Trying to brew my first stout.

Here is what I've come up with.


Coffee Cream Stout

Style: American Stout OG: 1.077
Type: Partial Mash FG: 1.021
Rating: 3.0 ABV: 7.34 %
Calories: 253 IBU's: 19.57
Efficiency: 70 % Boil Size: 2.60 Gal
Color: 54.2 SRM Batch Size: 2.00 Gal
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Fermentation Steps
Name Days / Temp
Primary 21 days @ 68.0°F
Bottle/Keg 14 days @ 70.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
3.20 lbs 80.00 % Dark Dry Extract 60 mins 1.044
0.40 lbs 10.00 % Roasted Barley 60 mins 1.025
0.40 lbs 10.00 % Black (Patent) Malt 60 mins 1.025

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
0.30 ozs 19.03 Bullion 60 mins 8.00
0.10 ozs 0.54 Bullion 2 mins 8.00

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
0.4 pkg Irish Ale Wyeast Labs 1084

Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
2.00 oz Coffee 15 mins Boil

www.iBrewMaster.com Version: 1.460


Up to this point of I have only done extract batches so I have no experience with grain. I would like to introduce lactose into the equation, but not quite sure how to get it in there. Also, Would I have to get these grains crushed and do a mash or could I just steep the grain? Or am I way off base with my questions?

I'm not quite an expert yet, but I've got about 25 brews under my belt. When I've used lactose, I've put it at the very end of the boil (5 minutes or less) with good results, but I've heard of people adding it as late as at bottling (boiled with water, of course). You definitely will need to get the grains crushed, and you can steep them. Steeping essentially is mashing, without worrying too much about the temps or water/grain ratio. Since you're relying on the malt extract as your base, you're more looking towards getting flavor and color out of your grains, so the temp isn't as important as a regular mash.

Lactose will leave you a very sweet beer. I would suggest you make it without it and see how it turns out. If too dry, you can always add it later.

Am I all wet or is your decimal point off on your hop weights?

I'm of course no expert having just brewed my first batch in many years. But that batch is a Milk Stout extract kit from MoreBeer, and it came with 8 oz. of lactose, with instructions to add it at the beginning of the boil. That's what I did, we'll see how it turns out.

Ok. I'm new to brewing but from looking at random stout recipes I can find several flaws. First of all add hops. Second u need some base grain in ur mash. Like 2 row britsh. Also brew ur coffee, cool it down and add to ur secondary.

Jethro2 said:

Am I all wet or is your decimal point off on your hop weights?

Click to expand...

I imagine you didn't see 2 gallon batch vs the normal 5. I'm still a beginner and really don't have the room to store all of the 5 gallon equipment. Once I move I'll step up to 5

madchemist83 said:

Ok. I'm new to brewing but from looking at random stout recipes I can find several flaws. First of all add hops. Second u need some base grain in ur mash. Like 2 row britsh. Also brew ur coffee, cool it down and add to ur secondary.

Click to expand...

I took this recipe straight from iBrewmaster and this is what it game me. It was a " basic stout". I just added the coffee and adjusted the weights for my batch size. Also, currently I do not secondary. Think i could I add it to the bottling batch? (noobs teaching noobs) :0)

polvofiloso said:

I'm of course no expert having just brewed my first batch in many years. But that batch is a Milk Stout extract kit from MoreBeer, and it came with 8 oz. of lactose, with instructions to add it at the beginning of the boil. That's what I did, we'll see how it turns out.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Might try the milk stout and just add coffee to it.

Your recipe calls this a partial mash but it really is an extract with steeping grain. You have to get the grain crushed so the water can extract the color an flavor that would otherwise be locked inside the kernel of the grain.

I see a recipe that is low in bitterness for a stout. Adding lactose will sweeten it and probably needs more hop bitterness to balance that. My experience (limited) says that the black malt will give you the coffee flavor without adding the coffee. Add it if you wish or add a little more black malt (very little, that stuff is potent).

Lactose is unfermentable so it can be added whenever you like. I might add it to the end of the boil just because it would be pasteurized without the chance of it sticking to the bottom of the pot at the beginning of the boil and burning. I don't like the flavor of burnt sugar in my beer.

I recently racked half of my 5.5 gallon batch of stout to a bottling bucket and bottled half of it then added boiled lactose in water to the other half. You could always try something like that if you're unsure about the lactose. Doing it that way allows you to sample the beer as you're adding so you've got a better idea of the sweetness.

Yes. That's fine. Also try putting ur numbers into beertools and see if ur beer matches stout. This is how we learn brother, from noob to noob

madchemist83 said:

Yes. That's fine. Also try putting ur numbers into beertools and see if ur beer matches stout. This is how we learn brother, from noob to noob

Click to expand...

This recipe was shown as a basic stout in iBrewmaster for the iPad. All I did was scale down the recipe. So would believe it is classified as a stout or iBrewmaster was totally not worth the money.

I would find a different recipe that used light extract with some chocolate and dark crystal instead of the dark extract.

HomebrewMTB said:

I would find a different recipe that used light extract with some chocolate and dark crystal instead of the dark extract.

Click to expand...

Done! I'm looking now

I just brewed a stout for my second brew, and I didn't have any problems crushing the grain myself using a mortar and pestle. I first tried with a coffee grinder and wound up with a fairly even split between uncrushed grain and flour. Hand crushing worked fine.

Hand crushing? How long did it take you?

I just tasted my first batch of cream stout from this recipe:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/deception-cream-stout-141483/

and it was awesome. Had half a pound of lactose added in the last ten minutes of the boil. Maybe that will give you some ideas.