Making Chocolate Oatmeal stout. OG question and smack pack starter Question.

britishbloke · 02-23-2007, 02:15 AM

Im making a chocolate oatmeal stout.

Oatmeal Stout
5 gallons, extract with grains
OG = 1.054 IBU = 34 <--- I changed the recipe slightly below.

The grains are mashed prior to the addition of the dry malt extract. The oats have a negligible enzyme content. Hence the American six-row barley with its high enzyme content is used to saccharify the oats.

Ingredients:

8 lbs. amber, dry malt extract
1 lb. crystal malt, 60¡ Lovibond
1.5 lb. American six-row pale ale malt
1 oz oatmeal (quick)
1 lb. chocolate malt
1 lb. roasted barley
1/2 tsp. Irish moss, for 15 min.
2 oz. Fuggles hop pellets (4.2% alpha acid), for 45 min.
Wyeast 1084, Irish ale yeast

Any idea how I can find out what the OG and final should be?
Im making a 10 gallon batch so wouldnt that affect the calculations of the wort in the boiler? Youd have to check OG once its in the carboy with the added water right?

Also id like to make a starter as I only have one liquid smackpack for two batches 5 gallons. Can I make a starter in one glass and add half to each batch when its fermeneting for a day?

Sorry for the questions. Hope I dont confuse anyone, im still a little new to brewing in the conditions im doing it in.

Whelk · 02-23-2007, 02:19 AM

If you use qbrew, promash, or any of those programs they'll give you the OG once you put in the recipe. Easiest way to get it, I think.

britishbloke · 02-23-2007, 02:33 AM

But if Im making two 5 gallon batches and have 6 gallons of wort in the pot and 2 gallons in each carboy, wont the OG change once added to the 3 gallons in each carboy to the water?

edit

**Pumbaa** · 02-23-2007, 02:34 AM

someone correct me if I am off base BUT the amount of chocholate and roasted seems awefully high. Unfortunatly I'm at work and dont have acess to my normal bookmarked pages so I cant check but 1 lbs seems kinda high

britishbloke · 02-23-2007, 03:03 AM

And any idea how to make starter out of a smack pack? Add water and suger? in the glassware?

**Yooper** · 02-23-2007, 03:29 AM

No, no sugar! Boil 1/2 cup of DME in 1 pint of water. After you get the hot break, you can cool it down in an ice bath. Some people throw in some hops, too, but it's not necessary. You should have an o.g. of around 1.040. Put this in your sanitized container (I use a growler, because I have a stopper and airlock to fit), add some yeast nutrient if you have it, and add the room temperature yeast. Let 'er rip- and in a day you should have more yeast on the bottom. You can step it up by adding more 1.040 wort every day or so, or use as is. If it's more than 2-3 days before you brew, refrigerate the starter. Before brewing, decant the spent wort and bring the yeast to room temperature.

britishbloke · 02-23-2007, 03:50 AM

So I only have LME extract. So use enough to get an OG of 1040 and then make a batch of wort like that?

That would work. I smaked the pack and will wait a day before doing this then.

CBBaron · 02-23-2007, 02:06 PM

Tastybrew.com and beertools.com both have pretty decent calculators that can estimate your OG, FG and IBU. Your OG is based on the sugars added and your final volume. If you want to know what the SG of your wort before dilution you can get an estimate with
SG(of final boil) = FG * (total volume)/(boil volume)
This estimate may be a little rough as I just threw it together.
I think you 1oz of Oatmeal sounds like it will have no effect on a 10gal batch. I would expect between 1 and 2 pounds of oatmeal for an oatmeal stout based on the recipes I have seen.
Craig

Glibbidy · 02-23-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumbaa

someone correct me if I am off base BUT the amount of chocholate and roasted seems awefully high. Unfortunatly I'm at work and dont have acess to my normal bookmarked pages so I cant check but 1 lbs seems kinda high

Pumbaa is correct here. I wouldn't recommend using more then 5% chocolate in your total grist. Using more then 5% of this, malt may impart a burnt taste which will overshadow the beer.

All the flavors have to come together into one nice well balanced beer. With that said, I would also adjust your roasted barley to no more then 10% of the total grist, and consider using flaked barley. Anywhere between 10-20% would be considered acceptable. But then agian this is homebrewing.

How long are you planning to boil?
I would reccommend a kettle addtions for the hops (at 10 minutes in to the boil) instead of what you have indicated below. one hop addition is dead on here for the style.
2 oz. Fuggles hop pellets (4.2% alpha acid), for 45 min.

Here is a fabulous primer for showing you how to make a starter.

This going to be one fine beer!

britishbloke · 02-23-2007, 03:03 PM

So add additional hops at the end near the 10 min ending?

I plan on boiling for an hour. But the grains will in the oven at 150 for an hour previous to boiling.