Imperial Stout - What to expect?

[RLinNH]

Well, you have the same attenuation as Jamil (63%) so you might be safe. It it were me, I would let it sit in secondary another couple of weeks. This is a beer you will need to let sit for 8-10 months anyway so another couple weeks won't make any difference.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

You don't think that the dry hops being in the secondary for 5 weeks will affect the flavor? Also, I plan on letting the Beer sit for at least 12 Months before Drinking.

[Bugeater]

You don't think that the dry hops being in the secondary for 5 weeks will affect the flavor? Also, I plan on letting the Beer sit for at least 12 Months before Drinking.

With that much aging, much of what you get from dry hopping is going to fade away, so dry hopping isn't going to add much by the time you drink it. I dry hop in the keg and just leave the bag of hops in the keg until it runs dry. The hops may be in there for up to 8 weeks with no ill effects on the flavor.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[Quin]

I really do not want any bottle bombs

You could bottle just one bottle with no priming sugar or a reduced amount to see what happens before you commit to the whole batch.

I also think its important to add fresh yeast to anything over 6%ABV for carbonating in the bottle. I think the rule of thumb is about 50 billion cells per 5 gallons.