Sweet Stout Deception Cream Stout

I brewed it (extract). Came out very nice. It's on my 'to try as all-grain' list.

I keep going back and forth on mine. Its "pretty good", I think maybe as a style I'm not a huge fan of dark beers, also there is something just slightly too bitter about it.
HOWEVER........
Deception Cream Stout Vanilla Ice Cream Floats are pretty dang good!

Finally brewed it up last night & the krausen is already bubbling out of my blowoff tubes. This is the best part of the process, seeing all the action. So I'm gonna do 30 days in primary then probably 30-40 days+ in 22 oz. bottles. I'm going to try & leave it alone so I can drink it and share it on or around St. Patty's, should be great by then. Slainte!

I just brewed this, but substituted Cluster hops. 3.25 oz, 6.7%AA. The IBU calculator puts that at 47 IBU's, but calculating the original recipes IBU's puts that in the 40's also. Is that too much for this style?

cravej said:

I just brewed this, but substituted Cluster hops. 3.25 oz, 6.7%AA. The IBU calculator puts that at 47 IBU's, but calculating the original recipes IBU's puts that in the 40's also. Is that too much for this style?

Click to expand...

I would aim for 30. You are probably getting in the 40s when are calculating mine because I did a smaller boil back when I brewed this. The amount or variety of hops used in this is far less important that hitting the right IBUs.

NCBeernut said:

I would aim for 30. You are probably getting in the 40s when are calculating mine because I did a smaller boil back when I brewed this. The amount or variety of hops used in this is far less important that hitting the right IBUs.

Click to expand...

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the reply!

I guess I over did it a little, maybe I should calculate IBU's before I brew.

knotquiteawake said:

I keep going back and forth on mine. Its "pretty good", I think maybe as a style I'm not a huge fan of dark beers, also there is something just slightly too bitter about it.

Click to expand...

I did a split batch. 1/2 was per recipe - 1/2 doubled the lactose and primed with brown sugar.

The original recipe was too bitter for my taste. The 2.0 as we call it, is perfect.

NCBeerNut, you're famous! Well, kind of . . .

Your recipe can be found at brewmasterswarehouse.com. I don't know who entered it but it may make things easier for those without LHBSs. Also, You don't need to order 3.3# of everything. They only ship/charge what you order.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/recipe/7fb02b24/

P.S. - I am not affiliated, in any way, to brewmaster's warehouse nor have i ordered from them; so, I haven't much to say about THAT!

P.P.S. - May want to stick the link in the 1st post.

P.P.P.S. - Bottled this on 1/11/11 - and the wait begins.

I finally put some time aside, and making it right now.
Now just the hardest part left; waiting 2 months!!!

I like the idea of adding wheat to a stout,its probably what makes it taste so good. I did a vanilla oatmeal cream stout, may even prime with maple syrup.

Just bottled today. Sat in primary for five weeks. Hope to have some ready for Super Bowl.

Well, I was able to drink mine last night -- it is seriously the best beer I have ever made.

Brewed the AG version tonight. OG Sample tasted amazing. Was my first AG batch - all new equipment to boot. Quite happy with 78.2% brew house efficiency. Can't wait until it's ready!

Anybody try messing with the amounts of extract? I can only buy in 3 lb bags, so just wondering if this would work well with 3# amber and 3# wheat. Also, both of my LHBS are subpar to say the least. Any other places to get lactose if they don't have it?

dandw12786: Dude, most online suppliers can hook you up with everything, in the amounts you need, for less $ (including shipping). Do you need a web address?

Sorry, that sounds a little mean. I'm just trying to say that I've been very pleased with the online options.

I haven't... typically i see ingredients maybe a bit cheaper than my LHBS, but shipping negates that pretty quickly. Plus I'd like to brew this weekend, so anything shipped won't be here.

Has anyone let this get a little age one it? Mine is almost gone and is starting to get REALLY REALLY good (I think it is 3 months). I have a bottle socked away in the corner of my closet that I am letting run its course and am debating pulling a couple from the fridge to keep it company.

dandw12786 said:

Anybody try messing with the amounts of extract? I can only buy in 3 lb bags, so just wondering if this would work well with 3# amber and 3# wheat. Also, both of my LHBS are subpar to say the least. Any other places to get lactose if they don't have it?

Click to expand...

IMHO, I think you can get away with the 3 and 3 just fine as the majority of the flavor comes from the specialty grains. There are a couple Partial Mash versions as well at around Post #235. Experiment! As far as the lactose, I can't help you out-like the other poster said, online would be a way to go. Sure shipping costs around $8.00 but you will get all of the ingredients you want in the quantities you want. One other option is just get 6 lbs of the Amber and keep the additional amber and wheat for the next recipe or for making starters.

