Should this make a pretty good stout?

Right now I'm not set up for AG, and this is about as challenging as my equipment will allow as well. I have to use a stinking hot plate just to boil with. No way can I do a full wort boil.


2 cans Coppers Stout Beer Kit
1/2 pound Crystal malt 80L
1 lb. Coppers (or other) Light Dry malt extract
1/2 pound Black malt
1/2 pound Flaked Barley
1/2 pound Roasted Barley
1/2 ounce Northern Brewer leaf hops
1 vial White labs WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast
1 1/4 cup Light DME (priming)


Steep grains in 2 gallons of cold water until the water boils. Then remove and discard grains. Dissolve all the malt extract, stir and return wort to a boil. Add the hops and boil for 15 minutes.

Add to 3 gallons of cold water in a fermenter and drop to a temp of 65 degrees. Then pitch liquid yeast. Let ferment 4-6 days, then transfer to a secondary fermenter for an additional 10 days. Bottle and let condition at room temperature for one month.

This recipe is courtesy of Coppers in the Dec. issue of BYO.

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Comments? Any ideas for a little tweaking?

Maybe more hops or dry hopping in the secondary are in order?


Edited: to fix the priming info

Is the extract in your kit marked as a 'stout' extract, or is it a generic 'unflavored' extract? If it's marked as a stout extract, it might very well already contain the roasted grains. You might be over-doing it by adding more to it.

my $0.02

-walker

oh... but other than that issue, the recipe looks tastey!

However, 1 pound of DME for priming seems a bit too much. You want about 1.25 to 1.5 CUPS of DME to prime a batch. I don't know the density of the DME, but I imagine that 1 lb is a lot more than 1.5 cups. You might be making glass grenades with that!

I'd suggest setting the DME for priming aside and tossing the rest into the boil with the LME.

-walker

Walker said:

Is the extract in your kit marked as a 'stout' extract, or is it a generic 'unflavored' extract? If it's marked as a stout extract, it might very well already contain the roasted grains. You might be over-doing it by adding more to it.

my $0.02

-walker

Click to expand...

The recipe calls for this:




It is "stout" extract. Maybe with just having the grain in the pot 'til it hits boiling temp, would be too much. I don't know. Supposedly this recipe comes from Boston Brewery Supply, and is tailored to use Coopers products.

I might have to go without some of the exact grains anyway, if my HBS doesn't have everything.

well.. if the recipe came from a good source, I'd say to run with it as-is. (Though, I'd still be scared as hell throwing 16oz of DME into the batch for priming.)

good luck!

-walker

Walker said:

oh... but other than that issue, the recipe looks tastey!

However, 1 pound of DME for priming seems a bit too much. You want about 1.25 to 1.5 CUPS of DME to prime a batch. I don't know the density of the DME, but I imagine that 1 lb is a lot more than 1.5 cups. You might be making glass grenades with that!

I'd suggest setting the DME for priming aside and tossing the rest into the boil with the LME.

-walker

Click to expand...

Yikes! You may be right about that. It does sound like a lot of DME for priming. Maybe they call for so much because it isn't as fermentable as corn sugar?

malt extract is, as you said, partially fermentable, but even the least fermentable extracts are 65% fermentable. That would be like priming with 0.65*16oz = 10.4 oz of corn sugar! That's 2.5 times the recommended dosage (4oz is suggested.)

General rule of thumb for priming:
3/4 cup corn sugar
... OR ...
1.25 cups DME

Honestly, I'd double check and see if they maybe said "1 CUP DME" and not "1 POUND DME".

Stouts are lower in carbonation than (for example) pale ales, so 1 CUP of DME seems like it would be right for a lower carbonated stout.

-walker

You might drop byo a line. I'm a huge fan of the magazine, but like any other they do occasionally have a misprint.

Okay... I'm convinced. Thanks!

The recipe tear-out card does say one pound. Not 1 cup. I hope BYO magazine (and Coopers) doesn't cause people to have exploding bottles all over the place... lol

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Anyone else have any comments about the recipe?

*bumping* this back to the top for more responses.

I can't decide if I want to go with this recipe or not for my second batch tomorrow. I picked this recipe because I want to get away from all extract brewing.

Does everyone agree with Walker in thinking the extra grains could be a problem? Not that I don't think he knows what he is talking about, just curious what some of the rest of you think.

Don't make me drink another sixer of Fat Tire waiting to hear from you... lol

I don't use more than 1.5 cups of DME for a sparkling Hefe Weizen.

1 pound for carbonation for a stout that is low in carb...no way that's right...just my opinion.

homebrewer_99 said:

I don't use more than 1.5 cups of DME for a sparkling Hefe Weizen.

1 pound for carbonation for a stout that is low in carb...no way that's right...just my opinion.

Click to expand...

Oh, I agree. Thanks. I found another copy of this recipe online, and it calls for a 3/4 cup of corn sugar for priming. I ain't gonna make bottle grenades.

I wish I would have caught the error before posting. Now all anyone wants to talk about is the priming. Popping open another Fat Tire....

I honestly have never used LME that was labeled as being for a particular style of beer (at least not that I recall), so my initial comment was a cautionary one.... kind of thinking out loud. Maybe the extract has just been darkened with some grain, but has no real roasted flavors in it? I really don't know.

One way to find out, though.... open the can and taste it.

If it just tastes sweet; add all the grains.
If it has a roasted flavor; your call. add some or none or all of those grains.

But, I will say again that since the recipe came from a good source (disregarding the possible typo for priming) it is probably a tested recipe and is good-to-go. A typo might have messed up the priming amount, but I doubt a typo would cause the recipe to accidentally include 0.5 lbs of three different types of grain.

Oh, and you are entitled to think that I don't know what I'm talking about, too. My wife does that all the time. I don't mind.

Honestly, I'd probably just go for it as-is (except the priming). If it ends up too roastey tasting, you can always mix a little pale or mild ale with it when you drink it in the worst case.

-walker

Walker:


Muchas gracias, amigo!

I'm going to follow your suggestions. Good ideas. I have read that it's not uncommon to use two beer "kit" cans of extract for one 6 gallon batch. It's done instead of adding one can and some other fermentables like DME. Whether it is a good idea for a stout, I have no idea. Two cans PLUS grain steeping is probably pushing the envelope of good taste. I guess I will find out if I decide to follow the recipe exactly.

Right now I'm working on my starter. With all that I'm adding to the batch, I figure the yeast needs to be in tip top shape. I only wish I had more time. I have to get everything into primary late tonight or early in the morning....

Progress report:


Gosh this stout is getting goood...

One week in the primary, three in the secondary, and three in the bottles. I made a six gallon batch with the same ingredients instead of five and still got an abv of around 4.7% after priming. Guinness Draught is only 4%.

I decided to only go with a quarter pound each of the black malt and roasted barley, rather than a half pound of each.

I might choose another yeast next time other than WL Irish Ale, due to it leaving a slight fruity aftertaste (like it claims to), but it isn't that big of a deal.

Off to the fridge for another bottle.... Yum...