Irish stout

Hi,

Me and my brewing buddy would like to do an Irish stout and I just had a couple of inquiries.

1. What, as far as ingredients is concerend, makes a stout(or beer for that matter) dry?

2. How do you get a creamy texture?

3. Should it stay longer in primary or secondary, or does it need longer in bottles?

I have looked at some of the recipies on this site and will probably try to convert a all-grain to extract. Any experiences would be appreciated!!

big supper said:

Hi,

Me and my brewing buddy would like to do an Irish stout and I just had a couple of inquiries.

1. What, as far as ingredients is concerend, makes a stout(or beer for that matter) dry?

2. How do you get a creamy texture?

3. Should it stay longer in primary or secondary, or does it need longer in bottles?

I have looked at some of the recipies on this site and will probably try to convert a all-grain to extract. Any experiences would be appreciated!!

Click to expand...

1. I use flaked barley to get that nice grainy taste. Getting it dry means mashing thinner and at a low temperature so you get a really nice fermentable wort. If you're using extract (which it sounds like you are) you'll want to find an extract brand that is known for high fermentability. An attenuative yeast is a must too, I like WLP007 (Dry English Ale) personally but Nottingham is an excellent choice as well.

2. If the creamy texture you're thinking of has visions of Guinness in your head, the only way you can get that exact mouthfeel is with a stout faucet and beer gas for dispensing. Using flaked barley will help with it as well.

3. I use the 1-2-3 method for my dry stout, but I find it's best after 5 weeks in the bottle.

Roasted barley is the main ingredient that makes it a stout, used in moderate quantities. Some people throw in a little black patent. Flaked barley is usually used for head retention and other properties. Gypsum is often added for water treatment.

The creamy texture you're thinking of might be from nitrogen which you'd have to have equipment for.

If you use an Irish Ale yeast like WLP004 it will probably ferment out in 2-3 days, then I'd let it sit in secondary for a month or so, depending on how much alcohol there is.

paranode said:

Gypsum is often added for water treatment.

Click to expand...

Carbonates are also important for good stouts,

Nitrogen makes smaller bubbles or somthing for the creamy head, but I doubt if its worth the bother

About 10% roasted barley gives quite a dry taste to the stout and brings it to the necessary colour.

Here you go... a true Guiness recipe.

You can scale it back to five gallons but the ratio of grains is the key.

I recently did the extract kit from morebeer with a saf 04 yeast. One week in primary, 2 secondary, 1 in keg, and it was damn good.

Cut back on the priming sugar some to get a lower carbonation, that will enhance the creamy texture.