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I just ordered the How To Disappear Completely Imperial Stout kit from Boomchugalug on Amazon. I am excited so start this one up. It takes a long time but the idea of making my own imperial stout is very exciting to me.

This will only be my third brew, my others were much quicker. I have only done a Double IPA and a Coffee Porter, both were LME kits like this one.

So I have read that many people try not to use the mail order yeast that comes with these kits because it could have gotten damaged waiting on the doorstep or in the truck. And there was a comment on the yeast being used may not have had the length of life to fully ferment all the sugars in this big burly stout.

My plan is to got from chilled wort right into a glass carboy for the duration of its fermentation. I just got a blow off tube that I plan to use on this brew just in case.

I am concerned about using Safale-5 yeast (which is what I expect to see when the package arrives). Should I use a little extra? Perhaps there is a better product to use? The first taste is at 12 weeks, so I don't want this to go bad. I bought an extra carboy just for this one. It will be a nice winter stash if it goes well.

I will be bottle carbonating these after so I need to be sure there is at least enough active yeast at the end to properly, if not slowly carbonate the result.

Thanks for the help and happy brewing!

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Dry yeast is relatively tolerant of mishandling. An 11g packet should be enough to handle an impy stout, especially if you rehydrate the yeast properly before pitching. If you're worried, get a a second packet of US-05; it's very hard to over-pitch.

The other concerns you'll have with a high-gravity beer are oxygenation, yeast nutrients and fermentation temperature control. I'd focus on those before worrying about yeast.

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  • I have found a yeast nutrient supplement and my cellar holds a very steady temperature. But what do you suggest to make sure my brew remains oxygenated enough?
    – rbreier
    Aug 29, 2016 at 17:26
  • @rbreier if you're trying for big beer more than 12% ABV you need to add oxygen every few hours until it's at 50% of FG, past that risks oxidation.
    – Evil Zymurgist
    Aug 29, 2016 at 18:23
  • I'm going to be shaking the carboy then on this batch.
    – rbreier
    Sep 2, 2016 at 13:59

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