Stout time! Help.

[earthwormgaz]

So, I just bought this lot. I took a few hints from the Oatmeal stout thread, and the stout recipe in my book, and then ordered some other random bits.

What should go in? What should NOT go in? Which yeast might be the best?

I'm right in remembering a stout should have a higher bitterness level?

Not done a brew for ages, but running out of IPA, and the weather is getting cooler! :drink:

Maris Otter Pale Malt 3kg Crushed - Warminster
Golden Promise Pale Malt 500g Crushed - Simpsons
Crystal Malt 500g Crushed
Briess Dark Chocolate Malt 500g Crushed
Briess® Cherry Wood Smoked Malt 500g
Whisky Malt 500g Crushed (Peated malt)

Danstar Nottingham Beer Yeast
Safale S-04, English Ale

Flaked Oats 1kg
Flaked Barley 500g
Goldings Hops 100g From Stocks Farm
Cascade Hops 100g
East Kent Goldings Hops 100g

 

[clibit]

What kind of stout do you want? Dry, sweet, oatmeal, foreign extra, American or imperial?!

 

[Niman]

no roasted barley?

 

[earthwormgaz]

Ah, I already have a big bag of that too. Ordered loads ages ago by mistake that needs using lol

I think I'd want sort of medium sweetness. Foreign extra means very strong right? I think about 6% is as strong as I'd go.

I prefer to do English style beers, so I suppose Imperial might be more my thing?

I want a good strength to it, and lots of malty taste, that's why I got so many malts to play with.

 

[clibit]

Imperial stouts are like 8% and above. I like stouts of all strengths but I reckon something around 6 to 6.5% is good. A stout typically has about 10% dark roasted grains. That could be all roast barley, or you could swap some for choc malt to make it smoother, and you could also put some black malt in.

The rest could be all pale malt, but you could add a little crystal or dark crystal, and you could use some flaked barley to get a smooth creamy head.

Use pretty much any hop and just do a 60 minute addition to get 35 to 40 IBUs, I'd go for 40.

I think the best dry stouts are yeast neutral. So I'd go for Nottingham or US05, or a liquid yeast like Irish ale, American ale or a neutral English ale like Wyeast 1028.

 

[clibit]

Something like this (double the quantities for 20 litres):

Dry Stout 10 litres

Original Gravity (OG): 1.061
Final Gravity (FG): 1.015
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.99 %
Bitterness (IBU): 38.2

2.200 kg Pale Malt (74.7%)
0.400 kg Flaked Barley (13.58%)
0.220 kg Roasted Barley (7.47%)
0.075 kg Chocolate (2.55%)
0.050 kg Crystal 60 (1.7%)

28.0 g East Kent Golding Leaf (5.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes

Mash at 66°C for 60 Minutes.
Ferment at 20°C with Nottingham


Here is another similar recipe that a few forum members have made and enjoyed...

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=53933

 

[earthwormgaz]

Okay, that's great as a template, thanks very much mate.

Nottingham yeast sounds good, as a Nottm lad I like to use it :)

What do you think to the weirder malts I got? Are any of these likely to work in a stout? How much might I use if any?

Briess Dark Chocolate Malt 500g Crushed
Briess® Cherry Wood Smoked Malt 500g
Whisky Malt 500g Crushed (Peated malt)

Failing that, what style might suit them best for next time?

 

[clibit]

Use the Briess Chocolate. Then there's no reason not to use the other two as well, maybe just use one, to see what it does without the other, and use the other another time. I'd tread carefully, 2-4% of one of those two malts.

 

[BeerCat]

So, I just bought this lot. I took a few hints from the Oatmeal stout thread, and the stout recipe in my book, and then ordered some other random bits.

What should go in? What should NOT go in? Which yeast might be the best?

I'm right in remembering a stout should have a higher bitterness level?

Not done a brew for ages, but running out of IPA, and the weather is getting cooler! :drink:

Maris Otter Pale Malt 3kg Crushed - Warminster
Golden Promise Pale Malt 500g Crushed - Simpsons
Crystal Malt 500g Crushed
Briess Dark Chocolate Malt 500g Crushed
Briess® Cherry Wood Smoked Malt 500g
Whisky Malt 500g Crushed (Peated malt)

Danstar Nottingham Beer Yeast
Safale S-04, English Ale

Flaked Oats 1kg
Flaked Barley 500g
Goldings Hops 100g From Stocks Farm
Cascade Hops 100g
East Kent Goldings Hops 100g

I don't confess to really know the difference between cheery smoked and Rauchmalz but all i can say is every beer i made with Rauchmalz has gone down the sink. Even beers with 5% of grist. The smoked taste is over powering to say the least and not in a good way. That's coming from someone that loves smoked food. :)

 

[earthwormgaz]

I don't confess to really know the difference between cheery smoked and Rauchmalz but all i can say is every beer i made with Rauchmalz has gone down the sink. Even beers with 5% of grist. The smoked taste is over powering to say the least and not in a good way. That's coming from someone that loves smoked food. :)

Yikes, that's about put me off putting any in at all. I might feed that stuff to the chickens.

 

[Antony]

I've used smoked malt in beers, and found it didnt really do anything in low quantities. I would guess peated malt would be stronger, but I'm not sure on quantities. Reading up, the general consensus seems to be 'use sparingly', some members of beeradvocate suggest not more than 3oz in a 5 gallon batch.