Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Stout

I picked up a kit at the LHBS and modified it. I'm brewing as I type this.

The recipe:
6lbs Dark LME
1lb Dark DME
1/4 lb Roasted Barley
1/2 lb 120L Crystal
3/4 lb Rolled Oats
1 Tbsp Unsweatened Cocoa Powder
8oz Dried Cherries

2oz Northern Brewer-added at beginning of 1 hour boil
1oz Sterling-added with 5 min left in boil.

Nottingham Yeast

I'm shooting for a 4 gallon batch and a OG of about 1.070 with the idea of it being a strong, maybe not quite imperial strength stout that I can give as a present for the holidays.

I'm debating whether to add the cherries in primary or secondary. I prefer that taste of them as is, rather than the cooked flavor, so I don't want to add them to the boil.

I'm also thinking about adding some vanilla, but I think I'll wait until it has finished fermenting to decide.

Looks like a solid recipe. I might leave the oats out since they are just going to throw a bunch of starch since they aren't being mashed. I’d probably also drop the sterlings because you’ll have enough aromatics going on as is (I might also back down on the bitterning hops, but then I like a beer like this on the sweet side).

How much chocolate flavor do you want? 1 tbls is not a lot, I would probably up it to 4-6 oz for a "chocolate" beer. I think vanilla would be a fine addition as well, but no issue waiting. I would go with the cherries in secondary, so primary fermentation doesn't drive off the aromatics.

Oats add starch if they aren't mashed? I steeped them for 30 minutes or so... I hope I didn't cause a problem.

I added just one Tablespoon of cocoa because I want it to contribute to the flavor, but not dominate. My goal is to create a strong, creamy stout with some chocolate, cherry, and vanilla flavors. One Tablespoon may still have been too little. If I feel like I need it, I might add some Crème de cacao in secondary.

I ended up with almost exactly 4 gallons and my OG was 1.070 at 80 degrees or 1.072. I woke up to it bubbling nicely this morning. I'm happy with my effort.

Yeah, pretty much anything but crystal and dark grains really should be mashed. The biggest issue is that it will give you a haze, but that isn't a big concern in a dark beer. Starch is also a good food for wild yeast/bacteria, so it could raise infection issues.

Glad to hear the brew went well. You can always add more cocoa powder is secondary as well, just mix it with a bit of hot water first.

Remember to post your results when it is finished.

Do you mean that I didn't soak them long enough?

aardvark said:

Do you mean that I didn't soak them long enough?

Click to expand...

No. No matter how long you soak oats you will not convert the starches into sugar without doing a mini-mash (which requires the addition of a enzyme containing base malt, and correct time, temperature, and water-grist ratio).

Holy fast fermentation batman!

I was thinking that with a somewhat higher gravity this would take over a week and might take closer to 2 weeks.

After 2 days it was down to 1.022 and today (4 days total) it looks like it is done. I need to take another gravity reading to see.

Wow