Altering Recipe Kits

I want to buy the Chocolate Raspberry Stout from AHS but I want to alter it a bit and I'm just wondering how it might work.

I want to add oats to the steeping grains (I'm using the extract kit) to add some mouth feel. What would be a good amount to use?

Also I want to bump up the ABV and was thinking of using DME. The kit comes with LME. How much would adding DME change the flavor? I am shooting for a 2% boost in ABV.

I've used invert sugar in a chocolate stout before and it worked great as a gravity booster. It doesn't affect flavor very much and you can use a small amount to good effect. Lyle's Golden Syrup is a good example of this. Treacle, molasses, or honey can be used too, but these will have some influence on the flavor (which may be desirable!).

If you're going with DME, follow the calculations on []William's Brewing, Home Brewing Supplies, Winemaking Supplies, and Home Coffee Roasting. @ Williams Brewing (scroll down to 4.1) and use the lightest DME you can find. A stout - especially one such as a chocolate raspberry stout - will be forgiving of other minor flavors and may hide them entirely.

As for the oats... use something flaked for best results, like flaked barley. I've never seen more than a pound used in steeping with extract either.

But then again, it's homebrewing. Go crazy. Experiment. Don't be afraid to try something new! If you're not careful you might invent a truly amazing beer!

Awesome.. thanks. Im off to order the goods.

Have you brewed the kit recipe once? If not, I suggest that you brew it as written before starting to tweak it.