Oatmeal Stout Yooper's Oatmeal Stout

No Problem Yooper. I went ahead and added about 5oz of lactose to the boil. I used your recipe as a base (minor modifications due to what I had on hand).

I roasted 1.5 oz of Ghana cacao nibs in a 170 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then added 3 oz of vodka and sealed in mason jar for 4 days.
Strained nibs from vodka, put in freezer to separate & skim the fat, then added cacao infused vodka to the keg.

I also coarse ground 1/2 cup of whole bean dark roast coffee, added to sterilized vessel with 2 cups bottled spring water. Placed in fridge for 24 hours.
Strained through coffee filter and added about 12 oz to keg.

It aged at room temp for about 2 weeks to let those flavors meld together, then I cold crashed to 37F and am currently carbing it to 2.5 vols. I haven't tried it yet, but I cannot wait to see how it came out. I was a bit ambitious with this beer as I've never added any flavorings to beer before.

mattmmille said:

Grabbed a quick, little sample. Is it me, or does this look a little light in color for a stout? If so, I'm sure it was me and something I should have done for BIAB and not the recipe. Anyway, the numbers looked good and the sample is very tasty! I think it's ready to bottle pretty much any time I can get around to doing it...hopefully this weekend. I think I'll let the 2 gallon portion with the gingerbread flavoring go another week or two. For the 3 gallon standard version, I'm going to plan on the low side of what the priming calculator recommends...my carbs have generally gotten better, but I did have a batch recently that eventually crept past where I wanted it to peak. That's one of the reasons I'm going to let the flavored batch go awhile longer before bottling.

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I just took a hydro sample of mine last night, as well, and it looks light like yours. I also did BIAB, but ended up with the target SG. It tasted a little watered down and slightly "off," too. Can't quite identify the "off" taste; definitely not an infected taste. Hmmmm, curious to see how this continues to age. Last night's sample was at 2 week mark.

Finally done and it is excellent! Perfectly roasty with a nice creamy finish. Thanks a ton for the great recipe.

Hydro sampleof the gingerbread version as I racked it today. I think I'll let it go awhile longer. The SG os 1.016 and I bottled the standard at 1.019, but the gingerbread just might be fermenting out a little more. Not sure why, but I'm not going to rush it. Flavor is a little hot and fresh ginger forward with not much else yet. A little more like gingerbread in the finish. Color is okay, clarity looks pretty good. Hoping the bottle conditioning will allow the ginger to soften and the background to come forward. There's potential, I think...just going to take time to get there.

The ginger should definitely subside with time. I did a ginger lime beer last year and as I went through the bottles I could notice less and less ginger. The last 6 were really good and made me think of possibly brewing it again this year. Early in the batch the ginger was too strong, almost dumped it but took many others advise and randomly sampled and gave it time.

Well, finally bottled the gingerbread version! I got 20 bottles plus one that's short an ounce or two that I'll use as a test bottle. And I got 29 from the regular batch, so that was right on for 5 gallons total. Maybe a bottle will be good and ready by my birthday in March!

First taste after 12 days in the bottle...no head, carb is coming along, but not there yet. Mouthfeel and body are there...flavor and aroma are nice. Maybe a slight "twang"? I'm going to let the batch go at least another 3 weeks before I open another one and seek experienced reviews, but I think it's on the way to being pretty solid. If I had more temperature control in the process, I think that would make it even better. Anyway...good! Just needs to develope more...but I'm enjoying the test bottle!

Did anyone use debittered black malt in place of the of the black barley? I know it's not considered to be a direct sub, but, like many others, I could not find the elusive black barley and was too impatient and cheap to order it from Briess.

