Clamstalk Rye Stout

Clamstalk Rye Stout

Specialty Grains:
1/2 lb Flaked Rye
1/2 lb 60L Crystal
1/2 lb 120L Crystal
1/2 lb Chocolate
1/2 lb Roasted Barley

Grain/Extract:
3.3 lbs Munton's Dark Malt Extract Syrup
3 lbs Munt's Amber Dry Malt Extract

Other Fermentables:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup molasses

Hops:
1 oz Chinook AA: 13%
1 oz Liberty AA: 4.4 %
(see below for schedule)

Boil Size:
3 gallons

Batch Size:
5 gallons

Procedure:

1. Steeped grains in 3 quarts at 160F; drained liquid into brewpot.
2. Sparge with 2 quarts at 170F, collect liquid in brewpot.
3. Add water up 3 gallons, turned on heat.
4. Added, in order:
   • Muntons Syrup Dark Malt Extract (3.3 lbs)
   • Muntons Dry Amber Malt Extract (3 lbs)
   • 2 cups brown sugar
   • 1 cup molasses
5. Bring to a boil.
   -Wort foamed up once, removed heat and foam subsided. Brought back to a boil.
6. Added hops according to following schedule
   • 3/4 oz Chinook at start (60 minutes boiling)
   • 1/2 oz Liberty at 30 minutes (30 minutes boiling)
   • 1/2 oz Liberty at 45 minutes (15 minutes boiling)
   • 1/4 oz Chinook at 58 minutes (2 minutes boiling)
   I did not use any hops bags and I allowed the hops to to stay in the primary.
7. Once I turned off the heat, I transfered the brewpot to my kitchen sink and sprayed the outside with cold water until the temperature was around 100 (spraying the brewpot worked even faster than a cold bath).
8. I put 2 gallons of cold water in the primary, then poured the wort into the primary, then added cool water up to just over 5 gallons.
9. Pitched yeast at 70 degrees.

Fermentation:
There was action within a few hours; by the next day, the fermentation was vigorous, to say the least. I rigged up a blow-off tube after the bubbler airlock proved insufficient.

Since it was a quick job that I rigged, the tube I had was slightly too small to be tight in the and it allowed foam to come out around the tube; I cleaned away the foam periodically with sanitized water and kept the area clean until I could set up something better.

I was worried about infection, but I guess the positive pressure from the yeast off-gassing and the cleaning were good enough; next time, I'll be more prepared.

The moral: if you make a stout, use a blow-off tube because otherwise, it can get messy.

I kept this guy in the primary for 8 days, then moved to a glass carboy for another 20 days.

Notes:
This is the first recipe I've made up entirely; I bottled two days ago, so I'm still waiting to see what the end-product is like; I did have a little of the uncarbonated beer and it was certainly promising - kind of a dry spicy taste with an interesting balance between the citrusy hops and the chewiness of the malt. I can't wait to see how the end product turns out!

PS - Sorry I don't have the correct color number or IBUs; I'm kinda a noob and don't know how to do that. If anyone wants to run the numbers in Beersmith for IBUs, I'd much appreciate it!

I tried a few of these with some friends last night, even though it's kind of early. The rye was understated and it was sort of malty, but the hops balanced it out. It had a thick feeling to it, and a touch of sweetness - not much, but a little. The head was a perfect creamy tan, the body, dark brown with a slightly red tint.

I'm pretty pleased - this is the first recipe I've made up and I think it came out really nice. I will probably monkey with the amount of rye, next time - 1/2 lb doesn't seem to be enough. The Chinook hops are pretty pronounced in the end product, though not as much as I thought they'd be; next time, I'll probably replace the Liberty hops with something a little louder so that there's more range of hop flavors, not just the citrus-style flavor from the Chinook (which I do really like).

Anyone have any advice or thoughts?