Free stout (for feedback)

[Martybhoy]

Hi, I've had an oatmeal stout conditioning for about 8 weeks. I've been drinking one a week for the last month, and it ain't too great. It's not off or anything, but I think it may be a little too sweet. I'm getting liquorice flavours when I drink it and I'm not really enjoying it. There's also some yeast in the bottle. I used WLP007 and it flocculated poorly.

But what I call liquorice, might in fact be something else (green apples, oxidation, etc) so I'm hoping some kind soul, ideally someone who knows their stouts, good and bad, would take a free bottle through the post with no obligation to return the bottle. But just be honest with their feedback.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Hi, I've had an oatmeal stout conditioning for about 8 weeks. I've been drinking one a week for the last month, and it ain't too great. It's not off or anything, but I think it may be a little too sweet. I'm getting liquorice flavours when I drink it and I'm not really enjoying it. There's also some yeast in the bottle. I used WLP007 and it flocculated poorly.

But what I call liquorice, might in fact be something else (green apples, oxidation, etc) so I'm hoping some kind soul, ideally someone who knows their stouts, good and bad, would take a free bottle through the post with no obligation to return the bottle. But just be honest with their feedback.

I've had licorice in a few of my imperial stouts It reaches a peak and then subsides. so I drink a few young then I leave them for six months and try another, some of them are them plummy, some go sherry and some go really complex :shock: If it is sweet leaving it for longer conditioning will reduce the sweetness over time.

I do like a sweet young ris but also a powerful complex old one. Just not fussed about the stage in between :nono:

 

[Martybhoy]

Funny you say that, as the first few bottles I had (weeks 5, 6 & 7) were ok. No liquorice.

No doubt time will improve it, hopefully.

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[Zephyr259]

What was the grain bill? I've heard that brown malt can create a liquorice flavour once the beer's conditioned for a while.

 

[Martybhoy]

The grain bill -

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[dad_of_jon]

The grain bill -

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that's similar to my brews with the exception that I use roasted barley and the head retention is dealt with by 500g of dwe. I usually use 3kg of dme AND dark candi sugar. I think longer conditioning will sort the liquorice for you, just try one every 4 weeks and when its to your liking - party time :thumb:

 

[The Idiot]

I like my stouts toasty and aggressive without being harsh. Barely, and especially roasted barley, gets on top of sweet liquorish flavours but you have neither. I go for at least 5 per cent roast barley.

I do have WLP007 down to try for stout but I've found S-04 to be great for an oatmeal. I tend to use Scotts porridge oats and toast them at 170 degrees C for and hour and a quarter. If I don't toast them I get a sweet background that isn't great!

 

[MyQul]

I had liquorice in my last dark beer (cant remember whether it was a stout or a porter) I couldnt for the life of me work out why it had a liqorice flavour. I then read liqorice can be an ester flavour from the yeast. Everntually it conditioned out

 

[dad_of_jon]

I like my stouts toasty and aggressive without being harsh. Barely, and especially roasted barley, gets on top of sweet liquorish flavours but you have neither. I go for at least 5 per cent roast barley.

I do have WLP007 down to try for stout but I've found S-04 to be great for an oatmeal. I tend to use Scotts porridge oats and toast them at 170 degrees C for and hour and a quarter. If I don't toast them I get a sweet background that isn't great!

hmm I still get liquorice when using roasted barley (RB) but having said that I am brewing big stouts so maybe I need more RB. :whistle:

 

[Badseed1974]

I like my stouts toasty and aggressive without being harsh. Barely, and especially roasted barley, gets on top of sweet liquorish flavours but you have neither. I go for at least 5 per cent roast barley.

I do have WLP007 down to try for stout but I've found S-04 to be great for an oatmeal. I tend to use Scotts porridge oats and toast them at 170 degrees C for and hour and a quarter. If I don't toast them I get a sweet background that isn't great!

Yep, I've made stouts before without roasted barley and they've always been lacking that roasty toasty flavour which I love in my fave commercial stouts (never noticed a liqourice flavour though)

This is my latest one and it's ace after just 10 days in the bottle

stout
Stout

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 15.0
Total Grain (kg): 3.700
Total Hops (g): 35.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.060 (°P): 14.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.015 (°P): 3.8
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.89 %
Colour (SRM): 45.5 (EBC): 89.6
Bitterness (IBU): 50.9 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 79
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
3.000 kg Maris Otter Malt (81.08%)
0.300 kg Black Malt (8.11%)
0.180 kg Rye Malt (4.86%)
0.120 kg Dark Crystal (3.24%)
0.100 kg Roasted Barley (2.7%)

Hop Bill
----------------
20.0 g Admiral Pellet (13% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (1.3 g/L)
15.0 g Challenger Pellet (6.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (1 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 20°C with Crossmyloof US Pale


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[foxbat]

Hi, I've had an oatmeal stout conditioning for about 8 weeks. I've been drinking one a week for the last month, and it ain't too great. It's not off or anything, but I think it may be a little too sweet. I'm getting liquorice flavours when I drink it and I'm not really enjoying it. There's also some yeast in the bottle. I used WLP007 and it flocculated poorly.

