Need a basic, solid milk stout - no fancy stuff.

Been looking to put together just a very basic milk stout and can't seem to come up with anything that isn't SOOPER CHOCOLATE COFFEE VANILLA IMPERIAL milk w OATMEAL stout.



I think the style has been completely mistreated and what I imagine in my head never seems to show up in the glass of whatever I just purchased or whatever I am judging.

Overall....I want to taste the lactose, I don't want dry stout burnt bitters, I don't want crazy fruity esters, I want dark beer with solid moutfeel and low carb.

Ideas -
Maybe use something other than 2 row for some maltiness, like Maris Otter
If any 'coffee' taste it should only come from malts, so Roast Barley
Try to avoid overly burnt bitters so maybe some debittered or hulled barley
Add some mouthfee so some Dextrine (maybe oats, but well...)
Add some flavors to match lactose so some caramel 10 and 40
Figuring neutral hops, so maybe just some noble hops, but haven't worked wth them much...Saaz? Hallertau?

Hoping for a solid (as in NOT thin) stout with backbone and only enough roast bitters to highlight the beer, not over power it.

Please let me know where I may be way off base here, but I am trying to match what my brain wants to taste here.

I have been doing all grain for a while now and like most I started on extract. I've brewed this milk stout at least 5 times and it is flawless as extract

I highly suggest you brew this one as is with its batch size set.

LMK if you do so.

Type: Extract
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.50 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 6.50 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 4.70 gal
Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage


Date: 05 Mar 2013
Brewer: Whym Brewing Company
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Wes & Joey Equipment
Efficiency: 69.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 0.0 %
Taste Rating: 35.0


Taste Notes: Amazing velvet richness. Pure dessert with rich roasty notes, chocolate sweetness.



Ingredients


Amt

Name

Type

#

%/IBU

8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 1 6.0 %
8.0 oz Debittered Black Malt (550.0 SRM) Grain 2 6.0 %
3 lbs Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 3 36.1 %
3 lbs 4.8 oz Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 4 39.8 %
1.25 oz Williamette [4.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 23.6 IBUs
1.0 pkg Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084) [124.21 ml] Yeast 6 -
1 lbs Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 7 12.0 %


Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.4 %
Bitterness: 23.6 IBUs
Est Color: 36.4 SRM

Measured Original Gravity: 1.064 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.026 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.0 %
Calories: 221.4 kcal/12oz


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Sparge Water: 4.99 gal
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE


Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 4.8 oz
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Mash PH: 5.20

Sparge: If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).



Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle
Pressure/Weight: 4.45 oz
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F
Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage


Volumes of CO2: 2.6
Carbonation Used: Bottle with 4.45 oz Corn Sugar
Age for: 30.00 days
Storage Temperature: 65.0 F

That looks pretty good. It might actually work while I am inbetween electric brew systems since some fittings I need are out of stock.

You didn't say extract or all grain?

This one I haven't tried, but will do it once I'm done with my current keg of milk stout

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/deception-cream-stout-141483/

This is the one I always make. It's delicious. It goes so fast I started doing 10 gallon batches and now considering 15. I get positive comments from all who drink it beer and non beer drinkers alike.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/left-hand-milk-stout-clone-139820/

Northern Brewer has a clone recipe for TallGrass Buffalo Sweat. It is one of my favorite Milk Stouts available.

Doing all grain brew in a bag. Didn't think to list that when listing out the grains I was thinking about. But I am in the middle of upgrading my test electric system to full size 5gal system and since that takes out my all grain right this second, I might try similar to the partial one above.

Guess it really doesn't break any laws for an AG brewer to go back to an extract or partial does it??

sablesurfer said:

Doing all grain brew in a bag. Didn't think to list that when listing out the grains I was thinking about. But I am in the middle of upgrading my test electric system to full size 5gal system and since that takes out my all grain right this second, I might try similar to the partial one above.

Guess it really doesn't break any laws for an AG brewer to go back to an extract or partial does it??

Click to expand...

Nope, I went back to extract to get my brother in law hooked on brewing. Mission accomplished.

Thanks for the help on this thread. Got something to try out this weekend.

insanim8er & BigFloyd, the problem with the left hand stout is they use oatmeal. Oatmeal stout and sweet/milk stout are different beasts to me. (For now.)

What I picked up last night at the HBS:
6.6lbs amber LME (briess)
1lb amber DME
8oz Caraffa III
8oz Roasted barley
4oz flaked barley
1lb lactose
Maltodextrin

(Edit, forgot the hops, going with 1.5oz EGK bitter and 1oz Willamette at 10min.)

Brewer's friend puts this in the 29srm level and the little icon next to it shows a dark brown, not the black I was hoping for. According to their match style it was missing on color.

According to other threads the dark malts should be about 10% and I am only at 7 (i think) with what I purchased.

I do have some crystal 120 I could add for color, looks like 8oz gets me there. But debating that at the moment.

As for the malto, have to go that way since this is a partial and carapils doesn't steep? I have read from 4oz to 8oz...and I have read a lot a couple horror stories. So I might try the 8oz and see.

With the fact that this was all extract and half of the extract was amber, I think you might be about as low as you're going to get. I would suggest subbing in some simple sugar for some of the extract next time. What yeast did you use and at what temp did you ferment? And what is your gravity right now?

Click to expand...

Found that in another thread. Hadn't heard this before, and I am planning on using only amber LME and amber DME. Hmmm. I have pale somewhere, but that would impact my color. Hmmm. Maybe I will end up with a really sweet sweet stout. LOL.

sablesurfer said:

Overall....I want to taste the lactose, I don't want dry stout burnt bitters, I don't want crazy fruity esters, I want dark beer with solid moutfeel and low carb.

