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doghousechef · 06-13-2009, 03:41 PM

I'm looking for some advice on creating a recipe. I'm new to brewing, having just bottled my 3rd batch last night. My wife has put in an order for an upcoming batch. We found out a couple of weeks ago that our second child is on the way, due in early February. Our first is now about 14 months. She had a little trouble nursing at first, so she's charged me with making a nursing beer. Most of this research has come from her. Brewer's yeast and oatmeal apparently help with milk production, so she asked me to make a low-alcohol oatmeal stout. I also remember from the first child that fenugreek also helps with nursing and gives a maple flavor to things. I haven't done an all grain batch yet, but plan to with this.

Questions:
How can I achieve a full body and low alcohol without too much sweetness? (she's a dry wine lover)

When and how much fenugreek should I add? (flameout or secondary)

A maple-flavored oatmeal stout sounds like a yummy brew to me. I might have to make two batches so I don't drink hers all up.

Thanks

**maztec** · 06-13-2009, 06:10 PM

Sounds yummy. I have no clue at all about beer and mother's milk, sounds intriguing. Let us know how it goes. My wife would be interested.

Good luck!

snailsongs · 06-13-2009, 06:48 PM

I haven't heard much about oatmeal or yeast helping with breastmilk production (though yeast is full of vitamins), but there is a fair amount of documentation surrounding hops as a milk supply increaser, as well as an excellent mother's adjunct for evening/nighttime feedings since hops have a mild sedative effect (really, have you ever drank an IIPA and felt like you dropped a few unisom tablets? Well, I have.) Here's one page that says a little about hops, but if you google this, you can find more info.

EDIT: more links.

http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/78/1/Herbs-and-Breastfeeding
http://www.crazyfortea.com/hopsherb.html
http://www.examiner.com/x-608-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m4d16-Beer-to-help-increse-milk-supply-in-nursing-moms-Yep

desertbronze · 06-13-2009, 06:53 PM

Congrats to you and your family on the coming addition!

Make a dry stout - use oats in place of some or all of the flaked barley. 70% Maris Otter - 10% roasted barley - 20% flaked oats and/or flaked barley. Shoot for a 1.040 gravity. Mash at 150 deg. F. for 90 minutes. A 60 minute bittering hop addition only - around 40 IBU's. Any neutral bittering hop will do - I like Nugget - but Magnum or Galena or Northern Brewer would work as well. Use a neutral yeast - US-05 works well - 1056, 001 and others will work fine as well.

Can't help you on the fenugreek - hopefully someone else will chime in with some ideas.

doghousechef · 06-13-2009, 07:31 PM

I'd forgotten about hops and breastfeeding. Some good links snail.

desert-
This pretty much reinforces my instincts, I was thinking Irish Ale yeast. Thanks.

**maztec** · 06-14-2009, 12:22 AM

Dried fenugreek is quite bitter. You need to see what TYPE of Fenugreek helps milk production. Herbs have different properties depending on how they are processed. Fresh fenugreek will be different from dry fenugreek. Boiled fenugreek will be different from soaked in the secondary fenugreek. Or, it might be chew on the fenugreek.

I did a quick test, it is fenugreek seeds: Breastfeeding Online

It can be taken as a powder, capsules, or tea. As a tea form it is less effective. However, if you want it in the beer, I would consider putting it either in the secondary or the last 2 minutes of the boil before chilling.

As for using the fenugreek, taste it first. See how bitter it tastes. If you are curious what happens when you boil it make some tea and taste that, see if you want that flavor added to your beer, experiment. I would consider lowering the amount of hops in exchange for the bittering of the fenugreek.

Alternatively, you can add it to the secondary. You might want to look at older recipes that used herbs instead of hops for bittering and preservation. I would use up to 10oz in the secondary, but maybe less depending on how fast the flavor leaches.

Good luck, let us know what you do and how well it works out.

doghousechef · 01-26-2010, 02:07 AM

UPDATE:

I tried this tonight. I brewed an oatmeal stout a week ago. I siphoned off a half gallon into a growler and added a little less than 1/2 tsp. I'm going to let it sit for at least another week. The baby is due any time now. Here's the oatmeal stout recipe I used.

Bainne a Mathair

5# Marris Otter
2# Oats
1# Roasted Barley
1/2# Chocolate Malt
1/4# Black Patent

1oz Kent Golding FWH
1oz Kent Golding 60min

Mash:
110F 30 min
154F 60 min

doghousechef · 02-02-2010, 06:29 PM

UPDATE 2:

I'm holding my new son and typing this while I take a break from bottling. He was born on Wed. and is as healthy as can be.

I have my main bottling bucket free of the fenugreek and a pot sitting with the experiment. I expect to get about 4 bottles of the experimental stout. I tried a sample from both and do tell a difference. With the fenugreek batch, there is a very subtle maple note and a little smoother bitterness than the control batch. Granted, it all still needs to condition in the bottles. I think I could up the amount of fenugreek and still be safe. I'm definitely going to try this next time as a full batch. I may even up this to 1.5 tsp per gallon.

O.G.-1.042
F.G.-1.010

wildwest450 · 02-02-2010, 06:32 PM

Please change the name, it makes me queasy.

Congrats on the tax write off!

doghousechef · 02-02-2010, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwest450

Please change the name, it makes me queasy.

I am. I'm using the Gaelic translation: Bainne a Mathair Oatmeal Stout, so it should only affect some in Ireland. Not sure if I can change the title of the OP.