Vanilla Coffee Stout Recipe. Looking for opinions

Hi everyone,

I am looking on some opinions for the vanilla coffee stout recipe I drew up today. The recipe is based off of Papazian's Armanian Imperial Stout (It is in the complete joy of home brewing). I made some changes to go for a less bitter beer (changed the hops) and then added so that it has a vanilla and coffee kick.

Recipe:
6.6 lbs Muttons Old Ale Kit(hopped malt extract syrup)
3.3 lbs plain light malt extract syrup
1/2 lb black penant malt
1/2 lb roasted barley
3 tbsp gypsum (added with the malt extract)
1/2 lb coarse ground coffee (left overnight in 24oz. of room temp water and added after initial fermentation has stopped and it is settling. I may try to get a secondary fermenter... but I may just add it to the primary since right now it is all I have)
1 oz. Vanilla extract (mixed in with the priming sugar and water solution after it has boiled and before it drastically cools).
1.75 oz Nothern Brewer Hop Pellets @ 45 min
.75 oz Cascade hops @ 1 min

Would I be better off with some other dark malt extract instead of the muttons if I am going for a less bitter version of Papazians stout? What about the hops and the amounts?

Do I really need the gypsum? My water kinda sucks so I use bottled spring water from the store.... and I don't know what the gypsum will do other than change the water. If I do need the gypsum where do I get it? Would it be available at my home brew store?

What do you think about what I am doing with the vanilla extract? I was going to do 2 split vanilla beans in some vodka for a week.... but I can't find a decent vanilla bean source anywhere.

Any other comments? If this recipe sounds like a terrible idea let me know. It is my third batch and the first time I tried to change things up a bit with recipes (still haven't written my own yet... I am getting there haha).

I am posting this from my iPhone so I am sorry if any of this is unclear. I can clarify further if needed.

Thanks!

Also what yeast should I use? Sorry I forgot that in the first post.

I suspect you can't find Muntons ole ale extract! Also remember hopped extract adds to the bittering.

Use any light (extra light. pale, pilsner) extract. 9.9 lbs LME = 8 lbs DME.

Add a half pound of crystal. I'd suggest some C120 or even Special B. I'm not really putting too much thought into this, so do a little research and don't just follow what I suggest.

The black patent will give you a lot of roast/burnt flavor. I never use it. I'd probably use chocolate instead.

I haven't used coffee for a long time. I'll leave it to someone else to comment on that. There are a lot of threads discussing how to add it.

Vanilla. I use beans myself. The extract (natural extract that is) is just beans soaked in alcohol. There is no need to sanitize; the alcohol has already done that. I think I would add a little near the end of fermentation (let the yeast action mix it in), and then taste a sample before bottling to decide if you want more (I always drink my hydrometer samples). You can always add more, but can't take it out.

At 1.070+ OG, I think you need some decent bittering. Boil for 60 minutes to get the most of the hops, and go for somewhere around 40 IBUs. It is not going to taste bitter (the black will do that for you), the hops will help balance it out.

No, you don't need the gypsum.

Yeast: S-05 or Nottingham will do fine.

Thanks!


Are you saying 9.9lbs of LME and some crystal malt in addition to the 3.3lbs of LME that I'm already planning on putting in? Or is the crystal malt and 9.9lbs of LME a substitution for both the muttons and the LME?

You are right about the chocolate malt. I used it in my oatmeal stout. I was trying to stay to close to the original recipe. Chocolate malt is definitely the way to go though.

I'll adjust the hops a bit and try to he around 40. I wasn't exactly sure where exactly I needed to go. I just knew I needed to reduce. I appreciate the info.

How low should I start with the vanilla? I wasn't planning on using anything to special as far as the extract was concerned... But I may get something better than McCormick's if needed.

I was thinking Nottingham because it is what I uses in my stout. I used a dry yeast packet.... But this time I think I am going the liquid yeast route. Should I double it up or maybe make a yeast starter the day before? Or will it be able to handle the alcohol content okay?

Sorry for all the questions! But thanks for all the help.

zsprowls said:

Are you saying 9.9lbs of LME and some crystal malt in addition to the 3.3lbs of LME that I'm already planning on putting in? Or is the crystal malt and 9.9lbs of LME a substitution for both the muttons and the LME?

How low should I start with the vanilla? I wasn't planning on using anything to special as far as the extract was concerned... But I may get something better than McCormick's if needed.

I was thinking Nottingham because it is what I uses in my stout. I used a dry yeast packet.... But this time I think I am going the liquid yeast route. Should I double it up or maybe make a yeast starter the day before? Or will it be able to handle the alcohol content okay?

Click to expand...

Your original recipe called for 9.9 lbs of LME total. I am not trying to change that. I think you have more control of what goes into your beer if you use a light extract. And you certainly don't know what hops are used in 'hopped' LME.

Vanilla: I've never used extract. I think your 1 ozs seems reasonable. You could add it in a couple of stages and taste it.

I always use liquid yeast. It is how my system is set up. I probably get about 15 to 20 beers from liquid yeast, so the cost to me is minimal. I wouldn't even think about using 2 packs/vials for a brew. If you want to try using liquid yeast, I would say go for it, but make a starter (don't use 2 packs), and get the experience. I'd make the starter several days before, it will keep. A lot of people let it clear after finishing and toss out the liquid, but there really is not a problem pitching the liquid with the yeast into the wort.

You need to choose the liquid yeast you want to use. Do you want to go US or UK? WLP001 and Wyeast 1056 are the same as S-05. Nottingham and S-04 are UK yeasts. Unless there is a specific yeast profile you want to go for, I would stick to decent dry yeasts.

I have a number of Belgian yeasts that really do not have dry equivalents, and a number of unique British yeasts that I use, which is why I use liquid. For US style ales I use PacMan, which is very similar to S-05, but is a little more attenuatuive, and has a wider fermetation temp range.

2 oz cold seeped coffee grounds in 24 oz of water throw it in when it comes off the heat.

As for the beans I'd do that in a secondary after it sits in primary for 3 weeks. I've got a stout fermenting right now and will be adding 1 whole bean split down the middle to it once it's been racked to secondary.

The coffee thing is super confusing. I have read over a dozen ways to add it and about a dozen different amounts for each way in a stout. 2oz is the lowest I have heard. Is that because I am putting in the wort as opposed to the primary/secondary?

I've brewed two coffee stouts and in both cases, I brewed a pot of my favorite coffee, cooled 8 oz and tossed it into the fermenter (I would add to the secondary, or wait until you have only a week left if you are using a primary only). Both times turned out perfect, just enough flavor.

Brewed this and let it sit for just over two weeks in the primary (at about 66 degrees). It fermented pretty violently and was shooting out of the airlock so I had to go to a blowoff rube for a few days.

It has been bottled for a week now. The coffee flavor is a bit strong, but I am hoping it wears off. As of now, it is super thin and it almost pours like a soda. Lots of head to start, lots of bubbling in the body itself, and in about 30 seconds the head is gone and the bubbling stops. It is also really thin... that is the part that makes me most sad. Will it get thicker with age maybe? I have no clue.