BJCP Category 20C — American Porter and Stout

40 SRM (Imperial Stout / Opaque)

Russian Imperial Stout

Name: Russian Imperial Stout All-Grain Homebrew Recipe
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 21 d
Yield: 5 Gallons (19 Liters)
Cuisine: American Porter and Stout
Ingredients: 72% Maris Otter or English Pale Malt (Rich, nutty, biscuity base capable of high sugar conversion); 8% Flaked Oats / Barley (Viscous body and silky tongue-coating mouthfeel); 6% Roasted Barley (500L) (Classic dry coffee roast, black color, and tan head); 5% Chocolate Malt (Dark cocoa and mocha notes); 5% Special B / Dark Crystal (Plum, raisin, and dark fruit sweetness); 4% Debittered Black (Carafa III) (Deep midnight blackness without bitter astringency); Magnum (bittering) hops; Centennial hops; East Kent Goldings hops; Fermentis SafAle US-05 yeast; White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale yeast; Wyeast WY1028 London Ale yeast

“Massive, velvety, dark-roast juggernaut with layers of espresso, baker's chocolate, and dark fruit.”

Official BJCP Vital Statistics Range

Original Grav. (OG)1.075–1.115

Final Grav. (FG)1.018–1.030

Bitterness (IBU)50–90

Color (SRM)30–40

Alcohol (ABV)8–12%

Sensory Character & Tasting Notes

•Intense dark cocoa & espresso crema

•Black cherry, fig, and dark rum raisins

•Viscous, motor-oil pour and chewy mouthfeel

•Warming alcohol balanced by roast bitterness

Origin, Heritage & Craft Tradition

Developed in 18th-century London by Anchor Brewery (Courage) for export to the court of Catherine the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beer was brewed with huge malt density and extra hops to survive freezing conditions during shipping across the Baltic Sea. In contemporary craft brewing, it is celebrated as the ultimate test of brewing efficiency and fermentation health.

Authentic Grain Bill & Mash Schedule

Mash Target

153°F for 60 Minutes

Single infusion; consider capping the mash with roasted grains during sparge to minimize harsh acrid astringency

Representative Grist Ratios:

Maris Otter or English Pale Malt↗

Rich, nutty, biscuity base capable of high sugar conversion72%

Flaked Oats / Barley↗

Viscous body and silky tongue-coating mouthfeel8%

Roasted Barley (500L)↗

Classic dry coffee roast, black color, and tan head6%

Chocolate Malt↗

Dark cocoa and mocha notes5%

Special B / Dark Crystal↗

Plum, raisin, and dark fruit sweetness5%

Debittered Black (Carafa III)↗

Deep midnight blackness without bitter astringency4%

Browse all Malts, Grains & Extract Potentials→

Recommended Yeast Strains

SafAle US-05 (Fermentis)

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Attenuation: 78-82% • Flocculation: Medium

WLP007 Dry English Ale (White Labs)

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Attenuation: 70-80% • Flocculation: High

WY1028 London Ale (Wyeast)

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Attenuation: 73-77% • Flocculation: Medium

Browse all Yeast Strains→

Water Profile & Salts

High residual alkalinity is essential to counter the intense acidity of dark malts. Add Calcium Carbonate (Chalk) or Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) to maintain mash pH around 5.4-5.6.

Proven Hop Pairings:

Magnum (bittering) ↗Centennial ↗East Kent Goldings ↗

Browse Hop Chemistry & Alpha Acids→

Commercial Reference Benchmarks

Benchmark your homebrew against these commercial archetypes:

Founders KBS / Breakfast StoutNorth Coast Old RasputinBell's Expedition Stout

Recommended Hardware Match

Northern Brewer Oxygenation Kit 2.0 with 16" Stainless Wand

Best Pure Oxygen Diffusion System for High-Gravity Beers — Injects 100% pure O2 with 0.5-micron sintered stone to achieve 12+ PPM dissolved oxygen in 60 seconds.

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