Help with adjusting recipe

Hey all, I have an Irish Stout which I have made in the past, and now that it is all gone, I want to mess with the recipe a bit.. However, I am just venturing into the realm of brewing without kits, and I need a little help.

Background: This Irish Stout itself is pretty good. However, it isn't very smooth (like a Guinness for example) and later on, it does have a pretty pronounced hop flavor. I do a 2.5 gallon boil (my brew pot is only 3 gallons)

What I want from it: I would like to make it a bit more smooth/creamier and give it a bit of a fuller body.

Here are the ingredients: 3.3 lb dark LME
2.0 lb dark DME
.5 lb maltodextrin
12 oz caramel 60L
4 oz roasted barley
4 oz black patent
1 oz bittering hops
.5 oz aroma hops

Schedule:


Steep Grains
-crushed grains in muslin bag @ 165 degrees for 20 minutes

Start Boil
-Add all Malt extracts (done off heat)
-Add Maltodextrin (done off heat)

Bring back to boil
-Add bittering hops/boil 55 minutes
-Add aroma hops/boil 5 minutes
-End boil

From here on I cool the wort and transfer over to the carboy, and add the yeast.

I usually let it sit for about a week, then transfer over to the secondary for about 2 weeks.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!

Get rid of the dark extract. Use an English light extract such as Munton's. Dump the crystal and black pat. Use .75 lbs of Roasted Barley or .5 lbs and .25 lbs Chocolate for more of a Beamish style Irish stout. Hops and dextrin malt looks fine.

Yeast wise I would say Nottingham. If you want to drop the dime for liquid, then Irish Ale.

Thanks for the reply! Sou would dump both the liquid and the dry extracts?

512chief said:

..Sou would dump both the liquid and the dry extracts?

Click to expand...

I would get rid of the dark if that is what you're asking. Find 5 - 5.5 lbs of something like a gold or light extract. Any fresh domestic extract will do, but English would be more authentic if that's a concern. If it's dry extract than closer to 5 lbs and closer to 5.5 lbs for liquid. This should give you around a 4% ABV for a 5 gallon batch.

Great! Thanks, I'll give it a try!