Critique dry stout, please

Please critique this dry stout. I am not sure if I have too much roasted barley (or too little). What about the hops and bitterness? Thanks!


1.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 12.3 %
4.50 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 55.4 %
1.50 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 18.5 %
1.00 lb Roasted Barley (500.0 SRM) Grain 12.3 %
0.13 lb Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 1.5 %

3.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [3.60%] (60 min) Hops 29.4 IBU

This is for a 5.25 gallon partial mash at 75% efficiency.

Probably too much roasted barley, I scale back to 3/4lb, possibly 1/2lb. I use 1oz of kent at 60 minutes in my stout, and it's plenty, you might want to cut back to 2 or less.

I use a little over a pound (500g) in my dry stout (though my recipe is formulated to 25L - about 6.5 gallons I think).

I think you'll also want to up the IBU to about 40 to get a nice balanced stout.

Yes, I am torn between upping it to 40 IBU's or dropping it to 25! I dunno. I guess I will just have to try it one way, and make another batch the other way to see which I like better! I am trying to get close to a Guinness, but it doesn't have to be exact. Anyway, I may drop the roasted a bit like Flan said and perhaps a bit of chocolate. But not too much.

That's a lot of flaked barley to be converted by 4.5 lbs M.O.

-a.

ajf said:

That's a lot of flaked barley to be converted by 4.5 lbs M.O.

-a.

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I don't think flaked barley needs to be converted, its just for flavor, mouthfeel, body and head retention, no?

i'd definitely add some chocolate malt and take away some roasted barley.

If you add acid malt to my dry stout (see my sig) you get something pretty close to guinness. I can't get acid malt which is why it's missing from mine. But as you say, just make a couple batches differently and see which you like best. At worst you get twice as much stout - hardly seems like a problem.

Ó Flannagáin said:

I don't think flaked barley needs to be converted, its just for flavor, mouthfeel, body and head retention, no?

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Adding unconverted starch to a brew may contribute flavors, body, and mouthfeel, but not in a pleasant way. (I don't know about head retention.)
With an English 2 row, you should keep the adjuncts down to < 10% (even less if it is a light beer), because it simply does not have the capacity to convert the starches (undesirable) into dextrins and sugars (desirable).
American 2 row can handle more adjuncts, and 6 row can handle up to 40% adjuncts under ideal conditions.

-a.

Here is the updated version. At least for the first brew. After I taste it, I may make another with more hops. Thanks all for the input!

1.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 12.3 %
5.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 61.5 %
0.75 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 9.2 %
0.75 lb Roasted Barley (500.0 SRM) Grain 9.2 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 6.2 %
0.13 lb Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 1.5 %
2.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [3.60%] (60 min) Hops 24.3 IBU

Looks great, let us know how it turns out!

Ó Flannagáin said:

I don't think flaked barley needs to be converted, its just for flavor, mouthfeel, body and head retention, no?

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If you use it as a steeping grain that is true. If you mash with malt you will get conversion of the starches in the flaked barley to sugar thus contributing to the O.G.. Flaked barley (or other grains) has been processed in such a way that the starches have gelatinized and are readily converted by the enzymes in malt.

I have been drinking a dry stout based on Jamil's and Michael Lewis' recipe that is simply:

7 lb. British pale
1 lb. Roasted barley
2 lb. Flaked barley

39 IBU's of Northern Brewer

It's :rockin: