Thinking about New Beer and how i get from here to there.

In the interest of getting 'in character' we decided to pop the top on a couple of my 2nd darkest beers. They are the 3rd version of an Imperial Russian Stout recipe i have been working on for a couple of years. This version is is one year in the bottle. The recipe is below and i will say that if you brew this as AG you will be biting on the heels of certain Belgian Beers that go by Numbers.

Dead Czar Imperial Russian Stout Mk III

5 gallon batch

3.50 kg Lager Malt

1.50 kg Barley, Flaked

0.50 kg Vienna Malt

0.40 kg Crystal Malt

0.40 kg Chocolate Malt

0.40 kg Wheat, Torrified

0.25 kg Amber Malt

0.25 kg Roasted Barley

0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt

3.00 oz Northdown [8.50 %] (90 min) Hops 64.0 IBU

1.00 kg Dark Liquid Extract

1.00 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose)

3 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Measured Original Gravity: 1.077 SG

Bitterness: 64.0 IBU Calories: 344 cal/pint

Est Color: 41.3

60 min Mash/ 90 Min boil

Caramelise 1st runnings(3 ltrs) 10 minutes full burn

Repitch yeast slurry(Nottingham 3 pkts) from previous batch

Myself and my wife forged ahead in the interest of better beer for us and our mates. Turns out that this is a really nice beer but it's a BIG beer for sipping and not quaffing! The mouthfeel is HUGE and could be improved (reduced) with more brewing sugar in the kettle and less malt.

Impressions are as follows. Lots of Tiramasu with orange overtones along with  dark chocolate thrown in for good measure. This beer is a cracker but it does show/highlight the differences between this beer and the beer i wish to Brew next. At least they share something in common,....... a colour!

To further serve the interests of the upcoming Black IPA i am going on Wednesday with a few friends to Brewdog's new pub in Aberdeen. I will keep a beady eye open for any Dark IPA's on their keg system or menu. If none are present i will concentrate on the hops and the mouthfeel of their kegged beers.
 I know! Its a hard life but somebody has to do it. :) I might take my camera with me but TBH i'm not very good with it and my photography skills do not improve as the night goes on. Never know, might catch some luck and get a couple of good shots of the pub! My mate Robbie from Glasgow has done a wee review of Brewdog's latest venture in Aberdeen, see below.

http://refreshingbeer.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-10-26T20%3A22%3A00%2B01%3A00&max-results=10

I met Robbie through a beer related project in Glasgow. For one night only we (and many other fine brewers) gave away beer in the fairest City of them all! That night truly rocked and reaffirmed why i do what i do. :)

http://glasgowbeerandpubproject.blogspot.com/

So there we have it, a quick 'stream of consciousness' as to what goes on in my head while i'm thinking about a new beer, what goes on in yours? I am REALLY interested in what flicks your switches when it comes to brewing beer. It might be as simple as the smell off of pine trees when you go for a walk. It might be the smell of something rotting down, who know's? Could even be something visual that flicks a switch and crosses the senses barrier into taste or smell?