Ivan Drago Russian Imperial Stout Recipe

Here at BB headquarters we do our fair share of beer drinking. We also do more than our fair share of brewing. Way back in August we brewed this monster of a beer (check the post). We knew we had a winner on our hands with this one... and we were right. We entered Ivan Drago in Elevator's homebrew contest in January and came away with 3rd prize. Ivan Drago is a mammoth beer with a strong coffee and malt aroma and a very thick, robust coffee flavor with a hint of maple syrup, molasses, and roasted malt. Being the generous souls that we are, we can't keep this beer to ourselves. So, here is the recipe courtesy of the Brewski Brothers. The beer turns out great as is, but feel free to add or take away anything at your discretion... and be sure how to let us know how it turns out!

1.) Steep 1lb 60L crystal malt, 1/2 lb roasted barely, and 1lb black patent malt at 160 degrees F for 20 minutes in 4 gallons of water

2.) Remove grain bag and bring water to a boil. Shut off the heat and add 9.9lbs of plain dark liquid malt extract and 3lbs plain dark DME.

3.) Stir while adding extract and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, add 1oz Columbus hops (12.2%) and start 80 minute boil.

4.) With 57 minutes left, add 5oz of corn sugar. With 34 minutes left in boil, add 1oz of cluster hops (7.9%).

5.) At the end of the boil, shut off the heat and stir the contents to create a whirlpool. Cool wort to below 80 degrees F, transfer to carboy, aerate, and pitch White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP 001.

6.) Ferment at 68-72 degrees F for 2 weeks.

7.) Rack beer to a secondary and add 1oz of french oak chips soaked in bourbon, 1oz plain, sanitized french oak chips, and one cup of organic grade B maple syrup (boiled in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes).

8.) Keep in secondary for 4 weeks. During final week, add two packs of hydrated ale yeast and 1/2 pound of fresh ground coffee beans cold pressed in 2 cups of water for 24 hours.

9.) Bottle with 1 1/4 cups of DME. The beer will be ready to drink in two weeks, but will get better with more time.