I'm curious to compare results with those who subbed with debittered black malt....

last nite I attended a fund raiser in oak park (just outside of Chicago) for the school of rock. 6 brewers were paired with 6 chefs and 2 bands for the sold out event, 150 people. my entry was yoop's oatmeal stout that I made into El Hombre Mexican Stout, inspired by Mexican hot chocolate. it was a huge hit, turned out very tasty indeed. I made a tea by simmering a few cups of beer with 2 1/2 vanilla bean, 2 1/2 cinnamon stick, 2 ancho and 2 guajillo peppers, and vodka infused with 5 oz cacao nibs. I would probably cut the cinnamon down to 1 1/2 sticks, but it was fine as is. thanx to yooper for a great recipe! some pix (sorry for the blurry shot):

clairecunn83 said:

Did anyone use debittered black malt in place of the of the black barley? I know it's not considered to be a direct sub, but, like many others, I could not find the elusive black barley and was too impatient and cheap to order it from Briess.

I'm curious to compare results with those who subbed with debittered black malt....

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I'm kinda curious about this as well. I have Muntons roasted barley - un-malted and carafa III de-husked. Which should be used? I
also have a grain substitution chart that says you can replace pale chocolate with carafa I dehusked. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

clairecunn83 said:

Did anyone use debittered black malt in place of the of the black barley? I know it's not considered to be a direct sub, but, like many others, I could not find the elusive black barley and was too impatient and cheap to order it from Briess.

I'm curious to compare results with those who subbed with debittered black malt....

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Here it is! Wow, this one surprised me when tasting it super young. I was not so sure about it. But now that it's all carbed up at 5 weeks, I can say it's pretty stellar! Unfortunately, mine finished with an FG of 1.022, so a little short making it pretty low ABV. Also, for my preference, I thought it was a little dry, so I added 1.5 cups of Kahlua to the keg. It's perfect for me, now (I'm a milk stout addict - like it on the sweet side).

As quoted above, I subbed the debittered black malt in place of the black barley, and IMO, it tastes great. Thanks, Yooper!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1423183018.827874.jpg

it was low abv so you added kahlua? brilliant.

itsratso said:

it was low abv so you added kahlua? brilliant.

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Haha, not so much to bump up the ABV as kahlua's not that strong, but more so to cut the dryness just a bit with a hint of sweetness.

I love to add like a quater to half ounce of kahlua to a pint of stout. It's soooooooooo yummy. Don't ever start, though, because it will ruin you!

btw its been mentioned but i agree this recipe could be tweaked to make it a few srm darker. any ideas to get this without affecting the flavor?

itsratso said:

btw its been mentioned but i agree this recipe could be tweaked to make it a few srm darker. any ideas to get this without affecting the flavor?

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The Briess black barley is 500L. The stout is black. Maybe someone subbed roasted barley (350L) and got a lighter color?

Yooper said:

The Briess black barley is 500L. The stout is black. Maybe someone subbed roasted barley (350L) and got a lighter color?

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How do the 2 compare flavor wise? Haven't made a stout yet, and I notice sometimes my LHBS only has one or the other. I'm more interested in the flavor than the color.


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So I took my turn at brewing this 2 weeks ago per Yoopers original recipe. Used Wyeast 1335, made a starter, all went well with the mash and boil, pitched yeast at 68* and it's been in the fermentation chamber at 65* for 2 weeks. OG was 1.052 but my gravity this morning was only 1.025. I've turned the thermostat up to 70* and will take another reading in 1 week. Is there anything else I should do?

BTW, the sample tasted great!

From my brew day: "A couple of tweaks based on availability...Thomas Faucette Pale Chocolate malt instead of Crisp, Caramel/Crystal 70-80L Bairds and Breiss for the chocolate malt. I upped the Maris Otter to 8lbs for my efficiency."

I brewed BIAB and I'm still pretty noobish, so, though I am continually improving, I'm sure that any shortcomings are mine and NOT the recipe's! Mine isn't super black, but it's not a problem.

Hey guys, looking for an Oatmeal Stout recipe to brew for my wedding in May. If this is stepping on toes or ruffling feathers, I apologize, but has anyone made both this recipe and CBBarons Smooth Oatmeal Stout? Could you please compare and contrast if so?

Here is his: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/smooth-oatmeal-stout-50756/

Thanks!

nhindian said:

Hey guys, looking for an Oatmeal Stout recipe to brew for my wedding in May. If this is stepping on toes or ruffling feathers, I apologize, but has anyone made both this recipe and CBBarons Smooth Oatmeal Stout? Could you please compare and contrast if so?

