Oaked vanilla rum barley stout

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Ultra-Medic

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Brewed a partial mash stout last weekend & just learning to piece my own recipes together. Really don't know what I'm doing but having fun doing it. I def. need to learn to stop listening to suggestions from my LHBS as they said dump my flaked barley into my boil for the full hour... I lost a lot of volume but the OG is still okay, plus I'm worried about astringency. Next time I'll mash it in.

Anyways... here's what I've done so far:

1/2lb roasted barley
1/3lb crystal 80
1/3lb special roast
1/3lb black patent
2lb dark DME 60m
1lb flaked barley 60m
4lb amber LME 30m
0.5oz east Kent goldings 60m
0.5oz fuggles 60m
0.5oz east Kent goldings 30m
0.5oz fuggles 30m

primary until stable gravity
rack onto rum/vanilla/oak mixture that has been sitting during the primary:
4oz spiced rum
2oz French oak chips
2 scraped vanilla bean w/ pods
prime w/ DME & bottle after 10-14 days

I'm hesitant on the infusion of rum/vanilla/oak as I'm not sure if to add it all, or just the chips. The container it's in smells heavily of rum & it looks like I may only end up w/ 4gal of beer due to they barley being boiled. The ratio might leave it very hot. I don't mind waiting but it'd be a shame to ruin it.
 
Oh and before anyone chimes in...

OG= 1.054
White Labs Irish ale yeast was used w/ fermintation beginning within 12 hours and settling down around 72-84 hours.

I'm limited as far as fermentation temps go so my carboy go in my pantry where it's about 70 degree fahrenheit 24/7.
 
The first 2 or 3 days are the critical time for temperature control as that is when the yeast activity brings up the wort temperature. Try putting your fermenter in a larger container with cool water and add frozen water bottles to keep the temperature down.

Putting your flaked barley in the boil shouldn't give you astringency as your pH should be plenty low to prevent tannin extraction with that much dark malts.
 
Agree, don't worry about astringency.

You probably will not get much from the flaked barley. Learn how to partial mash.

4 ozs of Rum. You will not notice it. I've added a pint to a brew before and only get a subtle flavor. I find Bourbon and Brandy to have a much more noticeable effect than rum.
 
I know how to partial mash, and for lack of space in my apartment I'd switch to all grain just to have full control. The only reason the flaked barley was done in the boil was my LHBS store said to do it that way. The other grains were mashed.

I'm actually not trying to focus heavily on the rum flavor, rather I want the oak and vanilla to come out. I was worried the rum would be too noticeable but sounds like it won't so thats nice. I used the rum bc that's the only liquor I usually keep around.
 
Lol, I actually think my partial mash is essentially me doing BIAB. I was YouTubing a lot of videos and your right, for me in my apartment, BIAB I believe is a viable option.

As soon as my tax return comes in I'll be looking at adding a 15gal brew pot and an immersion chiller. Right now I have a 30qt SS that always comes too close to boiling over and I cool down in an ice bath which is more work than it should be.
 
Ultra-Medic said:
The other grains were mashed.
Click to expand...

1/2lb roasted barley
1/3lb crystal 80
1/3lb special roast
1/3lb black patent

You need to add a base malt to mash these grains. All you did was steep them. Yes, you got flavor and some sugars from them, but without mashing with a base grain to provide enzymes to convert the starches, you left a lot of sugars behind.
 
Bummer. Still, from the recipe I put together w/ the help of Hopville, I was only 0.004 off from my estimated gravity. Despite the lack of a base malt I still followed proper mashing procedures with a mash out. I did have trouble keeping my temp where I wanted it during this time though but it's all a learning process and I expect the end product will still be very drinkable and awesome as the last two.

Appreciate the information though, as much as I've read, I hadn't come across anything I can recall stating to 'be sure you have a base malt included in your partial mash', bummer. I think once I upgrade my brew kettle I'll be switching to BIAB though.
 
Calder said:
1/2lb roasted barley
1/3lb crystal 80
1/3lb special roast
1/3lb black patent

You need to add a base malt to mash these grains. All you did was steep them. Yes, you got flavor and some sugars from them, but without mashing with a base grain to provide enzymes to convert the starches, you left a lot of sugars behind.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about that. All those grains are so highly kilned that there shouldn't be any starches available to be converted. I'll agree that it isn't a partial mash unless there is a base grain though.

Still, from the recipe I put together w/ the help of Hopville, I was only 0.004 off from my estimated gravity. Despite the lack of a base malt I still followed proper mashing procedures with a mash out. I did have trouble keeping my temp where I wanted it during this time though but it's all a learning process and I expect the end product will still be very drinkable and awesome as the last two.
Click to expand...

The little difference you saw in your gravity could easily be incomplete mixing of the malt extract. It could even be operator error, I have trouble reading that close. Some have reported that much error in the calibration of their hydrometers. I think you did a great job.

I had a bit of trouble understanding the base malt when I started too. I think you have leaned it faster than I did.
 
RM-MN said:
I'm not so sure about that. All those grains are so highly kilned that there shouldn't be any starches available to be converted. I'll agree that it isn't a partial mash unless there is a base grain though.
Click to expand...

Yes, they all have lots of starches that can be converted to sugars. Somewhere on this forum is an experiment with steeping and mashing crystal malts, that shows there is a lot of starches to be converted. I think it was done by Nilo.

The darker malts have less simple sugars, and more starches.
 
Ultra-Medic said:
Brewed a partial mash stout last weekend & just learning to piece my own recipes together. Really don't know what I'm doing but having fun doing it. I def. need to learn to stop listening to suggestions from my LHBS as they said dump my flaked barley into my boil for the full hour... I lost a lot of volume but the OG is still okay, plus I'm worried about astringency. Next time I'll mash it in.

Anyways... here's what I've done so far:

1/2lb roasted barley
1/3lb crystal 80
1/3lb special roast
1/3lb black patent
2lb dark DME 60m
1lb flaked barley 60m
4lb amber LME 30m
0.5oz east Kent goldings 60m
0.5oz fuggles 60m
0.5oz east Kent goldings 30m
0.5oz fuggles 30m

primary until stable gravity
rack onto rum/vanilla/oak mixture that has been sitting during the primary:
4oz spiced rum
2oz French oak chips
2 scraped vanilla bean w/ pods
prime w/ DME & bottle after 10-14 days

I'm hesitant on the infusion of rum/vanilla/oak as I'm not sure if to add it all, or just the chips. The container it's in smells heavily of rum & it looks like I may only end up w/ 4gal of beer due to they barley being boiled. The ratio might leave it very hot. I don't mind waiting but it'd be a shame to ruin it.
Click to expand...

so did you add the rum and how was it?
 

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