My next partial mash Recipe...what do you think?

Breakfast Stout (aka: Breakfast in a bottle)

I've always been a fan of Oatmeal Stouts, Coffee Stouts and Cream Stouts...

So in the spirit of (moderatley) extreme brewing I though..Why not combine all three?!?!

Partial Grain Bill

4.0 lbs British 2-row
1 lb Flakesd Oats
.5 lbs Choclate Malt
.25 lbs flaked Barley
.25 lbs Crystal 60L
.5 lbs Black Patent

3lbs Light LME

Add 16 oz Lactose at flameout (or last 15 minutes??? any thoughts??)

1 oz EKG @ 60
1 oz Fuggles @ 10

WLP004 Irish Ale (starter)

Add half a quart of coffee after primary has finished


Any thoughts??? Is this overkill???
:cross:

Edited with some suggestions from this thread

I've not checked, but bittering looks low.

Why do people plan on adding lactose? Just mash higher, or use a less attenuating yeast if you want some sweetness. Next thing is; you will be back here asking why your stout finished high, or why is it stuck. 1 lb of lactose adds 7 points to the FG in 5 gallons. It is non-fermentable.

Calder said:

I've not checked, but bittering looks low.

Why do people plan on adding lactose? Just mash higher, or use a less attenuating yeast if you want some sweetness.

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Bittering is on the low side...but it is within the guidelines for the style...I wanted it to be balanced so the sweetness would come out...according to my software, it it 1.01 on the balance scale.

As far as the lactose, I was under the impression adding lactose to a sweet stout was like adding oatmeal to an oatmeal stout...just part of the recipe.

I would go with UK based hops instead of the US based ones for a stout. I would also use some for aroma/flavor (a 5-8 minute boil with a fairly low AA% hop)... You could replace the hops with Target and/or Goldings, East Kent for bittering, and then something like Fuggles for aroma/flavor. Going with 1 oz of each (EKG for 60 minutes, Fuggles for 10) would get you an IBU of about 22 (on the low end of the sweet stout range).

What yeast are you planning to use with this brew?

With the grain bill as you posted, your OG should be within range (depending on how your hardware efficiency is) at about 1.060 (at 75%)... FG should be around 1.016, which is also in range for a sweet stout. I would hold off on using lactose at all in this one. Personally, I won't use lactose in any of my brews (lactose intolerant)...

I would also switch out the 4 pounds of LME for 3 pounds of extra light DME. You could also round off the 2 Row to an even 4 pounds and still get damned close to the max sweet stout OG range (even at 70% efficiency).

Golddiggie said:

I would go with UK based hops instead of the US based ones for a stout. I would also use some for aroma/flavor (a 5-8 minute boil with a fairly low AA% hop)... You could replace the hops with Target and/or Goldings, East Kent for bittering, and then something like Fuggles for aroma/flavor. Going with 1 oz of each (EKG for 60 minutes, Fuggles for 10) would get you an IBU of about 22 (on the low end of the sweet stout range).

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Good point, i will go with that

Golddiggie said:

What yeast are you planning to use with this brew?

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WLP004 Irish Ale with a starter

Golddiggie said:

With the grain bill as you posted, your OG should be within range (depending on how your hardware efficiency is) at about 1.060 (at 75%)... FG should be around 1.016, which is also in range for a sweet stout. I would hold off on using lactose at all in this one. Personally, I won't use lactose in any of my brews (lactose intolerant)...

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So if you don't use any lactose does the "sweetness" come from just a low IBU, or mashing at a higher temp...or both?

Golddiggie said:

I would also switch out the 4 pounds of LME for 3 pounds of extra light DME. You could also round off the 2 Row to an even 4 pounds and still get damned close to the max sweet stout OG range (even at 70% efficiency).

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My brewstore doesn't carry DME, except in pre-packaged amounts...it's just cheaper to buy the LME they carry by the pound.

The LHBS I visit has 3 pound packages of extra pale DME, which is far cheaper than a 3.3 can (or 4 pound can) of LME... All the LME I've seen on the shelves is in either 3.3 or 4 pound cans.

Sweetness will come from the higher FG number. That's really all that adding lactose would do anyway.

Mash your grains at a little higher temp (152-154) and you should get more malty sweetness in the brew.

Brew this one without lactose and see how it comes out. If it doesn't hit your target for the recipe, then alter it for the next time. Document your steps/processes so that you can more easily replicate the brew in the future too (or alter it)...

I've not used White Labs yeast before... Been using Wyeast in my beers, and Lalvin for my mead batches. With an OG under 1.060 (or at that number) a starter is less important. While I won't say to not use it at all, you could get away without using one, or making a smaller one. That is, if the WLP004 is liquid yeast. Most of my brews are over 1.060 for the OG, so starters help. I actually made one last night for a brew day on 1/2/11... It's going nicely in the kitchen, in a 1 gallon jar, with towels wrapped around it (it gets cold in there at night)... Using the Wyeast #1728 (Scottish Ale) for the next brew, since it has a better temperature range (on the low end)... I expect it to be fermenting in the low 60's (~64 for a high this time of year)...

I would advise letting your stout take how ever long it needs to finish. You might want to use more coffee in secondary than 2 cups... Or start with 2 cups, let it age for a few days (or a week) and test it to see how it is. You can always add more while still as a single batch. I have a friend that also uses coffee in his priming solution for stouts. That might work for you as well.

MY LHBS sells LME by the pound out of large drums...they weigh it for you...2.75 a pound. I like doing it that way because I can get an extra half pound for using some in the starter, or if my mash has low effeciency, I have some extra to correct. The coffee in the priming solution seems like an interesting idea...does he add sugar straight to the coffee, or is it a regular priming solution with some coffe added???

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I would be highly concerned about the LME that's opened and being scooped out like that. Far safer (in my opinion) to get it as a sealed can from the manufacturer, then to hope that everyone coming into contact with that larger container follows best practices (and proper sanitation)... Just as I wouldn't buy DME that's not sealed by the manufacturer.

I believe that my friend just brews up a pot of coffee, then adds the amount of priming sugars to that, gets it to dissolve, and then primes the batch with it.

Since I communicated with him last (via emails) he's put brewing on hold and is diving into baking breads... A few postings here have me interested in using the spent grains from my mashing in bread too. I've picked up what I need to make a batch of bread with some of the spent grain from this weekend's brewing. Having a KitchenAid mixer will help more than a bit there. I might even run some of the grain through the food processor to get it into smaller pieces (for more even integration into the bread)... I'll post up how that comes out.

Golddiggie said:

I would be highly concerned about the LME that's opened and being scooped out like that.

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It isn't scooped out. it is a sealed 50 gallon drum sat on it's side with a spigot on the end for dispensing.

Golddiggie said:

I believe that my friend just brews up a pot of coffee, then adds the amount of priming sugars to that, gets it to dissolve, and then primes the batch with it.

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Very cool.

Golddiggie said:

Since I communicated with him last (via emails) he's put brewing on hold and is diving into baking breads... A few postings here have me interested in using the spent grains from my mashing in bread too. I've picked up what I need to make a batch of bread with some of the spent grain from this weekend's brewing. Having a KitchenAid mixer will help more than a bit there. I might even run some of the grain through the food processor to get it into smaller pieces (for more even integration into the bread)... I'll post up how that comes out.

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Keep us informed.