Think this will make a good stout?

8 lb. British pale
1lb. Flaked oats
8 oz. Belgian Special B
8 oz. British chocolate
4 oz. British black patent
8 oz. Roasted barley
1lb Bakers Chocolate in boil (last 2 min just enough to melt)

5lbs Fresh Bung Cherrys (from my tree) in secondary

Thinking British ale or Irish ale yeast (I like White labs)

Comments, critiques, are welcome and why I'm asking..I want to make a chocolate cherry stout.. something sweet and mellow with medium alcohol.. this brew will be served at my military (not real) retirement reception in August.

I think that it looks pretty good, but I've never used the Special B.

I was interested to learn from the Jamil Show on the brewing network that Black Patent malt is not a traditional ingredient in stouts. 4 oz. of Black Patent is a substantial amount IMO. If this were my recipe, I would replace the 4oz of Black Patent with 4 oz. more of the Chocolate malt. After all, you are going for a Choco-Cherry Stout, right?

How are you preparing the cherries before putting them in the fermenter?

One more thing - that chocolate addition will kill your head retention. If this is an issue for you, cocoa powder adds similar flavor without detriment to the head.

budbo, do you post on the green board?

There is a guy there who has a recipe called Quiet Storm Oatmeal Stout--which has won a bunch of awards and everyone who has brewed it (except for me) loved it. Might want to go over there and check out the recipe in a search.

The reason I didn't like it wasn't the recipe's fault--it was my water and the dark grains messing with the PH.

You might want to take that recipe and add the cherries to secondary.

I learned a while back that it is cool to have "your own" recipe, but until you get experienced doing recipes, it can be a crap shoot.

Chocolate and ale don't mix (believe me, I've tried just about every way imaginable to add it to my ales). The cocoa butter will kill the head completely and the solids will settle out. Baker's chocolate doesn't have much fat, but if you really want a strong chocolate flavor, I'd increase the chocolate malt to a pound and put half of a vanilla bean in the secondary.

Not familiar with Bung cherries, but sweet cherries don't work well when fermented. Tart cherries hold their flavor much better. If you want sweetness in a stout, about the only reliable way is to add lactose.