#8 - Double Russian Imperial Stout (DRIS)

This one has me excited. The goal was an ABV monster that still tastes good (obviously) and meets almost none of the accepted standards (IBU, ABV, etc) for the style. 

The recipe is based on a beer that I brewed with a friend of mine and was entered into the National Homebrewing Competition where it got a silver certificate (36/50). I changed it up a little, adding the cocoa nibs and dropping the agave syrup, but it's otherwise the same. Still searching for that ingredient that gives the great stouts that smooth, richness (Peche Mortel).

This one's a partial extract (had to be to get the ABV), and I will be adding champagne yeast to get it to attenuate down and still have something left to carbonate in the bottles. Thought about adding the yeast into the secondary but don't want to have to introduce any oxygen for the yeast so its going into the primary with the Dry English. Recipe below:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/68691/dris

Brix - 33? (Past the top of the scale), OG - 1.144 (Estimated 1.156)

It's tough when making a stout to not throw in the kitchen sink because everything sounds so good. I kept looking in the cupboard at the vanilla, coffee, etc but am holding back! Hooray for some self-control.