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**AOD** · 08-07-2012, 11:53 PM

Bourbon is NOT required for the original Breakfast Stout beer!

**AOD** · 08-07-2012, 11:57 PM

Quote:

My water was straight RO with 1 tablespoon of 5.2 buffer....which I would do again with a big stout like this, even though I've started doing mineral additions to my other beers since I made the Founders KBS.

I've started mineral additions on my beers for the past ~1 year now too, originally using the 5.2 buffer, but now moved away. Any specific reason you would not treat your Illinois (well?) water? I grew up there...

I live in the mountains of North Carolina, our water is fairly neutral and best for light lagers. I tend to adjust with the normals: Gypsum, CaCl, Epsom Salt (maltiness and Calcium for yeast) and a touch of Baking Soda (carbonate) for dark beer.

I would be worried about screwing this up though! I'll check my notes, but it appears I did not adjust last year when I brewed this.

Cheers,
~Adam

tgmartin000 · 08-17-2012, 03:42 AM

So I brewed my version of this back in may, and just tasted it last weekend. It was heavy on the coffee. Anyone tried to dry nib this? Is that even a thing? How much, how long?

**FATC1TY** · 08-19-2012, 03:34 AM

I brewed it not long ago, and I agree. It's extremely heavy on the coffee. I'd end up next time dropping back the kettle addition atleats by half.

I dry nib'd mine with cocoa nibs, and whole coffee beans, still pretty heavy.

Thinking about trying some lactose to cut the coffee with some sweetness.

pabloj13 · 08-19-2012, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FATC1TY

I brewed it not long ago, and I agree. It's extremely heavy on the coffee. I'd end up next time dropping back the kettle addition atleats by half.

I dry nib'd mine with cocoa nibs, and whole coffee beans, still pretty heavy.

Thinking about trying some lactose to cut the coffee with some sweetness.

How long is not long ago?

**FATC1TY** · 08-19-2012, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabloj13

How long is not long ago?

I think 2 months almost. I'll have to dig the crap out of the keezer and look, or find where my wife moved my brew book recipes off my desk, along with everything else in my man room!

But I think it's been close to 2 months.. maybe 1 1/2 or so.

pabloj13 · 08-19-2012, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FATC1TY

I think 2 months almost. I'll have to dig the crap out of the keezer and look, or find where my wife moved my brew book recipes off my desk, along with everything else in my man room!

But I think it's been close to 2 months.. maybe 1 1/2 or so.

From what I understand that is WAY too young. I think the coffee fades with time and you probably want to age it 6 months+. That's my plan anyway. Mine is in about the same stage as yours.

**FATC1TY** · 08-20-2012, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabloj13

From what I understand that is WAY too young. I think the coffee fades with time and you probably want to age it 6 months+. That's my plan anyway. Mine is in about the same stage as yours.

Oh, I know it's really young, I wasn't saying otherwise. I was just saying that the coffee is really, really overpowering, and while the beer needs to age, and coffee does fade, I think even in 6 months, the coffee is still going to be more pronounced than it should be to balance the recipe a bit.

I like coffee, and while this doesn't taste bad, I'm glad I don't have the acrid bitter coffee bite that I've had in some coffee stouts.

**sweetcell** · 08-22-2012, 02:36 AM

interesting development on my end:

brewed on Memorial Day, spent 5 weeks in primary, and has been in secondary ever since (~2 months now). i've just returned from vacation so i took a peak at the carboy for the first time in a month. when i last saw it the surface of the liquid was clear & smooth. i had added 2 vanilla beans and an additional 1.5 oz of chocolate nibs to secondary, each addition soaked in bourbon (added the bourbon as well).

so what did i see today? there is a thin layer of that "chocolate mousse" on the surface of the brew (just like the stuff i mentioned at the bottom of page 29 of this thread). also, gravity dropped from 1.027 to 1.025.

methinks it's either:

1) an infection. it could explain the mousse and the drop in gravity. i tasted the gravity sample and it didn't taste sour, but it could be too early on in the souring process to taste much.

or

2) i'm being paranoid and need to RDWHAHB. the mousse is meaningless, maybe the beans or nib additions stirred things up (nucleation?). the drop in gravity is due to the bourbon that was added (around a cup), and/or general user error, and /or solids precipitating out of suspension and/or rising to the surface (the mousse) and/or any number of other reasons. the brew is over 8% alcohol at this point, not a whole lot can take hold as far as i know - not that i know a whole lot about sours, infections, etc.

luckily i don't need that carboy in the immediate future, so i'll let this ride out for a little longer and make sure it's not option 1. if it is, i'll get a bucket to let it run its course and be the proud creator of the world's first chocolate oatmeal coffee bourbon sour stout. say that three times quickly.

anyone else witness the re-appearance of the mousse in secondary, after some time?

**AOD** · 08-22-2012, 12:03 PM

I wouldn't sweat the "mousse" thing...it's probably a combination of quite a few things! Chocolate has fat / oils; they tend to float. You could also have some yeast floating or hop trub that didn't fall out. All the other complexities of this beer create that, and as others have posted, there's always significant trub or floaty stuff on this beer.

Cheers!
~Adam