Double reiterated mash, per usual. Grain bill accentuating rich maltiness and a blend of dark/roasty characters. I didn't notice a lot of impact from the four months it spent on oak cubes, but it went to bottle tasting very nice: lots of dark chocolate, roasty/almost smoky aroma, formidable body. One gallon will sit on Seville orange peel and cassia cinnamon bark for a while to see what they might add.

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#175 RIS IV

Batch size: 5 gallons
Projected OG: 1.106
Projected SRM: 36.5
Projected IBU: 61.8
Boil time: 90 minutes
Brewhouse efficiency: 56%   

Grains/Fermentables
59.6% - 17 lb 2-row
17.5% - 5 lb Munich I
14.0% - 4 lb Flaked oats
3.5% - 1 lb Roast barley
3.5% - 1 lb Special B
1.8% - 8 oz Chocolate

Hops
2 oz El Dorado (13.4%) (90 min)

Yeast
2 pkg US-05

Extras
1 tsp Yeast nutrient (5 min)
1/2 tab Whirlfloc
5 g Seville orange peel (tertiary)
2 g Saigon cassia cinnamon (tertiary)

Water (mash)
Profile: Denver (brewersfriend ID: 2CZ8J00)
Mash #1:
    2 g Gypsum
    5 g CaCl
    3 g Citric acid
Mash #2 (ended up in sparge water - d’oh!):
    2 g Epsom salts
    5 g CaCl
    2 g Chalk (dissolved in carbonated water)

Brewday: 22 July 2019
Mash #1 (15lb 2-row): 19 qts @ 150F for 20 minutes
Sparge: 18.5 qts @ 150F
SG: 13.8P (1.055)
Volume: 7.5 gallons - hold at 150F
Mash #2 (remainder of grain bill): Mash #1 liquor @ 140F for 90 minutes
Sparge: 10 qts @ 175F
Draw off & boil 1 gallon, add back to raise temp to 148F
Draw off & boil 1.25 gallons, add back to raise temp to 161F
Pre-boil volume: 7.5 gallons
Pre-boil SG: 21.3P (1.087)

Transferred 5.5 gallons to fermenter.
Fermented in swamp cooler at 67F ambient.

29 July 2019: Active fermentation has ceased; krauesen has fallen. Taken out of swamp cooler to rest at 70F ambient.


Secondary: 5 August 2019
SG: 1.024
Added 1.1 oz home toasted American oak

Bottled: 5 December 2019
FG: 1.025
ABV: 9.9%
Bottled 3.9 gallons with 2.9 oz table sugar and rehydrated US-05.
Transferred 1 gallon to tertiary with rye-soaked Seville orange peel and Saigon cassia cinnamon.