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

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

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

Heat 5.5 gallons of brewing water to 169°F (to hit a mash temperature of ~154°F with the grain bill). Add gypsum to the strike water if using and stir to dissolve.

Heat strike water

Dough in the crushed grains (all grains from the 'Grain Bill & Specialty Adjuncts' section) to reach a mash temperature of 152–154°F. Stir thoroughly to eliminate dry pockets and ensure even temperature.

Mash in

Hold the mash at 152–154°F for 60 minutes. Perform a gentle stir at 20 and 40 minutes to ensure uniform conversion. Optional: perform a 10 minute mashout raising temperature to 168°F before lautering to improve runoff.

Mash rests

Recirculate/runoff until the wort runs clear, then vorlauf back to the kettle. Sparge with enough water at 170°F to collect ~7.5–8.0 gallons of high gravity wort (target pre-boil gravity ~1.095–1.105).

Vorlauf and Lauter

Bring the wort to a vigorous rolling boil. Once boiling, start the 90-minute timer (longer boil helps concentrate wort and encourage Maillard reactions for richer stout character).

Start boil

Add Magnum hops (1.5 oz) at 90 minutes remaining (start of boil) for bittering.

Bittering hop addition

At 30 minutes remaining add Northern Brewer hops (1 oz). Also add any boil‑stable yeast nutrient at 15 minutes remaining according to package directions.

Mid-boil addition

With 5–10 minutes remaining, add Fuggle/Willamette hops (1 oz) for aroma. If using lactose, add the 0.5 lb now so it fully dissolves (lactose is nonfermentable and adds sweetness/mouthfeel).

Late hops and lactose

At the end of the 90-minute boil, turn off heat and allow trub to settle for 10–15 minutes before chilling.

Finish boil

Chill the wort quickly to ~68°F using an immersion, counterflow, or plate chiller. Aim to get to pitching temp within 20–30 minutes to reduce DMS/contamination risk.

Chill wort

Measure pre-fermentation gravity — target ~1.095–1.105. Transfer wort to a sanitized fermenter, top up with water if necessary to hit 5.5 gallons. Aerate thoroughly by shaking, splashing, or pure O2 for 60–90 seconds.

Measure and oxygenate

Rehydrate or prepare two packs of high‑attenuating ale yeast according to manufacturer instructions and pitch into the 68°F wort. Add the 2 lbs of cane sugar dissolved in a small amount of boil‑cooled water at the end of the boil or directly into the fermenter just before or after pitching to increase gravity and ABV. Add yeast nutrient as directed in the 'Yeast & Fermentation Adjuncts' section.

Pitch yeast and sugar

Ferment at 66–68°F for 7–10 days. Expect vigorous fermentation for the first 48–72 hours. If fermentation is strong and you want more attenuation, you may allow temperature to rise to 70–72°F after the active phase to help finish fermentation.

Primary fermentation

After primary fermentation has slowed (typically 7–10 days) and gravity is dropping, rack the beer off heavy yeast/trub into a sanitized secondary fermenter to condition and clarify. This is recommended for big imperial stouts to reduce yeast autolysis and to allow additions.

Rack to secondary (optional)

Cold brew the coarsely cracked whole beans (1 lb) in 1.5–2 quarts of cold water for 12–24 hours, then filter to produce a concentrated coffee. Alternatively, steep the cracked beans in 2 quarts of 200°F water off heat for 10–15 minutes and chill quickly (this will yield a stronger roast/bitter character).

Prepare coffee

When racking to secondary (or after primary if not using secondary), add the cold brew concentrate (approx. 12 oz or to taste) or the cooled steeped coffee. Taste cautiously — coffee is potent; start with the stated amount and allow one week of contact. You can add more later if desired. Ensure everything added is sanitized or cold-brewed to avoid contamination.

Add coffee to secondary

Condition on coffee for 5–14 days, sampling periodically. Typical target final gravity ~1.018–1.022, but this will vary with yeast and fermentation. After coffee contact is complete, cold crash if possible to help drop particulates before packaging.

Conditioning time

If bottling, prepare priming sugar to carbonate to a moderate level (1.6–2.0 volumes CO2) — imperial stouts are often low to moderately carbonated. If kegging, carbonate to similar volumes or force carbonate to taste.

Stabilize and prime

Transfer beer to bottles or keg, taking care to minimize oxygen pickup. Seal and allow to condition at room temperature for 2–4 weeks for bottles, or carbonate in keg and let meld for 1–2 weeks.

Bottle or keg

This high‑ABV stout benefits from aging. Store bottles at cellar temperatures (50–60°F) and allow 2–6 months of maturation. Flavors (roast, coffee, dark fruit, boozy esters) will integrate and mellow over time. Serve slightly below cellar temp (50–55°F) in snifter glass to appreciate aroma and complexity.

Aging recommendations

Maris Otter pale malt (crushed)

Munich malt (crushed)

Crystal/Caramel 80L (crushed)

Roasted barley (crushed)

Chocolate malt (crushed)

Flaked oats

Black patent malt (crushed)

Carapils/Dextrine malt

Magnum hops (12% AA)

Northern Brewer hops (8-10% AA)

Fuggle/Willamette hops (for late bitterness/aroma)

High‑attenuating ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1056/White Labs WLP001 or a robust English/California ale blend)

Cane sugar (to boost ABV / promote dryness)

Yeast nutrient

Warming yeast (optional) / secondary pitch (e.g., champagne yeast)

Whole coffee beans (coarsely cracked) — dark roast

Cold brew coffee (concentrate)

Lactose (optional, for mouthfeel; if you want slightly less roast bite)

Water (brewing liquor)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) — for mash profile (optional)

Food grade sanitizer

ALESMITH 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 ALESMITH SPEEDWAY STOUT Recipe in just 16h . A HUGE Imperial Stout that weighs in at an impressive 12% ABV! Added pounds of coffee for a little extra kick.

Alesmith Speedway Stout Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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