Dark Grains question.....(stout recipe)

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depper

depper

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My neighbor wants to brew a Peanut-Butter Stout this weekend. Here is the grain bill for a 5.25 gallon batch:

11 lbs 11.8 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 75.7 %
1 lbs 6.3 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 9.0 %
16.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 6.4 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.2 %
7.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 2.8 %
7.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.8 %


I am planning on adding the dark grains the last 15 minutes in the mash, since I don't have a way to monitor the pH. Based on the above grain bill, I am planning on doing this with the Chocolate Malt, C/C 120 and Roasted Barley.

Any other grains I should do this with?

Should I have them ground that same as the 2-row and Cara-Pils? Or finer?

Any other suggestions about brewing a stout are welcomed since this is my first. Thanks!

Tim
 
depper said:
My neighbor wants to brew a Peanut-Butter Stout this weekend. Here is the grain bill for a 5.25 gallon batch:

11 lbs 11.8 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 75.7 %
1 lbs 6.3 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 9.0 %
16.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 6.4 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.2 %
7.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 2.8 %
7.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.8 %


I am planning on adding the dark grains the last 15 minutes in the mash, since I don't have a way to monitor the pH. Based on the above grain bill, I am planning on doing this with the Chocolate Malt, C/C 120 and Roasted Barley.

Any other grains I should do this with?

Should I have them ground that same as the 2-row and Cara-Pils? Or finer?

Any other suggestions about brewing a stout are welcomed since this is my first. Thanks!

Tim
Click to expand...

It depends on the alkalinity of your water, but I would NOT separate out the caramel/crystal 120L. You probably need it to keep your mash pH from becoming too high, and may need the chocolate too.
 
Yooper said:
It depends on the alkalinity of your water, but I would NOT separate out the caramel/crystal 120L. You probably need it to keep your mash pH from becoming too high, and may need the chocolate too.
Click to expand...

I use RO water for my brews. I just started all-grain this year and wanted to get the technique down before messing with the water. I know it's important and I will be investing in the needed equipment, but just not yet. Based on the RO water, should I readjust my list of grains to hold? Thanks for the help!

Tim
 
depper said:
I use RO water for my brews. I just started all-grain this year and wanted to get the technique down before messing with the water. I know it's important and I will be investing in the needed equipment, but just not yet. Based on the RO water, should I readjust my list of grains to hold? Thanks for the help!

Tim
Click to expand...

Yes, you should still need some acidity. Are you using any calcium chloride? RO plus your 120 grains should be fine, but adding a teaspoon of calcium chloride to RO water is usually quite benefical!
 
If the name of the recipe includes "Peanut Butter", I'm confused by the lack of such on the ingredient list.
 
Yooper said:
Yes, you should still need some acidity. Are you using any calcium chloride? RO plus your 120 grains should be fine, but adding a teaspoon of calcium chloride to RO water is usually quite benefical!
Click to expand...


So put the 120 in for the full mash and the Chocolate and Barley the last 15 min, along with the calcium chloride?

I have never added anything to my RO yet, as I'm trying to figure out the best way to do so. I obtain my RO in 1 gallon jugs and can't figure out how to add 1tsp to all the water at the same time. I could put half the water in the HLT for strike and mash-out and the other half for batch sparge and put a half tsp in each?? Any suggestions would be great. I will pick up calcium chloride before this batch! Thanks!
 
Hoppity said:
If the name of the recipe includes "Peanut Butter", I'm confused by the lack of such on the ingredient list.
Click to expand...


I only included the grain bill for figuring out which grains to full mash and 15 min mash. The recipe includes cocoa powder, peanut butter powder and cocoa nibs in the secondary.
 
If you want to simplify things you could always steep the roasted grains separately, and add the dark wort while sparging.

I don't do much all grain these days, so if this sounds silly someone feel free to correct me.
 
I would recommend downloading Bru'n Water, inputting the specified grain bill, setting your water profile to 100% (if you are using 100%) and seeing where your mash pH ends up. This will be your most accurate way of assessing mash pH.

If you end up too low, you can figure out which malt to abstain from the mash until the last 15 min, or you could compensate with some pickling lime to add akalinity.
 
Natdavis777 said:
I would recommend downloading Bru'n Water, inputting the specified grain bill, setting your water profile to 100% (if you are using 100%) and seeing where your mash pH ends up. This will be your most accurate way of assessing mash pH.

If you end up too low, you can figure out which malt to abstain from the mash until the last 15 min, or you could compensate with some pickling lime to add akalinity.
Click to expand...


Good idea......I'll give this a shot today! Thanks!!

Tim
 
Ok, so using untreated R/O water I entered all my grains in Bru'n Water and by keeping the Chocolate Malt and Roasted Barley out the "estimated room-temp mash pH" is 5.5. With all the grains in it registers at 5.1 and tells me mash water alkalinity is needed.

Based on these numbers, it appears to me that I should keep the chocolate and roasted barley out until the last 15 minutes to keep an acceptable pH. Does this sound right?

Tim
 
depper said:
Ok, so using untreated R/O water I entered all my grains in Bru'n Water and by keeping the Chocolate Malt and Roasted Barley out the "estimated room-temp mash pH" is 5.5. With all the grains in it registers at 5.1 and tells me mash water alkalinity is needed.

Based on these numbers, it appears to me that I should keep the chocolate and roasted barley out until the last 15 minutes to keep an acceptable pH. Does this sound right?

Tim
Click to expand...

Sounds right to me
 
I would not use straight RO water for the brewing of any beer all of your styles will taste flat, and likely weird. Bru'n water is definitely the way to go long term, but even just dosing your water with a pre specified quantity of calcium chloride and gypsum pewr gallon your beers will be worlds beyond straight RO water.

The flavor issues I'm talking about have little to nothing to do with mash pH, FWIW.
 
CaCl and Gypsum will both lower the mash pH. I agree that some CaCl will enhance the maltiness of the beer, but it would best be added to the boil, as to not affect the mash pH.
 
depper said:
Ok, so using untreated R/O water I entered all my grains in Bru'n Water and by keeping the Chocolate Malt and Roasted Barley out the "estimated room-temp mash pH" is 5.5. With all the grains in it registers at 5.1 and tells me mash water alkalinity is needed.

Based on these numbers, it appears to me that I should keep the chocolate and roasted barley out until the last 15 minutes to keep an acceptable pH. Does this sound right?

Tim
Click to expand...

Right. And you can add your dark grains for the sparge, or steep them separately and combine the wort in the boil kettle.

I would suggest that you see what your mash pH would be with 5 grams of calcium chloride added to it- you can use the chloride. It should be 5.4 or so, which is perfect.
 

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