Aiming for DRYISH stout recipe...feedback?

Hi team,

I'm a new brewer with 4 or so batches under my belt so far, and I'm looking to do a dryish stout for my first partial mash. My question is, does this recipe look appropriate for a relatively dry stout? I'm not crazy about sweeter stouts (e.g. Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout), so I'm aiming for something on the drier end of the spectrum (although not as dry/sour as Guinness this time anyway). Any suggestions for this recipe? And which ingredients would I want to avoid if I don't want a sweet stout? Lactose? Flaked Oatmeal? Would a bit of brown sugar help keep it dry (I do want some stout mouthfeel in this, hence the flaked oatmeal). Thanks for any advice.

Recipe: Stout partial mash 3 gallon yield
Style: 13A-Stout-Dry Stout

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 4.25 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 3.25 US gals
Volume Transferred: 3.25 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 3.25 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 3.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.020 SG
Expected OG: 1.044 SG
Expected FG: 1.010 SG
Expected ABV: 4.5 %
Expected ABW: 3.6 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 34.6
Expected Color: 38.7 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 77.1 %
Mash Efficiency: 60.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 68 degF

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt 3.00 lb (54.5 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Flaked Barley 0.34 lb (6.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Roasted Barley 0.33 lb (6.0 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Chocolate Malt 0.33 lb (6.0 %) In Mash/Steeped
Extract - Light Liquid Malt Extract 1.50 lb (27.3 %) Start Of Boil

Hops: UK Fuggle (4.5 % alpha) 1.25 oz Bagged Pellet Hops used All Of Boil

Yeast: Nottingham

At a glance, it looks like a pretty good, standard dry stout recipe. Brew away!

I'd go a half pound at least on the roast, and you can up the flaked barley to at least a pound. Just back down on the pale malt to keep the gravity the same. Without any crystal malt, and the amount of roast, it will be a nice dry beer. Mash at 154 and with the flaked barley, you will have a good mouthfeel, without the sweetness from crystal.

It looks good.
The Notty should work well for you. Be ready for the fast ferment that is typical of Notty... but do not rack this too early. Time will make this stout special.

Brewsmith said:

and you can up the flaked barley to at least a pound.

Click to expand...

Is there a limit to the percentage of flaked barley in the 4 lb. of grain mini-mash? I could have sworn I had read somewhere that the enzymes in pale malt (2-row) could only convert adjunct grains up to 13% of the mash, but I can't for the life of me find the source for that now, so probably my memory is just screwy.

Thanks to all for da feedback!