Looking for Recipe Tips - Apple Blonde Stout

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jsmay_

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This may be getting a bit beyond this forum; and/or I should ease back, as a beginner-brewer... Looking for feedback on this recipe. I don't really have time to experiment or do a few test batches, and would like to be ready for Cider Season. Here goes:

Planning to do a mini-mash or BIAB, then start the boil with enough water to boil down to 1.5 gallons; adding back 4 gallons of cider as a late addition with the final hops, DME, etc.

Looking for a big creamy mouth feel, and big- though not overly sweet- apple flavor. I understand that most apple ciders will dry out pretty well during fermentation.

Thoughts? Am I out of my league and/or mind?

How long do you recommend aging in the bottle?
Should I bottle condition or simply prime?

Thanks in advance....


5.5 gal batch; 3 gal boil; 75 minutes; 1.083 OG, 1.029 FG

Fermentables
% lb fermentable ppg L usage
12% 1.55 White Wheat - US 40 2° Mash
9% 1.2 Carapils - Dextrine Malt - US 33 1° Mash
9% 1.2 Flaked Barley - US 32 2° Mash
9% 1.2 Flaked Oats - US 37 1° Mash

9% 1.2 Dry Malt Extract - Extra Light - US 44 3° Extract

9% 1.2 Dry Malt Extract - Extra Light - US 44 3° Late
9% 1.2 Lactose - Milk Sugar - US 41 1° Late

31% 4 gallons Apple Cider 46 3° Late


Hops
oz variety type usage time AA IBU
0.7857 Columbus Pellet Boil 60 minutes 15.0 30.2
1.1785 Fuggles Pellet Boil 25 minutes 4.5 9.4
0.7857 Hallertau Pellet Boil 10 minutes 4.0 2.9

Yeast - White Labs English Ale WLP002, starter

6lbs Baked Apples, in Secondary
 
Just a thought, but could you make the base beer and cider, ferment separately, then blend at packaging? Thought being that you could then alter the ratio to taste.

Cider isn't my forte, I'm sure that others will jump in on that front. I'd be concerned about your ale yeast training on and consuming the wrong sugars (think that sugars in cider are 'simpler' than your wort).
 
Just curious what the "stout" part of this recipe is. Most blonde stouts I know of use coffee to get a stout-like roasty flavor while retaining light color. I don't think roastiness would go well with apple, though. I like the idea of making a big, sweet beer and blending fermented cider in at packaging. I think that would take some of the guesswork out of getting the right flavors you want.
 
I used a Blonde Stout recipe I'd found on 'Brew gr .com' that didn't include any coffee, or dark flavors at all. Thus the Blonde Stout name... Though I get what you're saying. I was mainly considering the heavy mouth-feel. Maybe this is more of an Imperial Blonde Ale or something...?
I'm kind of counting on the Ale Yeast to eat up the simpler/fruit sugars, leaving the more malty sugars behind the apple flavors.
Maybe a blend WILL make more sense, at least for the first try.
 
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