Wanted - A slightly sweeter stout recipe

[Notlaw]

As it says on the title.

I'm after a stout recipe that's not quite as strong as an Imperial Stout, but maybe up around 6 or 7 percent. I do want something that has a bit more sweetness to it than usual, but I don't know yet how to adjust that variable myself.

Anyone able to help?

 

[MyQul]

It depends how sweet you want it. Do you want something as sweet as a milk stout? Then you'll need to add some lactulose in your receipe. Otherwise you could do it using a combination of grains with non-fermentable sugars (like crystal), lower attenuating yeast and higher mash temp

 

[Notlaw]

It depends how sweet you want it. Do you want something as sweet as a milk stout? Then you'll need to add some lactulose in your receipe. Otherwise you could do it using a combination of grains with non-fermentable sugars (like crystal), lower attenuating yeast and higher mash temp

Fairly sweet. Think, the last pint of the night kind of thing. Not something you'd want to sup all night. I don't think I've ever had a milk stout... That I'm aware ot anyway. Any recommendations that I could pick up tomorrow to try one?

Is that lactulose like you get when you're "backed up" :-?

 

[MyQul]

Never heard of lactolose being used for when you "backed up" myself but maybe it is the same stuff. Basically the sugars that are extracted from milk, thus milk stout. I haven't tried many milk stouts mainly because I'm not keen on them I like my stouts really dry.
The only one I've seen in supermarkets is Mackesons. Look out for black cans the size of coke cans. My Asda sell em. The only other milk stout I've tried is one that I had at a community owned craft pub in SE London

 

[Notlaw]

Ah Mackesons, yes I've had that. Didn't realise it was a milk stout, not had it in YEARS to be fair. Might pick one up tomorrow. That's the kind of thing though, like that, but a bit stronger.

 

[MyQul]

In that case you'll be looking at adding lactolose. I have a reciepe for a 5.2% milk stout in my GH book a little tweeking will get it up to the abv% you want

 

[Notlaw]

I'll use that recipe as a base then and pimp it up. Cheers champ.

 

[HebridesRob]

Not allowed to call beer milk stout. EU regulations, no milk in it. Might be called extra stout or similar.

Try an oatmeal stout as well, Sam Smiths is a good one.

My oatmeal stout recipe (20 litres)...
Pale Malt: 3kg (73%)
Oats, Flaked: 325g (8%)
Black Malt: 325g (8%)
Crystal Malt (100L): 250g (6%)
Low Colour Chocolate Malt: 200g (5%)

25g Fuggles
15g Northern Brewer

If you wanted sweeter you could add more crystal, use a low attenuation yeast (s04?) mash at 68c or a combination of those.

I'm not a big fan of big roast coffee flavours in anything but coffee but if you are add brown malt and use roast barley instead of black malt, perhaps.

Perception of sweetness is greater with lower bitterness too.

 

[YeastFace]

I heard that EU thing, but Bristol Beer Factory and various others have beers either named or described as milk stout, so perhaps it's false or not enforced. It's also known as Sweet Stout.

Also, it's lactose (milk sugar) not lactulose (a laxative). An important distinction

I have a 6% milk stout recipe I'm happy to share with you. Good on it's own or adding different flavours (cocoa nibs, coffee etc). Will post it when I get to the office.

 

[YeastFace]

Come to think of it, all the recipes I've seen for Mackeson use maltodextrin for sweetness, rather than lactose. Maybe Mackeson weren't allowed to continue to call it milk stout for this reason, rather than it being an all-out ban.

 

[Bigcol49]

Not allowed to call beer milk stout. EU regulations, no milk in it. Might be called extra stout or similar.

Try an oatmeal stout as well, Sam Smiths is a good one.

Mmmm! Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout is the canine's cojones.

Mackeson still uses an image of a milk churn on its labels, but has not been able to call their product milk stout since the mid 1940s.

 

[IainM]

The EU thing is rubbish. According the Roger Protz's "The Taste Of Beer", the name Milk Stout couldn't be used in the UK after WWII because milk was rationed and people were getting the wrong impression that it had the nutritional benefits of real milk.

Anyway, I'm not on AG yet, but after reading a few extract / kit-mod threads I've come up with this as my next brew: 1 can Coopers Original Stout, 1kg dark DME, 1kg Munton's enhancer and 250g lactose, pitched with 2x Cooper's yeast and brewed to 20L. I've also got some Creme de Cacao essence to add in before bottling to give it vanilla / chocolate notes. I have high hopes for it, but I'm sure an AG version would be even better!

 

[broonzy01]

Brew UK do a Whitehouse honey Porter extract kit which I brewed over a year ago. Definitely has that sweetness you describe and came in at around 7% for me. Not really my cup of tea but everyone who's tried it and likes a strong dark beer has loved it.