BeerWars said:

Has anyone let this get a little age one it? Mine is almost gone and is starting to get REALLY REALLY good (I think it is 3 months). I have a bottle socked away in the corner of my closet that I am letting run its course and am debating pulling a couple from the fridge to keep it company.

Click to expand...

I had one at 10 months. I thought it aged well. It cut down on the sharpness of the bitterness and smoothed out. I have one left in the fridge and will probably try it soon... its about 13 months old at this point.

Others have indicated a slight fall off after 6 months. It depends largely on how good you are at keeping O2 away from it of course. If you really want to age it I'd scale up to an OG of around 1.080 or higher and send me a sample in about a year so I can verify it's awesomeness!!!

This info was worth the time I have spent reading this thread. The second pot at the higher temp as a sparge is a simple substitute for those who don't have AG equipment. Thanks for that. This was in response to BigB's post a while back.

I'm new and brewing AG and really want to get nice stout in March.

Will the below coversion work for a 1 gallon system?
Do I make the mash with the below 7 ingredients and add the rest in the boil as the times are written?

1.4 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
0.3 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM)
0.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt 60L
0.15 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
0.1 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)
0.1 oz Lactose (Boil 10 min)

0.15 oz German Magnum [13.40 %] (60 min) - 27.0 IBU

half Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10 min)
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 5 min)

Mash 60 min @ 152

Ferment 1 month @ 67 degrees

Any help would be great.

Thanks

NCBeernut said:

I brewed this with extract, so the extract version is the real thing. The AG conversion should be dead on. Both are included. I used Wyeast 1450 PC - Denny's Favorite 50. This is a summer seasonal strain, originally the discontinued BrewTek CL-50, made famous by Denny Conn. Wyeast suggests 1056 as a good substitute, but I would use Wyeast 1028 or 1084. Mine finished out at 1.020 with Denny's - just a tad higher than it is supposed to.

Coffee and chocolate hit you up front intermingled with smooth caramel flavors that become noticeable mid-palate. Nice roasty finish rounds it out. Balanced and not cloying at all, but obviously leaning slightly to the sweeter side. Very smooth and creamy. You would think at least a little coffee or chocolate is actually used in this brew, and that is where it gets the name - Deception.



Enjoy!

Click to expand...

Looks right, except i think you mean .3 LB, not .3 oz for the wheat, and the same goes for all the others too. The hops is right. Are you mashing in a bag?

Actually I think I had it all wrong for the oz measurements.

1.4 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
4.8 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM)
3.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt 60L
2.4 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
1.6 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)
1.6 oz Lactose (Boil 10 min)

0.15 oz German Magnum [13.40 %] (60 min) - 27.0 IBU

half Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10 min)
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 5 min)

Mash 60 min @ 152

Ferment 1 month @ 67 degrees F
I carbonated 2 volumes, but I suppose you could go higher

mashing 6 ingredient in a pot, then sparging through a strainer for the boil.
Boil 60 Min -
60 - add 0.15 oz German Magnum
10 - add 1.6 oz Lactose
10 - add half Whirlfloc Tablet
5 - add 1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient

recommendations for yeast?

ferment 2-3 weeks in fermenter
condition in bottle for 2-3 weeks

If I start now, I will be ready for st patrick's day

how's that?

How's that? Looks delicious. This truly is a great recipe

thanks but when I purchase the ingredients, what yeast nutrient and yeast should I get?

I just used WLP 004. that's the irish yeast. I'm sure the w001/1056/us-05 (Cali strain) would be great too. I don't think there's much difference in nutrient, my LHBS repackages something they get in bulk

...and the priming sugar? the recipes I've been following so far asked for honey. I was thinking maybe molasses or maple syrup? suggestions?

I'd just stick with dextrose, but I haven't tried anything else. I usually keg and force carb

ca-lt1 said:

i'd just stick with dextrose,

Click to expand...

+1^^^^^^^^^

I'm sure this question has been asked but I only made it to page 4 before I realized there were 35 pages in this thread. I am thinking of brewing this weekend and am wondering if this would be ready to drink in 7 weeks (kind of want it for St. Patricks Day), or will it need more time? This would give it 1 month in primary and 3 weeks in the keg.

IMHO, yes, you can do it in that time. It might be slightly green, but since you are kegging, I'm sure it will be fine.

steinsato said:

I'm sure this question has been asked but I only made it to page 4 before I realized there were 35 pages in this thread. I am thinking of brewing this weekend and am wondering if this would be ready to drink in 7 weeks (kind of want it for St. Patricks Day), or will it need more time? This would give it 1 month in primary and 3 weeks in the keg.

