Clone Beer Founder's Breakfast Stout Clone

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i'm about to replicate this originally posted recipe with a slight variation. instead of nuggets hops (13%), i plan on using summit hops (18%). same quantity. i've never used summit hops in a stout before and am wondering if anybody has any thoughts or experience using a hop (such as summit) with a higher alpha acid in a stout? thanks!!
 
I just drank my last glass of this, and needless to say I miss it already. The recipe turned out great, best tasting stout I've ever brewed.
 
A little side note for the cold pressers of coffee out there. Maybe a no **** thing for others but something I just realized.

Sanitize your cold press container!!

The last few bottles of my last batch became a little fizzy towards the end of their aging and then this last attempt the top layer of the beer looked suspect in the fermentor after I added the cold pressed coffee. I hope this last attempt isn't ruined as I quickly transferred it but I may have to drink it sooner than later so things don't build up.

I didn't even think about this as I add the coffee after fermentation but I think it may also be introducing some sort of infection.
 
FWIW, I emailed Founders to ask if the coffee is added to the kettle or brewed then added and got this response:

Hey, thanks for enjoying Breakfast Stout! I order my coffee coarse ground, then steep it directly in the wort.
Cheers,
Jeremy Kosmicki
Head Brewer
FBC
 
I'm gonna have a big, fresh yeast cake by next weekend and plan to make a Breakfast Stout with it.

Is it possible Founder's accounts for the bitterness from the chocolate/coffee in their 60 IBU number? This was the main thing that was bothering me about those numbers (on the Founder's site and the BYO recipe). Just seemed that 60 IBU from hops, then adding the chocolate/coffee would be way too bitter.

How strong are the Kona and Sumatran coffees? I was hoping to just use fresh ground 8 O'Clock plain ole 'red bag' coffee but it's not as strong as most so I'd up the amounts a little.

I also plan to just use Wondercocoa fat-free cocoa powder. Unless someone talks me out of it.

Lastly, would the slight sweet note from subbing 1/2 lb of Honey malt for 1/2 lb of base work well with this? Also considering adding a small amount of Lactose.

EDIT: I drink my coffee with cream and sugar and am not a big fan of high bitterness so I'm assuming I'll want a slight sweetness in this, hence the tentative plan for honey malt and lactose. But this is uncharted waters for me.
 
I brewed this with the 60 IBU but did not use the nibs, used all bakers chocolate. Also the second coffee addition i used cold pressed coffee. I can tell you mine is not overly bitter.
 
have you tried real thing or other breakfast/coffee stouts? if you like them, i wouldn't worry about it being overly bitter. I've done both 60 and 30 IBU and both were great.

i'm not so sure about trying to sweeten it with honey/lactose though, but if you do be sure to let us know how it turns out
 
I bittered mine to about 30 something IBU's and people liked it because it wasn't bitter. I think the honey malt will be lost. Then again I put a half pound in my blonde ale and really couldn't taste it either...
 
Going to brew the FBS clone on Monday. Putting chocolate and coffee into a beer is a first for me. For the coffee addition, I'm just going to coarsely grind 2 oz. of Papanicholas French Roast and throw it in at flameout, and forget the cold brewing. Picking up the baking chocolate today.
 
Brewed today; interesting time mashing 20# of fermentables in my 10 gal Rubbermaid MLT. Low on OG, 19.2 Brix = 1.079, so not terribly bad. Reminds me of a big bucket of thin molasses. With all the chocolate and coffee in there, should make for an interesting trub cake....
 
The airlock started up within 2-3 hours of pitching, and this morning is going gangbusters. I want to re-emphasize that the mash for this brew will max out a "big orange" 10 gal Rubbermaid MLT....comes within 1.5" of the top with 7 gal. of strike water. The difficult part for me -which I did not anticipate- was when I lifted the MLT from a chair to a bench for lautering. That about maxed me out.
 
Stole a pour of mine last night. I kept mine lower on the alcohol (~7%) and high on the FG (1.030). I did use a little lactose and honey malt and kept the IBUs like the lower IBU version. 2 oz of Italian Pernigotti cocoa powder plus 2 oz of Belgian Callebaut bittersweet chocolate shavings towards the end of boil; 2 oz coarse, fresh ground 8 o'clock coffee (plain ole red bag) a few minutes after flameout plus 4 oz of 8 o'clock whole bean coffee in secondary.