Click to expand...

sablesurfer said:

Hoping for a solid (as in NOT thin) stout with backbone and only enough roast bitters to highlight the beer, not over power it.

Click to expand...

sablesurfer said:

The problem with the left hand stout is they use oatmeal. Oatmeal stout and sweet/milk stout are different beasts to me.

Click to expand...

Oatmeal stout and milk stout are different. Oatmeal is a form of sweet stout, but oatmeal in a milk stout doesn't make it an oatmeal stout. It adds head retention, body and mouth feel. Everything you're requesting.

All that you described hints to the left hand clone. It is smooth and sweet with out being cloying. It's got subtle roastyness and chocolate. It's what you want unless your pallet is off and you're looking for sugar water with some color...

Good luck either way.

Ha...no not colored sugar water, gave up soda a long time back.



I couldn't find any of the left hand milk stout in the stores this week, I was picking up a few examples from Bells and Sam Adams, would have like to have found the left hand one since just about everyone here clones it.

Brewed my partial milk stout tonight. Only bit out of style was the starting gravity a bit over. 1.068 vs 1.060 or less. Lots of changes happened from the first post, through the discussion here, purchasing and final brew today. Biggest was changing up to just a single hop dose at 60 min. Also, since I was told that cara(foam/pils/etc) isn't a steeping grain, I went with the maltodextrin in this one.

Fermentables
Amount----Fermentable-------------------Bill %
6.6 lb------Liquid Malt Extract Amber------62.3%
1 lb--------Dry Malt Extract - Amber-------9.4%
1 lb--------Lactose (Milk Sugar) - (late addition)
8 oz-------Caramel / Crystal 120L----------4.7%
8 oz-------Flaked Barley-------------------4.7%
8 oz-------German - Carafa III-------------4.7%
4 oz-------Roasted Barley------------------2.4%
4 oz-------Maltodextrin --------------------2.4%

Hops
2.25 oz East Kent Goldings 60 min
IBU - 44.3

Yeast
Danstar Windsor

This discussion made me run a partial mash while my electric system is down. She is DARN black and tastes pretty good going into the water bath to start at 66 degrees.

Wow that windsor ale is an eager yeast! It was pitched and in water bath around 6pm last night. This morning at 9 full krausen, and just now at 11 I put on a blow off tube. And she's sitting at 66 right now.
Dang.

High krausen and blow off tube lasted about two days. Crazy. Day three I put the airlock back on and day four showing a bit of activity last night. That was one quick run down for me. Probably just going to let it sit longer than normal because my 3week window is now going to fall during a busy weekend and following week.

Oh, and for all the left hand stout clone suggestions, I found the milk stout this week. I have it at home to taste and compare to the other two...Bells, Sam Adams. There is also something called an Irish Creme Ale from local place, but not sure what that is all about.

Who knows, maybe I give up my experiment and brew the left hand one soon.

sablesurfer said:

There is also something called an Irish Creme Ale from local place, but not sure what that is all about.

Click to expand...

It's an amber style not a stout, so it's a totally different beer.

Here's a sweet stout of mine that took a silver medal at a competition two years ago https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/silver-medal-2012-chicago-cup-singing-boys-cream-stout-149551/

sablesurfer said:

Wow that windsor ale is an eager yeast! It was pitched and in water bath around 6pm last night. This morning at 9 full krausen, and just now at 11 I put on a blow off tube. And she's sitting at 66 right now.
Dang.

Click to expand...

I love Windsor in a sweet stout. I also like it a lot in an English pale ale w/honey that I brew. Some people really don't like it, but I find it to be easy to work with, with just enough English character and leaves a little fuller body with its lower attenuation. For the right beer, its great.

Thanks for the recipe link Pappers.

As for the brew I have going now, it went about 9days in water bath before I had to evict it. Yep, I brewed an IPA over weekend. I had a plan to keep it at fermentation temp, but turns out they have made heating pads 'to' smart anymore...grrrr.

So the IPA went into water bath, and since the stout already at 9 days, I have moved it to the spare bedroom. Moved a temp controller with a small space heater in there and closed the door. Appears to be keeping ambient of 66F....LOL...so much for a repeatable process.

Follow up on this thread.

The milk stout (sweet stout) has been kegged and bottled. The bottled version of this was carbed perfectly in one week at 69F. I use about half the sugar for stouts that I use in IPA's. So instead of 1oz:1gal this went at half that. (Hoping the high finish gravity doesn't cause them to over carbonate.)

Both versions are almost exactly what I wanted. Good mouthfeel that never thins out like too many stouts I try. Good roast flavors up front with chocolate and coffee. Lactose stays as a high note from middle through the finish. The astringency is spot on and I wouldn't change that for me.

The bottled version seems a hint 'sweeter' and has more cocoa taste.
The kegged version (slow force carb) is just tad sharper with a bit less cocoa.

Neither one has as much coffee roastiness as I would want. I will have to figure out the small tweak to get that. I do not want to add coffee, want this to come out of the grains. Kind of a personal challenge kinda OCD thing.

(Oh, just realized I should probably put up a pic, we'll see if I remember.)

Great thread, thanks guys!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Totally forgot a pic...
It actually has a pretty nice foam cascade out of the tap, but I am not coordinated enough to pour, hold glass, and get pics. Head is brown at start fades to a tan. I LIKE lower levels of carbonation in my stouts, so just a wisp of foam on head is perfect, as long as there is some in the taste too. This one laces up the glass wonderfully.

Pretty beer!