I am about to begin my third brew next week that will open up a primary. I am looking into doing a darker beer for my 4th batch. I am looking at doing a stout. I don't really mind darker beer but i don't want to get something really strong with my first batch. I was wondering if there was a smooth or sweeter stout that I could try. I am wondering about some of the kits from AHS like the sweet stout ale or the double chocolate stout, the cherry or I guess any of them that would be a more mild flavor??
Selecting a Stout??
- Thread starter acesb422
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You can also go with a staight stout and add lactose to sweeten it. My Sweet Stout was a brewer's best kit with a pound of lactose added to it. It's not a heavy stout at all.
Next time I do a sweet stout (kit or own recipe) I'll only go with a half pound of lactose.
Next time I do a sweet stout (kit or own recipe) I'll only go with a half pound of lactose.
sirsloop
Well-Known Member
I would make an oatmeal stout. Sweet stouts and most chocolate stouts end up being HUGE beers, not good for beginners. An oatmeal stout is simple to make and tastes great. If you age it long enough, they can take on cherry like notes from the alcohol smoothing out.
Blender
Well-Known Member
Try a dry stout. They don't have to be big,strong beers but rather roasty flavored, easy drinking brews. Brad's Dry Stout recipe in the database is a easy brew to make for a starting point.
Personally I would have a hard time drinking 5 gallons of double chocolate stout.
Personally I would have a hard time drinking 5 gallons of double chocolate stout.
john from dc
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i just did a brewer's best irish (dry) stout kit and subbed in some wyeast irish ale yeast. it attenuates a little bit less than the nottingham, so it finished a little sweet.
put it in bottles last night, i think it's going to turn out pretty tasty yet not overwhelming.
put it in bottles last night, i think it's going to turn out pretty tasty yet not overwhelming.
lembeck2001
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Oatmeal stouts are delicious.
Credited from BeerAdvocate.com.....
"These are generally medium to full bodied stouts that have an unreal smoothness to them from the addition of oats to the mash. The oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouth feel but give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout. Both levels of roasted flavor and hop character will vary."
Credited from BeerAdvocate.com.....
"These are generally medium to full bodied stouts that have an unreal smoothness to them from the addition of oats to the mash. The oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouth feel but give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout. Both levels of roasted flavor and hop character will vary."
wizardofza
Well-Known Member
+1 on the Oatmeal stouts. They're easy and tasty.
When I was brewing extract, I'd tend to stick with the darker beers. They never seemed to have that extract twang that my lighter extract brews always did.
When I was brewing extract, I'd tend to stick with the darker beers. They never seemed to have that extract twang that my lighter extract brews always did.
sirsloop
Well-Known Member
Blender said:
True... it takes a while to polish off but I enjoy a half glass here and there.
Maybe I will try the oatmeal stout if it finishes a little sweet. I am like most of you I don't want a sweet beer that you can only drink a little bit before it makes you sick. but I just want something smooth and with more of a sweet taste instead of a bite. with that sweet stout listed above if i were doing a kit i would have to order the lactose seperate right. Then do you just boil it towards the end of your boil or when would you add it??
Man this is making me thirsty!!
Also with these beer would you suggest a blow off tube just so i don't have any issues. And would you need to make a starter for the oatmeal or that sweet stout brew, cause I have never done that....
Man this is making me thirsty!!
Also with these beer would you suggest a blow off tube just so i don't have any issues. And would you need to make a starter for the oatmeal or that sweet stout brew, cause I have never done that....
sirsloop
Well-Known Member
Sweet stout and dry stout are two very different beers. Dry stout is a normal stout like Guinness. Depending on the amount of hops its very pleasant and smooth to drink. Its not dry like cabernet or something like that. There are residual sugars... usually between 70-75% attenuation. "Sweet stout" is typically a HUGE beer with a lot of malt and a lot of alcohol. It has more residual sugar because it has more to begin with. I'd call a sweet stout one step away from a English Barleywine. I would recommend making your dry stout on the sweet side by using yeast with lower attenuation. It won't be a huge beer so you can drink it faster... and it'll still taste great.
Dycokac
Well-Known Member
My favorite local brewery put's their oatmeal stout on Nitro taps 
best damn thing i've ever drank really
best damn thing i've ever drank really Ooompa Loompa
Well-Known Member
sirsloop said:
I disagree. It sounds like your definition of a sweet stout is more along the lines of a Russian Imperial Stout. Look up the BJCP style guidelines, and you will see that a sweet stout, while slightly higher in maltiness and alcohol, isn't really a "big beer"
http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category13.html
Jeffro
Well-Known Member
What about a Porter?
My second beer was this...
#2 is a Porter brewed on 1/05/08.