WLP007 is known for strong attenuation, high flocculation and finishing dry. None of which seems to have happened for you? Did you hit your expected gravities? (pre-boil, starting and finishing)

 

[chthon]

This is a nice thread, because of the liquorice taste issues. I had two beers which had a liquorice taste in the past year (it was noticeable, but it did not make my beers bad). One was a porter fermented with MJ M03, Newcaste Dark Ale, and one was an abbey ale (my personal Leffe clone, used to experiment) fermented with MJ 07, British Ale yeast. However, for me the factor that was equal in both, was the use of Spalt Select hops, to which I attribute the liquorice taste. The reason being, I have also brewed an imperial stout, which is quite bitter (now already more smooth after 6 months of lagering), but does not have the liquorice taste, and another version of my "Blinde Hendrik" (my personal Leffe clone), which uses Magnum, Kent Goldings, Fuggles and BE-256 yeast.

So, is it more probable that two different English yeasts attribute the same liquorice taste two beers, or the use of one type of hop in both?

 

[Martybhoy]

WLP007 is known for strong attenuation, high flocculation and finishing dry. None of which seems to have happened for you? Did you hit your expected gravities? (pre-boil, starting and finishing)

I over shot my preboil target by 10 points. I therefore over shot my post-boil gravity by 11 points, but diluted to hit the recipes OG.

The FG target was 1.014-18. I hit 1.021.

It was after this brew that I invested in an air stone.

 

[Leon103]

I have enjoyed many stouts. I don't mind tasting it if it will help.

 

[Martybhoy]

Cheers mate.

DM me your details and I'll post the brew

 

[Leon103]

Ok I have drank the bottle @martybhoy1980 so kindly sent me.

I can safely say it is a nice stout. Yes it is sweet, milk stout sweet, not really sure why, perhaps the yeast? Or mash temps.

What was the full recipe?

I didn't get any liquorice, I am not keen on liquorice so would know if there was any flavour there. I also didn't any esters.

It was slightly over carbed for how I like my stouts. Poured with a good thick head but unfortunately it disappeared after a few minutes, perhaps up the oats. I also prefer my stouts with a bit of roasted malts but this was a nice change. Not sure if there is any use but I didn't find anything really wrong with it, I can understand you are worried about the sweetness but just tell everyone it is a milk stout

 

[Martybhoy]

Cheers.

I agree it was over-carbed. 2.4 volumes as per recipe but too much I think.

I remember thinking it was like a milk stout without the body to back it up.

There were no roasted malts. I would definitely change that next time. This was my first stout but I acknowledge the lack of roasted malts is an issue.

I had real issues with the yeast, right from the beginning. In my starter, it flocculated very poorly. And the same goes for the actual brew itself.

I had a bottle of it on Friday and I didn't notice any liquorice. Perhaps it has conditioned out as some people suggested.

Thanks for giving it a go and for the honest feedback.

 

[dad_of_jon]

This is a nice thread, because of the liquorice taste issues. I had two beers which had a liquorice taste in the past year (it was noticeable, but it did not make my beers bad). One was a porter fermented with MJ M03, Newcaste Dark Ale, and one was an abbey ale (my personal Leffe clone, used to experiment) fermented with MJ 07, British Ale yeast. However, for me the factor that was equal in both, was the use of Spalt Select hops, to which I attribute the liquorice taste. The reason being, I have also brewed an imperial stout, which is quite bitter (now already more smooth after 6 months of lagering), but does not have the liquorice taste, and another version of my "Blinde Hendrik" (my personal Leffe clone), which uses Magnum, Kent Goldings, Fuggles and BE-256 yeast.

So, is it more probable that two different English yeasts attribute the same liquorice taste two beers, or the use of one type of hop in both?

i've had liquorice in most of my imperial stouts but it does go away 6 months to a year after it appears. I always use roasted barley, dark crystal choc malt muntons extra dark dme and dark candi sugar but never spalt select.