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recipe

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers Scarface Imperial Stout clone

This full-bodied imperial stout features notes of burnt caramel, coffee, and smoke.

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers Scarface Imperial Stout clone, All-Grain

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.087  FG = 1.022
IBU = 50  SRM = 36  ABV = 9.3%

Ingredients

14 lbs. (6.4 kg) 2-row pale malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) Carahell® malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked oats
0.5 lb (0.23 kg) Simpsons dark crystal malt (75 °L)
0.5 lb (0.23 kg) Patagonia Perla Negra (340 °L)
0.5 lb (0.23 kg) roasted barley
13.6 AAU Columbus hops (90 min.) (0.85 oz./24 g at 16% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Magnum hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or
Safale US-05 2/3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Mill the grains, then mix with 5.8 gallons (21.9 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, and begin to sparge. Sparge the grains with enough water to obtain 7 gallons (25.6 L) of wort.

Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list and Irish moss if desired. After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for seven days, then free rise to 72 °F (22 °C) until the completion of primary fermentation. Once the beer completes fermentation, reduce temperature to 32 °F (0 °C), then bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes.

Partial Mash Option: Scale the 2-row pale malt down to 2 lbs. (0.91 kg) and add 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) pale liquid malt extract. Bring 8 quarts (7.6 L) of water to approximately 165 °F (74 °C). Place crushed 2-row malt, Carahell and flaked oats in a large grain bag. Submerge in water, stirring the grains to making sure there are no dry clumps. Steep grains for 45 minutes, trying to maintain the temperature at 152 °F (67 °C). Place the crushed crystal and dark roasted malts in a second grain bag, submerge in the mash. Wait an additional 15 minutes, then remove both bags and place in a colander over the kettle. Slowly wash the grains with 2 gallons (7.6 L) hot water. Add liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Top up to 7 gallons (26.5 L) and boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list and Irish moss if desired. Now follow the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success: Brewer Clay Jordan notes that this beer mashes at a slightly lower temperature to help ensure there aren’t a lot of long-chain sugars in the wort. To ensure proper conversion, it may be necessary to add a few more minutes to the mash (say, lengthening to 70 minutes), especially if your strike water comes in a little low and you start in the 148-150 °F range (65-66 °C).

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