Oatmeal-Milk Stout With Espresso Recipe Input

Inspired by the Terrapin/Left Hand Collaboration Depth Charge, I am planning an oatmeal milk stout with some espresso added to the keg. The recipe below is supposed to be a combination of an oatmeal and milk stout, the latter of which I have never brewed, so any input is welcome. I don't know whether to use a british or american yeast, for those of you who have brewed milk stouts before, does the lactose leave enough residual sweetness with a higher attenuating yeast? My end goal is something with a creamy mouthfeel, slight sweetness to balance the bitterness of the espresso and roasted malts. Please let the critiques flow!

Here is the link to the inspiration beer: http://www.terrapinbeer.com/beers/22-Brew-Two-2009---Depth-Charge-

5.5 Gal
70 % Eff
OG: 1.065
IBU: 36

10 lb Marris Otter
.75 lb Roast BArley
.5 lb Light Crystal (55L)
1 lb Flaked Oats
.5 lb Chocolate Malt
1 lb Lactose

1.75 oz EKG 4.75%AA @ 60

Yeast: ?

I am doing something similar, a chocolate milk stout, but I am using Fuggles and Willamette. I am going with Irish Ale yeast (Wyeast 1084)

I would use very little lactose, as in less than .5 lbs. Honestly when I used it , I didnt care for it.

If you want the flavor of the espresso without the bitterness or astringency, rack on top of whole espresso beans. Trust me here, the best coffee beers I've had have been brewed this way, and the brewer who taught me this trick took a silver in the coffee beer category at this year's GABF so that should speak for itself.

I was going to do a cold extraction with the espresso (since I live in Athens, I can actually buy the same beans that they used), then add it when I keg, so that I could get the exact amount of coffee flavor that I was looking for, why would racking it on whole beans be better?

thelorax121 said:

I was going to do a cold extraction with the espresso (since I live in Athens, I can actually buy the same beans that they used), then add it when I keg, so that I could get the exact amount of coffee flavor that I was looking for, why would racking it on whole beans be better?

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I'm no coffee expert, but my guess is that doing a cold-press extraction would yield similar (if not identical) results; I think the important thing is to not actually brew the coffee. It's possible that the presence of alcohol somehow impacts extraction, but otherwise I view aging with beans in the keg to be pretty much the same process as cold pressing. And I would definitely agree that you have less control over the strength of the coffee flavor when you just age on the beans (though for me that's part of the fun!).

Cold extraction works great. I use it for my Chocolate Coffee Stout. I think you are on the right track with your receipe. Here is mine - it has been very well recieved:

Chocolate Coffee Stout
13-B Sweet Stout
Author: Eric Brown

Size: 7.0 gal
Efficiency: 70.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 261.0 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.078 (1.044 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.019 (1.012 - 1.024)
Color: 41.61 (30.0 - 40.0)
Alcohol: 7.72% (4.0% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 64.9 (20.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb American 2-row
1.0 lb American Munich
1.0 lb Dark Munich Malt
1.0 lb German CaraAroma
1.0 lb German Carafa III
3.0 lb Chocolate Malt
1.5 oz Magnum (14.5%) - added first wort
0.5 oz Fuggle (4.8%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
1.0 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 10 min
1.0 oz Liberty (4.0%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
1.0 lb Lactose
12.0 oz Molasses
12.0 oz Dark Brown Sugar
2.0 ea Fermentis US-05 Safale US-05
2.0 ea Vanilla (whole bean) - added dry to secondary fermenter
8.0 oz Chocolate Nibs - added dry to secondary fermenter
4.0 c Coffee Beans (Espresso) - added dry to secondary fermenter

Mash target 152

Notes
1. Add 2 vanilla bean to secondary at transfer and age for two weeks.
2. Add 8 oz. Chocolate Nibs to secondary fermenter at transfer and age for two weeks.
3. Soak the grounds overnight in cold water, then filter and dump to secondary - use 4 cups boiled and chilled water, add 8 heaping tbsp of ground espresso.

Boiling away right now. Turned out to be a really nice brew night. Cold out, but nice with the heat of the kettle. Everything went as posted above except I subbed the chocolate malt for chocolate rye. Thought it might be an interesting addition to the beer, and the brewer from our local brewpub uses it in a lot of his stouts, anyone have any experience with it?

I use 3 lb of Chocolate Malt in my stout and I love it. Enjoy the brew!

Whoops, i got that reversed. I used chocolate rye instead of the standard chocolate, so I am curious to see what, if any ryesque flavors it will impart.

i have to bring this thread back from the dead...i have to know how this recipe turned out. i want to do the same thing only maybe instead of expresso...adding a box of gram crackers and a few scoops of hersheys baking cocoa powder.

One question, why use MO instead of two row?

raptorvan said:

i have to bring this thread back from the dead...i have to know how this recipe turned out. i want to do the same thing only maybe instead of expresso...adding a box of gram crackers and a few scoops of hersheys baking cocoa powder.

One question, why use MO instead of two row?

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MO imparts a sweeter taste. It is actually pale malt rather than regular two row. Pale malt is a hint darker.