Ingredients were:
7 Lbs Briess Amber LME
¼ Lb Chocolate Malt
1/8 Lb Roast Malt
½ Lb Munich 100 Malt
Hops
1 Oz Columbus- 60 Minutes
½ Oz Willamette- 15 Minutes
Wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast pitched at 82*.
OG 1.050
FG 1.016
My second beer was this...
#2 is a Porter brewed on 1/05/08.
Ingredients were:
7 Lbs Briess Amber LME
¼ Lb Chocolate Malt
1/8 Lb Roast Malt
½ Lb Munich 100 Malt
Hops
1 Oz Columbus- 60 Minutes
½ Oz Willamette- 15 Minutes
Wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast pitched at 82*.
OG 1.050
FG 1.016
explosivebeer
Well-Known Member
Ooompa Loompa said:
I'm with Ooompa Loompa (hopefully this is the only time in my life I write that phrase). Sweet and milk stouts are fairly approachable and enjoyable, with good flavor, maltiness, creaminess, and moderate alcohol content.
Acesb422, if you have access to Trader Joe's, pick up some Mackeson XXX Stout and see if you like it. I believe there's a clone recipe here on HBT if you do.
sflcowboy78
Well-Known Member
I personally like youngs double chocolate. youngs also makes a great oatmeal stout. AHS has extract kit clones for both of these. i am going to be brewing their chocolate stout in a few days. also milk stout is very good the brand i like is made by lefthand. i think ahs has a clone kit for this also.
sirsloop said:
Usually sweet or "milk" stouts get their extra sweetness from Lactose which is not fermentable...So it really doesn't make it a big beer like a barleywine...
Milk stout was supposed to be very nutritious, in England and Ireland, even as far back as 30 years ago, milk stouts were considered healthful for pregnant women and nursing mothers and were actually prescribed by doctors.
The problem is where i live there is not a lot of access to different brews so i will have to rely on what you all think. I think i have decided that i am going to go with the oatmeal stout and go from there. I have a few final questions and then i will be done with all that i need i hope. I will probably rig a blow off tube just to be safe. I want to know if i absolutley need a starter?? If i don't I would be a lot more at ease about the whole thing. But if i do i need to know what i need to order so i can make one. Also, since i have never done a beer like this, it will be my fourth batch, and with the previous ones i have just let them sit in the primary for like 3 weeks and then i bottle, can i do the same with this only leave it in the primary for a longer period of time??? Thanks for all of your help.
explosivebeer
Well-Known Member
acesb422 said:
It depends what recipe you do, but in general, you shouldn't need a starter unless you're doing a very high gravity beer, which you probably won't be. I've never made a starter (other than using a fresh yeast cake from a previous batch) and I've done some 10% ABV beers. At worst, it just takes a little longer.
As for how long to give it in primary, get a hydrometer and do a reading after you've cooled your wort, as well as readings along the way to see how much it's fermented. Simply waiting an arbitrary period of time is not the best way to determine whether or not your beer is ready to bottle or keg.
I brewed midwest's Irish Stout kit it turned out great!
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/RecipeKits.aspx?SubCat=130
I made about 1/4 of it into a coffee stout and that turned out great to
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/RecipeKits.aspx?SubCat=130
I made about 1/4 of it into a coffee stout and that turned out great to
I have a hydrometer and i take readings, it has just worked out in every batch that i have done that about 3 weeks is about the time that it is done dropping. however, i have never done a dark beer so i don't know how that goes, which is why i am asking. Thanks.
explosivebeer
Well-Known Member
acesb422 said:
Cool - it sounds like you're set. I'm sure everything will work out for you. And if it doesn't, you always have HBT to find answers. Good luck.
Well, hopefully it all goes as planned, hey Explosivebeer, for your caramel cream ale how are adding the carmel flavor, That is my batch i am doing this weekend and i have asked how to spice up a cream ale kit, but haven't had much success?
explosivebeer
Well-Known Member
acesb422 said:
I'm planning on doing Cheesefood's VCCA which can be found here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23680
I guess I forgot the "Vanilla" in my signature.
If you just want to crank up the caramel flavors in another beer, add some extra caramel/crystal malts to your liking.
I will have to do that. I have to order some bottles for next week anyway, maybe i will have to throw in some caramel. Would that taste very good with a cream ale kit, I have heard that it is a dry beer and not creamy at all, so maybe that is not what i would want to do. I suppose i could add some of that lactose too, but then i would pretty much be making his vcca.......
Hey by the way i never did ask, With my oatmeal stout that i started this thread with, is it necessary to use a secondary or it that personal preference?? Because I realize this beer will have to sit for a longer period of time, so i didn't know if a secondary was the way to go with that or not.....
Hey by the way i never did ask, With my oatmeal stout that i started this thread with, is it necessary to use a secondary or it that personal preference?? Because I realize this beer will have to sit for a longer period of time, so i didn't know if a secondary was the way to go with that or not.....
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