Geoff Prince & Michael Jerie (Victoria) Imperial Stout

(4.75 gallons/18 L, extract with grain)
Champion Beer of Show at AABC 2008, Score: 42.5/50 OG = 1.070 FG = 1.026 IBU = 40 SRM = 43 ABV = 5.8%
“This recipe was constructed for us by John Strantzen, one of Australia’s most successful and generous homebrewers. We’ve been tweaking it for a decade and seemed to be particularly blessed with this batch — it wasn’t an easy decision to offer up bottles for judging!”

Ingredients

3 lb. 12 oz. (1.7 kg) Coopers Stout kit
2 lb. 14 oz. (1.3 kg) light dried malt extract
1 lb. 1.5 oz. (0.5 kg) dark dried malt extract
10.5 oz. (0.3 kg) dextrose
5.5 oz. (0.15 kg) corn syrup
7 oz. (0.20 kg) roasted barley
10.6 oz (0.30 kg) crystal malt
5.3 oz (0.15 kg) chocolate malt
8.1 AAU Fuggles hops (90 mins)(1.8 oz./50 g of 4.5% alpha acids)
4.1 AAU Fuggles hops (15 mins)(0.9 oz./25 g of 4.5% alpha acids)
0.9 oz. (25 g) Fuggles hops (2 mins) Wyeast 1007 (German Ale) yeast

Step by Step

Steep cracked grains at 154 °F (68 °C) in 2 qts. (2 L) of water for 20 minutes. Carefully strain liquid from steep into brewpot avoiding carry over of any husks. Add rest of the fermentables and add water to make 5.3 qts. (5 L). Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops at indicated times. Cool, transfer to fermenter and top up with water to 19 qts. (18 L). Pitch the yeast at 75 °F (24 °C) and let cool slowly during lag phase. Once fermentation becomes active, control temperature at 64 °F (18 °C). The yeast produces a huge head, so make sure there is plenty of head space in the fermenter. Bottle after one month. Age at judging was 2 years.