I really like it, my first sip of my Breakfast Stout was my first sip evar of Breakfast Stout so I have nothing to compare it to but it's really tasty imo. Not bitter, very smooth, full-bodied with just a hint of sweetness. Lots of roast/coffee/chocolate but none seem overpowering. I also adjusted the roasted grains a bit; I used 1/2 lb each of UK roast barley (550L), UK chocolate (420L), UK pale chocolate (210L), and german carafa special II (410L).

Plan to enter it in the Sunshine Challenge next month, I'll post the results/scores unless they're too embarrassing then I'll conveniently forget ;).

EDIT: As it went into the fermenter it did not foam up at all, most of my beers have a huge pile of foam going into the fermenter. I thought for sure this beer would have zero head; but I'll be damned if it didn't pour a nice tan head. It dissipated to a thin rim but still, I'm pleased that it does have reasonable head.
 
I just brewed this beer over the weekend with a couple of alterations.


12 lbs. Alexander Pale Malt Extract
1 lbs American Chocolate Malt
.75 lbs Roasted Barley
9 oz American Black Patent
7 oz Crystal Malt 120°L
1 lbs Oats Flaked

.5 oz Simcoe (had to substitute) boiled 60 min.
.5 oz Simcoe boiled 30 min.
.5 oz Willamette boiled 2 min.

3 oz Peete's Coffee & Tea Costa Rica coffee at flameout (ground to #9 and place in hop bag). I will leave it in until I rack to a secondary
3 oz (or more depending on taste before moving to secondary) #9 Ground Peete's Coffee & Tea Ethiopian Fancy. When moving to secondary. I might just brew up some espresso and dump it though.
2.5 oz Dark bittersweet baker's chocolate (Ghirardelli) at 15 mins.
1.5 oz Unsweetened chocolate baking chocolate at 15 mins. Apparently there are no nibs in Alaska.

Wyeast 1728 | Scottish Ale™

Steeped at 160F for 30 mins in about 1.5 gallons water.

The wort measured out at 11% potential alcohol. Hopefully it will finish big at 8.5 to 9%!

The wort tasted pretty hoppy. Maybe the Simcoe was a bad choice???
 
Racked my batch to the secondary this morning after two weeks in the primary. The FG was just about on the money....hydrometer reading 1.021, after starting with an OG a bit low, 1.079, converted from 19.2 Brix.

This batch set an all-time record for trub, at least for me. There was a big, rubbery cake 2.5-3" thick at the bottom of the primary bucket.
 
what quantity of coffee is added? I assume the weights are for the amount of grounds, but what volume of water are they brewed in?
 
Holy hell I can't believe I haven't seen this recipe before! Definitely my next brew!
 
Ditto on first addition. Since I elected to put in 2 oz of grounds of Papanicholas French Roast (a dark, very strongly flavored coffee) I skipped the second (cold brewed) coffee addition. We shall see.....
 
I also did 2 oz coarse ground just after flameout and then used 4 oz whole beans in a secondary. Plain ole red bag Eight O'clock coffee.

Weird how I spared no expense on the chocolate (Callebaut Belgian bittersweet chocolate and Pernigotti cocoa powder) and then used cheapo coffee. But I like Eight O'clock coffee (as long as it's the plain ole stuff in the red bag).
 
This beer just got released again and I had a bottle the other night. Amazing stuff cant wait to brew this one
 
I've got a couple of questions. I know there is some confusion about the IBU's as to whether it's 30 or 60, but I think I'll do the 60 considering that's what's on there website now. Question though, if I wanted to up the IBU's, would you guys leave the 30 minute addition the same and only adjust the 60 minute addition? Or would you leave the IBU's at 30?

Thanks,
J
 
I used a plastice fermenter with a tap. There was so much trub it was covering the tap near the end of bottling. I'd hate to have any more sediment floating around down there.
 
Oh, indeed. When I racked, I'd never seen so much trub in a bucket. Probably 2.5 - 3 inches thick. OTOH, with all that chocolate & coffee in there, maybe normal for this brew.
 
I brewed this yesterday. Worked out well. The only thing was my coffee went through the hop bag. I don't think it will be a big deal.
 
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