Here is his: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/smooth-oatmeal-stout-50756/

Thanks!

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Have not tried the recipe you referred to and perhaps you should brew a batch so you can do a side-by-side taste test. But for my money this recipe is the best oatmeal stout I have ever tasted - bar none.

We have a brew crawl coming up in a few weeks and I plan to enter my version of this recipe (WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast) to see how it does in competition. My entry will be named "Yooper's Oatmeal Stout". Hats off to Yooper for a great recipe.

For all that have brewed this i'm wondering if there's any widely available commercial version that's remotely close? I'm looking for something that has some roast, but not overpowering, I guess more towards the coffee side rather than chocolate if that makes sense. I don't want to have to "look for" the roasty character than I have found many commercial stouts lack.

Also, has anybody added vanilla to this? My wife loves a good vanilla stout, one of the few beer styles she'll consistently drink. If any of you live in the Upstate NY area Ican let you know a local brewery that just made one that absolutely loved.

bolus14 said:

For all that have brewed this i'm wondering if there's any widely available commercial version that's remotely close?

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May not be available on the east coast but IMO Anderson Valley Brewery's "Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout" is very good.

itsratso said:

btw its been mentioned but i agree this recipe could be tweaked to make it a few srm darker. any ideas to get this without affecting the flavor?

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Not quite sure why yours didn't turn out dark enough. Mine turned out about as dark as I could ask for.

There is a substantial difference in color between the various maltster's versions of roasted barley. Baird's and Crisp (English) are both very dark at 500-550L +/- while Briess comes in at 300L which is substantially lighter.

Puddlethumper said:

May not be available on the east coast but IMO Anderson Valley Brewery's "Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout" is very good.

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I would agree with Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout being very close.
Im in upstate NY also and it's available

If barney flats is close then this will be awesome. Thanks for the responses.
I have to see where this will fit into my schedule now.

I just brewed this again for the 2nd time! The first time was a huge hit, we tapped the kegs around 7AM and they were dry around 10AM. Now I want some for myself since I only got about 3 or 4 of these!!!

Anyway, when I went to my LHBS to buy the yeast, it was about 5 months old. I used it anyway (with a starter + stir plate) and it still took about 32 hours to begin fermentation. But then it went beautifully (or so I thought) for the next 5 days.

It's now been 3.5 weeks since fermentation began, and I finally got around to taking a hydrometer reading. I'm at 1.019. A little high (BeerSmith estimated 1.017), but not too bad.

The only modification I made (so far) to the original recipe was to add 8oz of lactose. By the end of kegging, this is going to be a Mocha Oatmeal Stout - the 'mocha' components being some cold brewed coffee and a tincture of cacao nibs and vanilla bean, both of which I'll add at kegging, and obviously the lactose for the 'milk' part. It's super delicious!

Thanks for sharing this fabulous creation with us all here on HBT. I'm really delighted with this beer.
Smooth, creamy, roasty. Yum!

Delicious

OG 1.056 FG 1.017
A couple of minor variations to the recipe as written.

Yeast WYeast 1028 ( slurry from a harvest 1 day prior) brought it to FG in 3 days with little to no kreusen

I was wondering if @Yooper or anyone else has brewed this with 2-row instead of Maris Otter as a base. If so was there anything lost by not using MO.

My first batch is almost gone and I want to brew up another. Got a bag of 2-row recently

Gavin C said:

I was wondering if @Yooper or anyone else has brewed this with 2-row instead of Maris Otter as a base. If so was there anything lost by not using MO.

My first batch is almost gone and I want to brew up another. Got a bag of 2-row recently

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Yes, I know I have. As far as I recall, I don't remember even noticing a difference. I've done it with US pale ale malt two.

Yooper said:

Yes, I know I have. As far as I recall, I don't remember even noticing a difference. I've done it with US pale ale malt two.

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Great stuff, thanks a million.

