Thornbridge Oatmeal Stout

[Scrattajack]

Time to brew a stout, I thought, so a Thornbridge Oatmeal Stout all-grain kit has arrived from BrewUK. Trouble is, guess who didn't read up about it first? Turns out it has quite a lot of hops added at the end of boil; i.e. 165g of EKG and 150g of Fuggles. Really? For a stout?

Anyone brewed this or have any views on it? I'm tempted to just forget that bit...

J.

 

[Clint]

It does sound rather a lot! It sounds more like an American stout.
Google it to see if any similar recipes pop up..
Do they supply that amount of hops?

 

[Scrattajack]

Yes, hops supplied matches the instructions.

Fermentables included: 4.6 kg Maris Otter, 270g Chocolate, 219g Crystal, 109g Roasted Barley & 260g Oats.

Tried looking up Thornbridge Stout and looking up dry-hopped stouts but no direct hit. Does the grain bill look like it would do a good stout with 45g of EKB at boil time?

 

[Linalmeemow]

'kin 'ell, 315g of hops in a stout? That seems like an awful lot to me.

I assume the grain bill is for 23l? Everything seems to be there, it's perhaps slightly less dark than I'd aim for, and I've always gone for more oats than that but it depends on how oaty you want it to be. I usually go about 500g in a 23l batch though, but I've always tried to mimic Sam Smith's oatmeal stout and it has a pretty thick mouthfeel. Hopwise I'd add a bit more EKG at the start of the boil but only maybe 15g or so.

 

[foxy]

Time to brew a stout, I thought, so a Thornbridge Oatmeal Stout all-grain kit has arrived from BrewUK. Trouble is, guess who didn't read up about it first? Turns out it has quite a lot of hops added at the end of boil; i.e. 165g of EKG and 150g of Fuggles. Really? For a stout?

Anyone brewed this or have any views on it? I'm tempted to just forget that bit...

J.

I think you would be just wasting hops. I have brewed this one a few times, for me it is very nice.
I have lowered the ABV but upped the hop additions slightly.
Gordon Strong's
Oatmeal Stout
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.063 FG = 1.018
IBU = 25 SRM = 42 ABV = 6.0%

Ingredients
10 lbs. (4.5 kg) pale ale malt
1 lb. 4 oz. (567 g) flaked oats
12 oz. (340 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
10 oz. (283 g) chocolate malt (450 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) roasted barley (550 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
4 AAU UK Golding hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz/21 g at 5.3% alpha acid)
2 AAU UK Golding hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz/21 g at 5.3% alpha acid)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or Imperial Yeast A38 (Juice) or White Labs WLP066 (London Fog) or LalBrew New England yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash.

Mash the pale ale malt and oats at 154 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Once conversion is complete, add the crystal and dark malts as well as the roasted barley, then begin to increase mash temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) using direct heat or infusion, and recirculate for 15 minutes before beginning the lauter process. Fly sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort.

Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe. A kettle fining can be added near the end of the boil, but is not necessary.

Chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C), aerate the wort with oxygen, pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Rack and package the beer.

The BJCP guidelines

Color Range:	22–40 SRM
Original Gravity:	1.045–1.065
Final Gravity:	1.010–1.018
IBU Range:	25–40
ABV Range:	4.2–5.9%
Aroma:	Sweet malty aromas; Hints of nutty oatmeal and fruity characters; Slight hop aromas; Low Diacetyl.
Flavor:	Earthy & nutty oat flavors; Balanced sweetness; Fruit flavors are possible, along with mild notes of coffee; Medium hop bitterness & flavor; Low to none diacetyl.
Appearance:	Ranges from deep brown to black; Thick & creamy tan or brown head; Good clarity, if not opaque.
Mouthfeel:	Smooth & Velvety; Medium-full to full body; Medium to high carbonation;

To get it 'smooth & velevety', follow his mash regime, adding the none fermentables coming up to mash out.

 

[Scrattajack]

Thanks all, I'll leave the late hops out, up the kettle hops a bit and add some flaked oats. I can't adjust the mash as the grains came in one bag.

The next task is to work out what to brew with the surplus hops, shouldn't be too hard.

Cheers!
John.

 

[Arrakus]

Several batches of ESB.....

 

[Scrattajack]

It's been in the bottle two weeks now so curiosity got the better of us and so we tried one. Well, it's turned out alright, good flavour, body and colour. It's carbonated but didn't keep it's head as well as it might. Still, it's young and it'll sort itself in a month or so.

Thanks for all your help on this one.