Harsh Imperial Stout

Probably going to need more information on Mash set up as well as fermentation set up. A possibility is the mash ph. A mash ph that is way off could cause all the roasty malts to create a harshness to it. Also, my harsh definition might be different than yours.

 

harsh as in alcohol-harsh, or too roasty harsh?

 

Did brew day go smoothly? Could be tannins-harsh? The ~80 IBUs also seem pretty high for an 8% stout, but maybe that's just me.

 

What temp did you ferment at? How did you control your temps?

 

I've had home brew stouts start out harsh and after bottling it and tasting it months later the harshness had gone away. My OG was 68 and final was 16 (I think, if I'm wrong on that I'll let you know after looking into my notes). This was bottle aged however. At first taste about 2 weeks after bottling we noticed a bit of a harsh taste. I set the cases of this beer in my shop where it stays about 60 to 72 all the time. Months later I tried another one and it was really good! 2 months after that and I didn't want to give anymore away, they are all mine!!

 

Given the 60-67 room temperature, your wort could have been in the mid-70s. If that happened early in the fermentation process, and given the gravity, you are probably looking at fusel alcohols. This might be a beer that improves over time or you may be looking at a "blending" beer. Or worst case, this might be a drain pour.

 

Give it time. All big beers need time anyway. After six months it might taste bad, but after one year, it could taste amazing! Hopefully it'll improve for you.

Cheers!

 

I'm sure it will improve some with time...but I find most beers with Black Patent harsh (sub in Black Barley for the Patent next time and see if you like it better)

 

This won't answer your question, but here's note on 5.2 stabilizer:


https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/water-knowledge There is a section that discusses 5.2.

SPECIAL NOTE: Five Star 5.2 Stabilizer is indicated by its manufacturer to "lock in your mash and kettle water at a pH of 5.2 regardless of the starting pH of your water". Evidence by homebrewers indicates that this product does not produce a mash pH in the preferred room-temperature range of 5.3 to 5.5. That evidence shows this product does produce some pH moderation in waters with high Residual Alkalinity. However, the mash pH tends to center around 5.8 (room-temperature measurement). While 5.8 pH is acceptable, it is at the upper end of the desirable mashing range. The evidence also shows that in waters with low Residual Alkalinity, this product shows little effect on mash pH. Since Five Star 5.2 Stabilizer is a compound with high sodium content, its use will elevate the sodium concentration in the brewing water. High sodium content can be undesirable from a taste standpoint in beer. Proper alkalinity control of mashing and sparging water may produce more acceptable brewing results for most brewers than with the use of 5.2 Stabilizer.

Taken from here.

It would be beneficial to either build your beers from RO/Distilled or to get a water report.