ZehBaron
Well-Known Member
At the beginning of January, I'm planning on making a case (or maybe two) of classic Irish dry stout for St. Patrick's Day. I've had good results with stouts I've brewed before, but I haven't yet tried to full-on replicate a dry stout like Guinness. The biggest barrier I'm foreseeing right now is my inability to nitrogenate, and as such I'll lack the signature smoothness and mouthfeel I'm looking for.
So besides carbing to a lower level, my only idea to compensate would be to use a portion of oats. I've had commercial oatmeal stouts before, but I've never brewed one, so I'm unsure of the oats' effect on the beer's other principal characteristics. Will adding oats to the grain bill affect the dry character that I'm going for, or would this be a reasonable method to replicate a classic Irish stout?
So besides carbing to a lower level, my only idea to compensate would be to use a portion of oats. I've had commercial oatmeal stouts before, but I've never brewed one, so I'm unsure of the oats' effect on the beer's other principal characteristics. Will adding oats to the grain bill affect the dry character that I'm going for, or would this be a reasonable method to replicate a classic Irish stout?