Today is the 76th anniversary of the repeal of the silly, silly, alcohol prohibition act, which caused much crime and nastiness. In the spirit of finally tasting beer again, enjoy this 100% snobbish complement to Tyler’s eloquence.

Russian Imperial Stout
Brewed on 3 May 2008
Bottled on 21 June 2008
ABV: ~7.25% (on the weak side, I know…)

This was my first all-grain batch, and the mash temperature was FUBAR; the wort had a gravity of 1.050 before the boil rather than the targeted 1.085. The difference was accounted for by adding 7 fl. oz. Burleson’s Honey, (by weight) 10 oz. extra light DME, 11 oz. light brown sugar and 15.24 oz Maltodextrin…..this, by our ProMash calculations, brought the gravity to about 1.084. It was bottled in 22 oz. bombers and stored for six months before tasting. It was this six month old beer with which Cody was bribed as my bike was being built.

The extra fermentables did a good job in bringing the gravity to the right level, but they contributed to the “unimperial” flavors that Tyler and others are fond of (seems to me to be more of a Baltic
Porter style – a good amount of residual sugar to support the body, and not too much in the roasty overtones.)

And now, for the startling realization – it’s not really an Imperial Stout, but rather a Baltic Porter! Sure, I *intended* to make an Imperial Stout that came close to Old Rasputin, but I missed the key roasty components due to the botched mash and adjunct addition – they took the beer in a different direction altogether. For example, compare (in your mind, for now) a very cheap (also a surprisingly well valued) example – Baltika Porter ($1.99 / 500ml @ Central Market). The aroma is dark and complex, with hints of dark fruit, molasses and coffee, but without the roasted grain / dark chocolate bite that comes with most Imperial Stouts. In appearance, it is jet black, with a fine head that dissipates fairly quickly. The flavor is well balanced, with a thick (but not chewy) body, warming alcohol note, and no distinct hop aroma. As expected from the head, the carbonation level is fairly low, with no effervescence.

To verify my theory, I took a trip to Central Market to fetch a bottle of the Baltika Porter. As soon as the top came off, I knew she was my flavor. The aroma had the same dark soy / diacetyl ring to it, with a fruitiness reminiscent of a good Dubbel. Low carbonation, moderately thick body, and a tiny hint of alcohol warmth confirmed that my creation was indeed not a true Russian Imperial Stout, but rather a good example of a Baltic Porter (good in my eyes – I think it’s better than Baltika, but I’m highly biased.) The moral of this story is that even if you make the wrong style by accident, as long as you put lots of tipsy homebrewer love into it (and a viable yeast colony), you’ll still make a good beer (Relax. Don’t Worry. Have a homebrew.)

Oh, and prohibition sucks. Happy beer day. Don’t drink and operate heavy machinery.

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