Click to expand...

I drank mine in 6. It was a touch green but it was still damn good. You'll be fine. Prepare for one of the best stouts you've ever tasted!

I did this one as my first AG effort 2 weeks ago (1-21-11) with the anticipation to rack to secondary with 4 oz of cacao nibs from Whole Foods after 3 weeks (2-11-11) in primary.

My OG was 1.065 (I added the lactose with 10 minutes left in the boil) and I just took a hydro sample today and it's currently at 1.022.

I'm seeing in other posts that 1.020 is an acceptable finish, but what about 1.022? Do you think it will drop much more in the next week? Should I try to rouse Denny's bugs a little? I know, lots of questions from the noob...

Either way, damn it tastes really good...even young! I can't wait for this to finish for the Irish high-holy day...sláinte!

FWIW, mine finished at 1.022. 3 months later, it was still there

Great stout! Its now almost two months out from brew day and It is tasting great! My friends and family who normally dont like stout like this one. Id say its a little on the lighter side than I am used to for a stout but I love it. This was my second brew and really encouraged me after my first one (an oktoberfest) had a strange taste still seeing if it will go away.

Just finished bottling mine after 34 days in primary. I used about 7/8ths of a cup of corn sugar for just under 5 gals of this elixir. Had about 1.024 FG and it tasted good warm & flat. I too am counting the minutes to St. Patty's so I can crack a few of these bad boys open. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

My OG was 1.068 (corrected to 60F) instead of the anticipated 1.058. I followed the extract recipe to the letter, aside from steeping an extra .25# of Crystal 60L that I didn't feel like saving. I used Munton's Amber DME and Munton's Wheat DME. The OG measurement sounded a bit high, but instead of checking the recipe one more time before pitching, I convinced myself that it was right and went ahead with it.

So I sealed up the bucket and put it in its closet. I looked at my brew sheet and realized that I was, in fact, 10 points high. I checked the hydrometer in 60F water, and it was spot on. I even went back and weighed my leftovers to make sure I didn't add an extra pound of DME. I plugged the recipe into ProMash and came up with 1.069; 1.058 with BeerSmith. I also noticed that the Brewmasters Warehouse version (posted about 2 or 3 pages back - post #328) calculated an OG of 1.068. That's a pretty wide margin of variability. I'm losing a little faith in the brew tools...

So my question is...is it worth diluting the beer before bottling? The beer is happily (and vigorously) fermenting now. I figure I'd let the fermentation finish up so I don't risk an infection. The math shows that .86 gal should have been added to lower the OG to 1.058. My goal was to brew a lower alcohol, more session-oriented beer for a change. If I add the water later, will it just taste like a watered-down version?

Any opinions or suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't bother diluting it. Regardless, as good as this one is, IMHO it is way too heavy to be a session beer anyways.

Is it necessary to leave this in primary for one month? My OG was 1.057, it's been in primary for almost 2 weeks now and it's already down to 1.016. I used 1084 Irish Ale that had been washed from a previous stout a few months ago. I'm definitely going to let it age til St. Patricks day (7 weeks from brew day) but am in need of my aquarium heater for a 10 gallon Berliner Weisse I plan on brewing this weekend. I could either leave the Cream Stout in primary for two more weeks without temp control (will most likely drop to about 60F) or just keg it now and let it sit in the keg for the next 5 weeks at about 60F. I don't see how this would be a problem since the fermentation is done but just wanted to make sure there wasn't some other reason I was over looking as to why it would need to sit on the yeast for another two weeks.

steinsato said:

Is it necessary to leave this in primary for one month? My OG was 1.057, it's been in primary for almost 2 weeks now and it's already down to 1.016. I used 1084 Irish Ale that had been washed from a previous stout a few months ago. I'm definitely going to let it age til St. Patricks day (7 weeks from brew day) but am in need of my aquarium heater for a 10 gallon Berliner Weisse I plan on brewing this weekend. I could either leave the Cream Stout in primary for two more weeks without temp control (will most likely drop to about 60F) or just keg it now and let it sit in the keg for the next 5 weeks at about 60F. I don't see how this would be a problem since the fermentation is done but just wanted to make sure there wasn't some other reason I was over looking as to why it would need to sit on the yeast for another two weeks.

Click to expand...

Give it a taste. If it tastes good, move it to the keg. If you think it needs more time on the yeast, don't rack it yet. I bet it will be good to go though. It's probably really good with that irish ale yeast.