Improvised (At the LHBS) Oatmeal Stout recipe

Guys, I moved to AG stovetop brewing a month ago and I am never looking back to Extract. I can't pass up the cost savings (1/2 price to brew now vs. extract). The only thing that concerns me is that I had to improvise this recipe on the spot to get away from using any extract.

I am spot on for the OG of ~1.056 with a 65% brewhouse efficiency (using my 2 - 5gal pots on the stove).

Take a look at the recipe, and tell me what you guys think.

7.5 lbs Briess 2-Row
3.0 lbs Maris Otter
6.0 oz Chocolate Malt
8.0 oz Roasted Barley
12 oz Flaked Oats
1.25 oz Northern Brewer UK (60 minutes)
Safale US-05

Strike Water @ 168.
Mash @ 154 for 90 mins
Sparge Strike @ 178 for 20 minutes.

Primary fermentation @ 67* (iced water bath with fermenter submersed)

Fun fact, with 13.5qts of water, the 12lbs 4oz of grain will JUST barely fit in a 5gal pot.

Opinions?

Looks tasty. On the low end of the spectrum with the roast barley (I normally use a full pound) but well within the sensible range.

The only change I might consider is adding half a pound of a darkish crystal - that'll give a sweetness and malt complexity that I like in an oatmeal stout. But then you already have the Maris Otter, which will provide some of that same malty quality...

I'm pretty new to the AG stuff so perhaps I should start doing some very simple recipes in smaller batches to get an idea of how certain things mesh for taste. More Roasted barley you say for sweetness? I added 50% more Oats than the recipe called for in hopes that it would lend to a more sweet beer. Was I incorrect in doing this?

Roast barley gives bitterness and coffee/chocolate notes, not sweetness.

I was suggesting adding some crystal malt for sweetness.

Oats will give you more body, but not particularly sweetness.

haha Oops, reading comprehension/brain fart.

So, add some Crystal you say?

Sounds like I'll almost need a spoon for this one huh?

update day 5: I'm pretty stoked about this one, this sucker is still bubbling away, although the krausen has fallen by 1/2 of what it was yesterday afternoon. I fully expect it to have fallen completely by the time I get home tonight. Then I will wait for a few more weeks while the yeast clean up after themselves. Oatmeal Stout being one of my favorite beers, I have high hopes for this one. Lets hope that my ultra low mash water ratio didn't adversely effect this beer. *fingers crossed*

Re-visiting this post, and I am happy to say that I have made a perfect Oatmeal Stout. Honestly, this beer could be placed next to a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and there could not be a definitive distinction between the two in a taste test. This one has a creamy frothy head that sits at least 1 finger above the beer the whole way down the glass. I have never made a beer that retained the head like this one before, and the lacing on the glass told me that I have a winner here. I WISH I had pictures. I will have to throw another 6pack in the fridge for 2 weeks and post up then. This beer should go into the recipe database, I am that confident. I think I will look for some competitions.

Looks delicious!

Did you add the crystal?

Did you toast the oats? Did you cook them before mashing?

I may give this recipe a run....

Food for thought:

Ive done three batches of the same oatmeal stout recipe (not your recipe) using three different yeasts.
WLP001 Cal Ale, WLP004 Irish Ale, and WLP023 Burton Ale.

By far my favorite has been the Burton. Second best was the Irish. The Cal was just too clean in comparison (WLP001 all the way for my IPA recipes), still good but not even close to the 023.

Would love to see you try the 023 and give an opinion.

Kevin, I did not add the Crystal. What you see in the recipe is what I did, no toasting or cooking anything, all the grains were mashed together in the MT.

This is a nice crisp finishing Stout, but not too crisp. There is some residual mouthfeel, but just a little. I think I mashed at 152* instead, because I was still working out the bugs on my MT. Strike water had to be 2* higher for the 154 mash temp.