Oatmeal Stout - Do I need to cereal mash?

Thinking of doing a partial mash oatmeal stout. I'll be using 1lb of quick oats in with Maris Otter and some dark grains. Should I just do a regular infusion mash or do I need to learn to cereal mash the oats?

Recipe will probably be something like this:

3 lbs DME
3 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb quick oats, toasted
8 oz chocolate malt
4 oz black malt
4 oz roast barley
4 0z molasses
2 oz EKG 60 min
Wyeast 1098

Mash @ 158F

Anytime i've used oatmeal i've just ground it up per usual and added it into my single infusion mash. It's worked out well so far! Good smooth feel from it in a stout.

I wonder if using quick oats is a good/bad idea? I've always gotten flaked oats from the LHBS, and assumed they're more 'normal' oats not quick oats... anyone?

as long as you use instant oatmeal, or the flaked oats you can buy at the LHBS, a single infusion will be just fine.

They're pre-gelatinized by the steam-rolling process that flakes them, so no need to cook em. If you used plain, non-rolled, raw oats it'd be a different story.

pompeiisneaks said:

I wonder if using quick oats is a good/bad idea? I've always gotten flaked oats from the LHBS, and assumed they're more 'normal' oats not quick oats... anyone?

Click to expand...

the ones from the LHBS are probably closer to the quick oats than normal.

The only difference between quick and normal is the level of "cooking" they go through during the rolling process. The "quick" ones are the maximum level of gelatinized, so the starch is all accessible to the enzymes in the mash. The less gelatinized ones could require more cooking to fully gelatinize the starches so the amylase enzymes can do their thing on em. The "quick" oats are the closest thing to what you'd have after performing a separate full cereal mash on normal, raw, un-rolled oats.

That being said, I've used "instant" oats in my oatmeal stouts with good results.

Cool, thanks!

My icon for this style is Samuel Smith's - that silky mouthfeel and roasty grain flavor.

As long as you use instant oats you are fine. Buy some Quaker Oats at the grocery. Hell of a lot cheaper than you LHBS and the same thing.