A HUGE Imperial Stout that weighs in at an impressive 12% ABV! Added pounds of coffee for a little extra kick.

ALESMITH SPEEDWAY STOUT

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Imperial Stout. 12% San Diego, CA. A HUGE Imperial Stout that weighs in at an impressive 12% ABV! As if that's not enough, we added pounds of coffee for a little extra kick.

Heat 5.5 gallons (about 21 L) of water to approximately 166°F (74°C). Add the crushed grains (all grain bill) to the mash tun to target a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Mix thoroughly to avoid dough balls. Hold mash at 152°F for 60 minutes to convert starches to fermentable sugars. Stir gently after 20–30 minutes and check temperature; adjust if needed.

Strike and Mash

Heat mash to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes by adding 1–1.5 gallons of 180–200°F (82–93°C) water or direct heat to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort flow.

Mashout

Sparge with enough water (to a total pre-boil volume of 7.5–8.5 gallons depending on boil-off and system losses) at 170°F (77°C) until you collect the target pre-boil volume. Aim for roughly 6.5–7.5 gallons in the kettle before boil for a 90 minute boil and trub losses.

Sparge

Bring collected wort to a vigorous boil. This recipe assumes a 90‑minute boil to increase gravity concentration, cold break formation and wort stability.

Bring to a rolling boil

At the start of the boil (90 minutes remaining), add 2.0 oz Magnum hops for bittering. Also add any necessary Irish moss or Whirlfloc at 10–15 minutes remaining per package directions (see below).

Bittering Hop Addition (90 min)

Continue boiling for a full 90 minutes. With 15 minutes left, add 1.0 oz East Kent Goldings (or chosen aroma hop) and 1 tsp Whirlfloc or Irish moss. If using honey, add the honey with ~10 minutes left to preserve aroma while integrating fermentables.

Boil Duration & Late Hops

At flameout (end of boil) cool wort quickly to minimize DMS and oxidation. Whirlpool for 10–20 minutes to help coagulate proteins and let hop matter settle.

End of Boil

Cool the wort to 68°F (20°C) as quickly as possible using an immersion or counterflow chiller. Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up with pre-boiled, cooled water if necessary to reach ~5.5 gallons into fermenter (final batch size).

Cool Wort

Aerate the wort thoroughly: shake the sealed fermenter vigorously, use an oxygen stone and pure oxygen (oxygenate to ~8–10 ppm) or aerate with vigorous splashing for several minutes. Imperial stouts at high gravity require good oxygenation for a healthy first stage of fermentation.

Oxygenation

Rehydrate or prepare a large, healthy yeast starter (recommended for this gravity) and pitch at 64–68°F (18–20°C). Use two packs or a 1–2 L starter of the selected high‑attenuating ale yeast. Add yeast nutrient per package if used.

Pitch Yeast

Ferment at 66–70°F (19–21°C) for the first 4–7 days until vigorous activity subsides. Because of the high gravity, fermentation may be slow to start—be patient. After the first 4–7 days, allow the temperature to rise a few degrees (72–74°F / 22–23°C) for a diacetyl rest and to help finish attenuation.

Primary Fermentation

Rack to secondary fermenter or leave on primary for 2–4 weeks total. Longer aging (6–12 weeks) is recommended for flavor development and smoothing of hot alcohol notes. Cold crash to near 35–40°F (2–4°C) for 48 hours before packaging to help clear the beer.

Secondary / Conditioning

For a clean coffee flavor without harsh bitterness, cold‑steep the coffee. Coarsely grind 1.5 lbs of freshly roasted dark roast beans and add to 64 oz of cold filtered water in a sanitized jar. Steep in the refrigerator for 18–24 hours with occasional gentle mixing. Strain through a fine mesh, coffee filter, or muslin and discard grounds. You should end up with roughly 48–60 oz of concentrated cold brew coffee (strength will vary).

Cold‑Steep Coffee (Recommended)

Pasteurize the cold brew if desired by gently heating to 140–160°F (60–71°C) for 15–30 minutes (avoid boiling to preserve flavor), then cool to fermentation temperature. Add cold brew coffee to the fermenter after primary fermentation has mostly finished (around day 5–10) when active krausen has subsided but yeast still active—this helps incorporate coffee without losing aroma. Start with half the coffee, taste after 3–4 days, and add the remainder to achieve desired coffee intensity. Typical final addition for this recipe is all or most of the 1.5 lbs cold brew, yielding a pronounced coffee character.

Sanitize and Add

If you prefer, brew strong coffee using a French press or espresso methods and cool before adding. Note that hot‑brewed coffee can introduce more bitter/astringent compounds; consider adding at packaging or blending cautiously.

Alternate Hot Coffee Method

After conditioning and cold crash, prepare for packaging. If bottling, dissolve 4.5 oz (128 g) priming sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and gently mix into bottling bucket and siphon beer onto solution. Bottle and cap. If kegging, carbonate to 1.7–2.2 volumes CO2 (low carbonation typical for stouts) using CO2 tank.

Stabilize and Prime

If bottled, condition at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 2–3 weeks for primary carbonation, then age for several additional weeks for flavor development. For kegging, force carbonate and allow a couple weeks for flavors to integrate.

Bottle Conditioning

Serve slightly warmer than lagers — 50–55°F (10–13°C) in a small snifter to appreciate rich malt, roasted, and coffee aromas. Expect around 12% ABV initial target (actual ABV depends on final gravity).

Serving

Maris Otter pale malt (2-row or base malt)

Flaked oats

Chocolate malt (450–500L)

Black patent malt

Roasted barley

Crystal/Caramel 120L

Special B (or dark crystal)

Honey (optional, for fermentables boost and dryness)

Magnum hops (pellet, ~12% AA)

East Kent Goldings (or Fuggle) aroma hops

Whirlfloc or Irish moss (optional, for clarity)

High‑attenuating ale yeast (Wyeast 1728/White Labs WLP001/WLP001-like) or English strong ale strain

Yeast nutrient (optional)

Water (treat for bicarbonate/alkalinity to support dark grains)

Freshly roasted dark roast coffee beans (coarsely ground at time of use)

Cold brew water (for cold‑steeped coffee)

Priming sugar (if bottling)

ALESIMITH SPEEDWAY STOUT

Made in the style of traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander, chamomile and Curaçao bitter orange peel.

WS WIT BEER

Subtle lime and floral notes from the hops combine with light citrus flavors imparted by the coriander and deep minerally water profile to make this complex but crushable Gose.

W4 DRY – HOPPED GOSE

Belgian style wit has subtle shades of pink and red from the hibiscus and a bright citrus flavor from the orange peel and hop additions.

W3 HIBISCUS ORANGE IMPERIAL WIT

Brewed using a traditional Belgian yeast for esters of ripe fruit & dry hopped with a heavy hand to add nuances of citrus peel & stone fruit.

TI TRIPEL ALE

Freshly harvested spruce tips from upstate NY give this beer a beautiful delicate piney flavor and Chinnok hops back up the evergreen flavor profile.

SX SPRUCE TIP SAISON

Saison brewed with pilsner malt and flaked rice to lighten the body. New school german hop additions.

S8 RICE SAISON

Make ALESIMITH SPEEDWAY STOUT Recipe in just 168h . Imperial Stout. 12% San Diego, CA. A HUGE Imperial Stout that weighs in at an impressive 12% ABV! As if that's not enough, we added pounds of coffee for a little extra kick.

Alesimith Speedway Stout Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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