White Russian Imperial Pale Ale

White Russian Imperial Pale Ale

(5 gallon/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.072  FG = 1.013
IBU = 40  SRM = 5  ABV = 8%

Ingredients
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) cara-pils malt
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) extra light dried malt extract
12 AAU Target hop pellets (45 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 8% alpha acids)
2 AAU Styrian Goldings hop pellets (15 min.) (0.5 oz/14 g at 4% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Styrian Goldings hop pellets (0 min.)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) dark roast coffee beans, coarsely crack
2 cups white creme de cacao
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
In 3 gals. (11 L) of cold water, steep malt. Heat to 170 °F (77 °C)  and remove grains. Wash grains with 1 qt. (1 L) hot water into kettle. Add malt extract off heat and stir until fully dissolved. Bring to a boil. Add Target hop pellets, boil 30 minutes. Add first addition of Styrian Goldings pellets. Boil 15 more minutes, turn off the heat, and add the second Styrian Golding hop addition. Chill, top up in fermenter to 5.25 gals. (20 L), and cool to 70 °F (21 °C). Pitch yeast then ferment cool, about 60 °F (16 °C) for eight to 10 days, rack to secondary, and condition cool for three weeks. A few days before bottling or kegging, coarsely crack coffee beans and steep in enough vodka to cover them completely in a covered jar. Shake occasionally. At bottling, prime the beer with corn sugar and add the coffee extract, pouring it through a fine mesh strainer or several layers of cheesecloth. Add créme de cacao and gently stir in the flavorings. Bottle and age two to three weeks or until fully carbonated.

All-grain recipe:
Mash 11 lbs. (5 kg) pale malt,  3 lbs. (1.4 kg) mild ale malt, and 1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat malt in 20 qts. (19 L) water at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Sparge with 12 qts. (11.4 L) water at 169 °F (76 °C) to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) wort in your kettle. Proceed with boil and hopping schedule as above, reducing wort to 5.25 gals (20 L).

Notes:
The use of white creme de cacao, as well as the cold extraction of the coffee, is a means of getting that surprising coffee and chocolate flavor and aroma without darkening the beer. Obviously, if you want to make this a darker beer you can add crystal, chocolate, or black malt and use any means you can think of to get the chocolate and coffee into the beer. If you are not afraid of a bit more intensity, chop up a vanilla bean and steep it with the coffee beans.