Threw out my first batch! :(

[WelshPaul]

It had to happen sooner or later: 20 litres of stout has a date with the sink this evening.
It hasn't turned or been infected but is simply too bitter owing to a ****-up from yours truly. I added far too much roasted barley to the mash: 400g out of 5kg of grist and the resulting beer is just too bitter to drink, even after 2½ months in the bottles. It's also been significantly overcarbonated.
In future, is it worth adding the roasted barley to the sparge rather than the mash to avoid overpowering flavours like this as I fancy doing another stout fairly soon?

 

[bobsbeer]

Sorry to hear of your woes. Did you use a recipe or just chuck it in and see?

 

[Ceejay]

No need to use it in the sparge or anything like that; weird though - the recipe in Brewing Classic Styles has 450g roast barley for 5 gallons, about there or thereabouts. I wonder if it's overcarbonation that's causing it to be bitter - carbonic bite maybe. What was your hop schedule like?

 

[bunkerbrewer]

Maybe you could brew a lighter bitter and blend the two?

 

[taxidiver]

Never, ever throw beer away.

Give it the mother in law. :lol:

Geoff

 

[WelshPaul]

Maybe you could brew a lighter bitter and blend the two?

That is not a bad idea at all - the worst that would happen is that I'd spoil the second batch but at 10-15l, it's worth the risk. In fact, I already have a full corny of golden mild maturing away.


The recipe I used for the stout was:

24l batch
Pale malt - 4kg
Roasted Barley - 400g
Flaked Oats - 400g
Dark Crystal - 200g
Chocolate malt - 150g
Black malt - 120g

15 minute glucan rest
90 minute mash

Northdown hops - 20g - 60 minutes
Pioneer hops - 20g - 60 minutes
Northdown hops - 20g - 20 minutes

One sachet of Nottingham yeast

Other than the generous amount of roasted barley, I couldn't see anything that would cause this bitterness; it does taste like a very bitter coffee flavour rather than any "off" flavours.

 

[joe1002]

I'm still learning what does what in recipes but your black and chocolate malts look quite high.

Maybe this is normal for a stout?

 

[Ceejay]

Grain bill looks fine to me, but IMO, you've over hopped it. Plugging those hops into Brewmate at default values gives 52 IBUs, which when combined with all the roasted barley, is probably where the problem is. For and oatmeal stout, you want to be in the range of 25-40 IBUs and probably in the bottom half of that range.

You could always blend it "on the fly", so just pour half a glass of stout and top up with the mild from your cornie. It actually sounds like it would be delicious! :thumb:

 

[WelshPaul]

That's annoying. I fed the details into Beer Calculus and it gave an estimate of just over 30 IBU. :evil:

I'll try and experimental mix this weekend and try a glass. I assume that it's safe to open the bottles to knock the gas out of them and then rebottle it, assuming everything is properly sterilised?

 

[Ceejay]

That's annoying. I fed the details into Beer Calculus and it gave an estimate of just over 30 IBU. :evil:

I'll try and experimental mix this weekend and try a glass. I assume that it's safe to open the bottles to knock the gas out of them and then rebottle it, assuming everything is properly sterilised?

Do you have the %AA of the hops stored anywhere? I used the default values in Brewmate (using Rager forumation), Northdown 8.1% AA, Pioneer 9.5% AA so if they are quite high compared to your actuals, then my values will be overstated.

 

[WelshPaul]

Northdown was 4.3|% and Pioneer was 8.1% or so, and I do recall adjusting the recipe in Beer Calculus to account for this. It's not a hoppy bitterness though, as I quite like that; it's more like burnt bitterness.

 

[Ceejay]

OK, that makes more sense. Comes out at 39 IBU, which is more like it. :hmm:

 

[mmaguy41]

How much priming sugar did you use? Ive had a coopers stout with carbonation drops and i found that was far too carbonated and kicked up alot of flavours that are normally quite mild

 

[WelshPaul]

I can't remember, but judging from the way it behaves when opened, too much!

 

[Jimmy321]

I've now made 4 variations of stout using 5 to 6KG of pale malt with 500g roasted barley + 500g chocolate malt, however I add 400-500g Lactose in the boil so perhaps that helps off set the roasted malts.

Normally takes 2 or 3 months to mature in the barrel but they eventually turn out good.

Stouts are one of my favorite beers so it may be more to my taste.

 

[Dave1970]

Don't chuck it! I attempted a black IPA that got ended up with too much black malt flavour in it. It was bottled so was never going to chuck it. Two things:

1. After a year it's pretty good
2. It makes a great base for a casserole - I have bunged one in the oven now, beef + loads of veg +herbs + 2 bottles of 'Black Hole'