My Stout Brew??

Well, I thought I was ready to order my stout and get it brewing but i have done more sampling and reading and now i am up in the air. I even went out and bought a sixer of Guiness to renew my taste buds. What I was previously set on and what I still probably get, the Oatmeal Stout Kit from AHS. Upon drinking the first bottle of guiness i have had in a while, I imediately wish that it had a smoother and sweeter taste. I know there is a sweet stout out there that some have said is too big of a beer for someone on their 4th batch. So I guess my final question on the issue is, could you add a little malto dextrin to a oatmeal stout to ensure that it finishes with a little sweeter taste or should i just brew it and hope for the best???

Guiness is by definition a dry stout, so if that seems dry to you, it's not surprising. On the other end of the spectrum is a Cream or Milk stout, which uses lactose to sweeten up the beer (it's non-fermentable). An oatmeal stout is generally in the middle. The oatmeal will give a nice smooth body. You could add some maltodextrin, but I would maybe use some crystal grains for some residual sweetness, or maybe a dash of lactose.

The oatmeal stout sounds like it'll be right up your alley. The oats will lend a smoothness and richer mouthfeel, and are generally going to have a little bit less bitterness (at least in relation to the starting gravity).

Love AHS's oatmeal stout kit. Think it was my 6 or 7th brew. Sounds like just what you are looking for.

quickerNu said:

Love AHS's oatmeal stout kit. Think it was my 6 or 7th brew. Sounds like just what you are looking for.

Click to expand...

quikerNu , I'm considering taking a job in San Angelo, Tx ... i saw you are in Harker Heights. Have you been in San An ? what are your thoughts on the area.


Thanks

Traditionally lactose or "milk sugar" is use to "sweeten" a stout. Maltodextrin doesn't really impart any sweetness and is better used to add body/mouthfeel and improve head retention.

Heck with a kit, here is a sweet that I have had great success with. If you want a smoother mouthfeel go ahead and make it an oatmeal stout by adding 1lb of flaked or instant oats to your grain bag when you steep.

Jesse's Sweet (Milk) Stout

Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Anticipated OG: 1.062 Plato: 15.23
Anticipated SRM: 48.5
Anticipated IBU: 31.3
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 5.88 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.051 SG 12.55 Plato


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin
------------------------------------------------------------------
60.6 5.00 lbs. Generic DME - Light Generic
12.1 1.00 lbs. Black Patent Malt America
12.1 1.00 lbs. Milk Sugar Generic
9.1 0.75 lbs. Crystal 80L America
6.1 0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt America



Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.50 oz. Fuggle Pellet 4.50 31.7 60 min.


Yeast
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your pick:
WYeast 1099 Whitbread Ale or WLP 009 British


Notes
-----
Steep grains in 2 gallons of water at 155* for 30minutes, remove and bring wort to boil. Add hops and half DME for 60 min boil. Add remaining DME at last 20 minutes of boil.

* Dry hopped 1/2 fuggle and it was great. If you've never dry hopped, wait until fermentation is finished.

OG 1.060
FG 1.023

After looking at that recipe I think I actually liked it better with only 1/2 crystal in the steep. If you like the recipe, you can play around with the 80L to tune your residual sweetness. I think the 1 lb lactose is a good base to work off, but of course you can make your adjustments there too until you find your sweetness.

Cheers!