The Original Russian Imperial Stout

[Kevin58]

Brad's recent email was about Russian Imperial Stout. There were a few inaccuracies but we'll let most of those go for now. What the email failed to mention is that Barclay Perkins in London was the first brewery to be contracted to make a Stout for Catherine the Great. One point made in the email that cannot be left alone is about the alcohol level, and hops. To quote Ron Pattinson, "Full of alcohol and hops not to survive the journey but because the Russian court liked it that way."

I am surprised that someone like Brad who probably has Ron on speed dial did not bother to check the facts. Ron Pattinson has written extensively on the subject of Russian Imperial Stout and its history debunking many of those myths.

Before Thrale and before Courage Barclay Perkins in 1848 brewed what was designated in-house as "IBSt" ...Imperial Brown Stout which was made specifically for the Queen and her court in Russia.

Taken from one of Ron's books here is the homebrew version he published. I have scaled the recipe to my system so you may want to ignore the grain weights but the percentages are spot on. Hops have also been adjusted to get closer to the 200 IBU as published.

 

[ozumu]

Yeah, this is one of those topics where the myths just refuse to die. You’re absolutely right to call it out. The whole “high alcohol and hops to survive the voyage to Russia” story sounds nice, but Ron Pattinson has pretty thoroughly shown that it’s not true. The beer was big and heavily hopped because that’s what the Russian court actually liked — not because it needed to endure a sea journey.

Barclay Perkins (via Thrale) brewing Imperial Brown Stout specifically for Catherine the Great well before the Courage era is a key point that often gets skipped. That in-house “IBSt” designation really matters historically, and it’s surprising Brad didn’t at least mention it, especially given how accessible Ron’s work is.

And yeah, Ron’s recipe is a great reality check. The grist percentages tell you a lot about what those beers really were, and the hopping rates — especially pushing toward those eye-watering IBUs — make it clear this was about flavor preference, not preservation. It’s cool that you scaled it to your system; even ignoring the weights, the structure of the beer says more than most modern retellings.

Always nice to see someone keeping the history honest

 

[ozumu]

Sì, questo è uno di quegli argomenti in cui i miti si rifiutano di morire. Hai assolutamente ragione a dirlo. L'intera storia” alcol e luppolo per sopravvivere al viaggio in Russia " sembra bella, ma Ron Pattinson ha dimostrato abbastanza accuratamente che non è vero. La birra era grande e pesantemente saltata perché era ciò che piaceva alla corte russa, non perché aveva bisogno di sopportare un viaggio in mare.

Barclay Perkins (via Thrale) brewing Imperial Brown Stout appositamente per Catherine the Great ben prima dell'era del Coraggio è un punto chiave che spesso viene saltato. Quella designazione interna “IBSt” conta davvero vlad-casino.it storicamente, ed è sorprendente che Brad non l'abbia almeno menzionata, specialmente considerando quanto sia accessibile il lavoro di Ron.

E sì, la ricetta di Ron è un grande controllo della realtà. Le percentuali di grana ti dicono molto su cosa fossero veramente quelle birre, e i tassi di salto — specialmente spingendo verso quegli IBU che innaffiano gli occhi-chiariscono che si trattava di preferenze di sapore, non di conservazione. È bello che tu lo abbia ridimensionato al tuo sistema; anche ignorando i pesi, la struttura della birra dice più della maggior parte delle rivisitazioni moderne.

Sempre bello vedere qualcuno che mantiene la storia onesta

Esatto, ed è proprio questo che rende la storia ancora più interessante: la realtà è molto più concreta (e meno romantica) del mito. Quando guardi le fonti primarie che Ron ha tirato fuori, diventa chiaro che queste stout erano birre di lusso, fatte su misura per un gusto preciso, non “birre da spedizione” progettate per sopravvivere eroicamente agli oceani.

Tra l’altro, il fatto che Barclay Perkins/Thrale producessero già una Imperial Brown Stout dedicata alla corte russa mostra quanto fosse già definito lo stile, ben prima che Courage entrasse in scena. Non era un esperimento, era una birra richiesta e apprezzata così com’era.

È anche il motivo per cui molte RIS moderne, pur ottime, raccontano più di noi che dell’epoca: spesso più scure, più torrefatte, meno equilibrate rispetto a quelle storiche. Le ricette di Ron aiutano proprio a rimettere i piedi per terra e a capire cosa bevevano davvero.

Insomma, meno leggenda marinaresca e più storia brassicola fatta bene. E su questo, brindisi meritato

 

[Xomasto]

Yeah, this is one of those topics where the myths just refuse to die. You’re absolutely right to call it out. The whole “high alcohol and hops to survive the voyage to Russia” story sounds nice, but Ron Pattinson has pretty thoroughly shown that it’s not true. The beer was big and heavily hopped because that’s what the Russian court actually liked — not because it needed to endure a sea journey.

Barclay Perkins (via Thrale) brewing Imperial Brown Stout specifically for Catherine the Great well before the Courage era is a key point that often gets skipped. That in-house “IBSt” designation really matters historically, and it’s surprising Brad didn’t at least mention it, especially given how accessible Ron’s work is.

And yeah, Ron’s recipe is a great reality check. The grist percentages tell you a lot about what those beers really were, and the hopping rates — especially pushing toward those eye-watering IBUs — make it clear this was about flavor preference, not preservation. It’s cool that you scaled it to your system; even ignoring the weights, the structure of the beer says more than most modern retellings.

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Always nice to see someone keeping the history honest

I completely agree with you—this is exactly the kind of situation where a compelling story has proven to be more enduring than the facts.