Chocolate Stout guess v compared to others

BADS197 · 06-22-2009, 09:42 PM

I was playing around looking through the style guide and knowing my gf loves chocolate's and darker beers decided to play around with a Stout.

I know almost nothing about creating them so far.. picking up a bit here and there so here's what I came up with.

10lbs 2-row
1.5 lb chocolate malt
.50 lb carapils
.75 lb crystal 60
1oz Nugget at 60
1oz cascade at 30
1oz cascade at 0 (I like this type of hop aroma)
1/2 whirlfloc tablet at 15minutes left
WLP001 yeast (or whatever?)

Then after just picking stuff out of thin air and my butt guessing at what might be in it, compared it to others with chocolate stouts that are in the recipe section.

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Z987K posted his Double Chocolate Stout as being:
10lbs 2row
2lbs chocolate malt
.5lb caraffa III
.5lb CaraPils
1lb lactose
1oz Warrior 35mins

4oz bakers chocolate at the end of the boil
4oz semi-sweet chocolate in the secondary
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I see my thinking was in the right direction but how does one know how much chocolate to put in? Lactose? I'd never have thought of that one and
the real chocolate in boil and secondary? I also noticed he used 1oz of hops total... wow, am I nuts for putting in what I guessed at?

Would mine (althought not being a double chocolate), taste good?

I seriously just picked ingredients I have bought saturday and yet to use, and slapped them together hoping they would work. Thinking outside the box right now is not what i'm used to in making beer.

I've done this a couple times in playing around but have no clue how it would turn out. I stick within the style guidlines but in adding hops, well... thats just a guess as well and then tailer the quantities till the beersmith says it's good and in the range.

I'm tempted to make it then see how it turns out but hellifIknow.

Thanks
Jake

bbrim · 06-23-2009, 02:44 AM

The dark grains tend to clash with flavor/aroma hops. Until you have a stout recipe you know you like I'd stay away from the late additions. Cascade in particular I feel would clash in a stout recipe, something a little more earthy like Fuggles might blend well in small quantities. Personally I'd probably call that a porter, but it's a thin line. The lactose is pretty widely used in sweet/milk stouts, you can get it at your LHBS. IMO you should take out the late hop additions and aim for about 50 IBU with a single addition at the start of the boil. Your selection of malts look good, pretty straight forward so it won't overwhelm your palate or need extensive aging. I'm not familiar with that yeast, maybe someone else will have input there. Happy Brewing!

chriswilkes33 · 06-23-2009, 04:00 AM

Try

9lb Marris Otter
.75 lb Chocolate malt
.25 Crystal 40L
.175 Roasted Barley
.175 Black Patent

.5lb malto dextrin when wort comes to boil

1 oz. galena for 60 minutes
1.5 oz unsweetened cocoa last 5 minutes of boil

Muntons gold yeast
or white labs london ale 013
or wyeast brittish ale 1098

May as well be Youngs double chocolate. Very tasty!