If you have brewed a few batches already and want to try Coffee Vanilla And Maple Imperial Stout, this is a straightforward, all-grain route to it. The backbone is Pale Malt, with Magnum 11.6% doing most of the work in the boil.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Coffee Vanilla And Maple Imperial Stout |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.090-1.115 |
| Final Gravity | 1.018-1.030 |
| ABV | 9.0-11.0% |
| IBU | 65-85 |
| SRM | 35-40 (opaque black) |
| Difficulty | Advanced (all-grain) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pale Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Magnum 11.6%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 20C (68F) Pitch Wyeast 1056 American Ale once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 4 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt – 10 LB, Crushed)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. HopUnion 6I-E91H-F8YE RiteBrew – Cascade Pellet Hops – 1 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. LalBrew Verdant IPA Brewing Yeast (2 Pack) – Make Beer at Home)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. FastRack 5 Gallon Hedpak with Cap (Pack of 2) | BPA-free)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Brewer’s Best Carbonation Drops 9 oz)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. PERA 4 Pack Bottling Bucket Plastic Spigot)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Coffee Vanilla And Maple Imperial Stout is best served in a snifter or tulip, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment Regular 5/16″ Auto Siphon 24″ Length with 8 feet of Tubing, clear |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Coffee Vanilla and Maple Imperial Stout
Equipment
- 1 Mash tun
- 1 Brew kettle
- 1 Fermenter (e.g. carboy, bucket)
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Auto-siphon and tubing
- 1 Bottling bucket
- 1 Bottles or keg
- 1 Bottle or keg caps
- 1 Capper (if using bottles)
- 1 Sanitizer
- 1 Brewing spoon or paddle
- 1 Grain mill (optional)
- 1 Propane burner or electric stove
- 1 Large stirring spoon or paddle
- 1 Funnel
- 1 pH meter (optional)
- 1 Refractometer (optional)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 13.5 Litres (23¾ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 67°c/153 °F
- 11 lb Pale Malt Quantity 5.5kg
- 2¾ lb Flaked Oats Quantity 1.75kg
- 1¾ lb Chocolate Malt Quantity 800g
- 1½ lb Dark Crystal Quantity 650g
- 1.5 oz Biscuit Malt Quantity 600g
- 7 oz Carafa Special III Quantity 200g
- 7 oz Roasted Barley Quantity 200g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- ¼ oz (Hops) Magnum 11.6% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 12.6)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
- 9 fl Maple syrup Other – When to add – At turn off
To Ferment – 20°C (68°F) – Conditioning 4 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1056 American Ale
- 2 Vanilla beans Other – When to add – After fermentation
- 10 oz Chopped toasted almonds Other – When to add – After fermentation
- 3½ oz Coffee beans, lightly crushed Other – When to add – After fermentation
Instructions
- Mash the pale malt, flaked oats, chocolate malt, dark crystal, biscuit malt, carafa special III, and roasted barley in 13.5 liters (23¾ pints) of water at 67°C/153°F for 1 hour.
- Sparge with 27 liters (47½ pints) of water at 75°C/167°F.
- Bring the wort to a boil and add ¼ oz of Magnum hops at the start of the boil.
- Boil the wort for 1 hour, adding 1 tsp of Protofloc for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
- Add 9 fl of maple syrup at turn off.
- Cool the wort to 20°C (68°F) and transfer to a fermenter.
- Add the Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast and ferment for 28 days at 20°C (68°F).
- After fermentation, add 2 vanilla beans, 10 oz of chopped toasted almonds, and 3 ½ oz of lightly crushed coffee beans to the fermenter.
- Condition the beer for 4 weeks at 12°C (54°F).
- Carbonate the beer to the desired level.
- Serve and enjoy!
Get the fermentation temperature right on Coffee Vanilla And Maple Imperial Stout and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Coffee Vanilla And Maple Imperial Stout the Style It Is
Coffee Vanilla And Maple Imperial Stout sits in a well-established style family, and the version most homebrewers land on today reflects decades of small adjustments by brewers chasing balance rather than novelty.
Expect a beer that leans on pale malt and magnum 11.6% once it is finished conditioning. Wyeast 1056 American Ale is the yeast strain behind that profile, so keep an eye on your fermentation temperature.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 9.0-11.0%
- Bitterness: 65-85 IBU
- Color: 35-40 (opaque black)
- Serving temp: 50-55F (10-13C)
- Glassware: a snifter or tulip
- Food pairings: aged cheddar, dark chocolate desserts, smoked meats
Common Questions
Is it worth aging this one?
Yes, more than almost any other style on this list. A year in the bottle rounds off the alcohol heat and lets the dark fruit and chocolate notes develop properly.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