The first 5 gallons disappeared pretty darn fast. I'll try to exercise some restraint second time round. I'll be using Wyeast 1028 again. Lots of slurry in the fridge keeps winking at me, begging to be used every time I go to grab the butter.

Picked up all ingredients today, will be brewing early tomorrow morning. Only changes I'm making is using Calypso for the hops, I have them already and they have a very clean bittering quality so it shouldn't change much, and will be using WY1728 Scottish Ale yeast. LHBS didn't have 1335 and 1728 from it's description seems like it will do well in this. Im also planning to make a Scottish ale this year so I already this strain on my radar too.

Has anybody else used 1728? I did a search but didn't get any hits back.

Brew day went well. Had to boil an extra 15 min since pre boil OG was a little low. Ended up getting about 5.25 gal at 1.054 into the fermenter. Now the wait begins!!

bolus14 said:

Brew day went well. Had to boil an extra 15 min since pre boil OG was a little low. Ended up getting about 5.25 gal at 1.054 into the fermenter. Now the wait begins!!

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Sounds like a successful brew. Let us know how that yeast works out for you.

Checked the gravity today, almost 2 weeks since brewing, and it's at 1.024. I swirled the bucket a little to try and rouse the yeast to get it down a little further.

1728 seems to be a slow starter but aggressive once it kicks in so I'm not sure how much lower it'll go. Only thing I can think is maybe by mash temp was a little high. I only checked it once and usually in check a few times after stirring to make sure I don't measure a hot spot or something.

Either way hydro sample was delicious, good chocolate taste balanced by the roast in the finish. Even if it doesn't finish any lower this is going to be delicious. Another week or so then I'm bottling it.

Yooper said:

7....

Mashed at 156, with a thin mash (1.75 quarts per pound) to keep the pH in range.

T...

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@Yooper

I will be brewing my iteration of your great stout again this weekend and was wondering if you target a specific pH for the mash. If so what kind of range are you shooting for.

Gavin C said:

@Yooper

I will be brewing my iteration of your great stout again this weekend and was wondering if you target a specific pH for the mash. If so what kind of range are you shooting for.

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I am not home at the moment so I'm not entirely sure but I do believe that my mash pH has been 5.5 for this beer.

Yooper said:

I am not home at the moment so I'm not entirely sure but I do believe that my mash pH has been 5.5 for this beer.

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Great stuff. Thanks a mil.

Brewed this again this morning. OG 1.054

Again i was not able to locate Black Barley which is malted and not black malt.

The closest is Black barley from briess which is Roasted so i just sub'd Roasted Barley. After reading the first few pages of the thread again I am thinking I should have gone for a black malt.

I liked it last time with the same sub/error so hopefully will turn out OK despite me also mixing up the regular and pale chocolates. (chatting to someone when i was prepping grains, I can't walk and chew gum at the same time it would seem)

Anyway for future reference to anyone who cares I did find Black barley here for the next time. (If anyone else is interested)

Gavin C said:

Brewed this again this morning. OG 1.054

Again i was not able to locate Black Barley which is malted and not black malt.

The closest is Black barley from briess which is Roasted so i just sub'd Roasted Barley. After reading the first few pages of the thread again I am thinking I should have gone for a black malt.

I liked it last time with the same sub/error so hopefully will turn out OK despite me also mixing up the regular and pale chocolates. (chatting to someone when i was prepping grains, I can't walk and chew gum at the same time it would seem)

Anyway for future reference to anyone who cares I did find Black barley here for the next time. (If anyone else is interested)

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I used Briess' black barley, and the roasted barley may be the closest sub, as this is different from black malt. Here's what I use: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Roasted_Barley.htm#BlackBarley (bottom one)

Yooper said:

I used Briess' black barley, and the roasted barley may be the closest sub, as this is different from black malt. Here's what I use: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Roasted_Barley.htm#BlackBarley (bottom one)

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Thanks Yooper. Good to know. A similar black roasted Barley was what I used from "Crisp" via Northernbrewer's website. Seems to have similar specs so I may not be too off base after all.

Kicking myself for the pale and regular chocolate mixup.