Just 1 oz of hops for 5-gallon batch?

[JDFury]

Howdy,

I'm about to tackle my third batch, and I wanted to follow a recipe for three-vice stout with some tweaks to the LME and the steeping grains.

Looks easy enough, but I was a little concerned that the recipe just called for 1 combined ounce of hops. That seems a bit low to me (even though I can honestly say I'm not a hop head and I don't particularly care for pale ales).

Also... as far as the steeping grain tweaks go, I was going to end up with 1 pound--4 oz each of German chocolate wheat, roasted barley, flaked barley, and black patent. I wanted to go heavier on these "darker" grains because I intend to use a "light" LME in lieu of "stout" LME (based on others' advice that dark extracts are best avoided). Any thoughts? Advice?

Thanks.

 

[Schumed]

Lots of stouts have a relatively low IBU. Stouts should be more roasty and malty than hoppy so that is why the 1oz of hops

Feel free to add what you want that is the beauty of brewing

 

[KISS Brew]

Looks easy enough, but I was a little concerned that the recipe just called for 1 combined ounce of hops. That seems a bit low to me (even though I can honestly say I'm not a hop head and I don't particularly care for pale ales).

It really isn't low. Depending on the alpha acid percentage (AA%), this could provide a weak or strong bittering. Either might be right depending on the specific stout. Most stouts don't really benefit from late hop additions, either, as the focus should be on the malty goodness.

Also... as far as the steeping grain tweaks go, I was going to end up with 1 pound--4 oz each of German chocolate wheat, roasted barley, flaked barley, and black patent. I wanted to go heavier on these "darker" grains because I intend to use a "light" LME in lieu of "stout" LME (based on others' advice that dark extracts are best avoided). Any thoughts? Advice?

I second the advice to avoid dark LME. I think your grain bill suggestion looks sound, assuming the rest is base malt.

 

[afr0byte]

A half ounce of fuggles seems too low on the bittering.

 

[billl]

Stouts typically do not have low IBU. They have lots of malt flavor that balances a relatively high IBU.

Personally, I don't think I'd care for that recipe much. Typically, a balanced stout recipe is going to have IBU's somewhere around 75-100% of the OG points. eg a dry stout starting at 1.040 should be somewhere in the 30-40 IBU range. An imperial stout starting at 1.090 should be in the 67-90 IBU range.

 

[KISS Brew]

A half ounce of fuggles seems too low on the bittering.

I agree with this. Did not see the recipe for my previous post.

For stout styles, you can get away with as low as 20-25 IBU for a sweet stout or an oatmeal stout. I would still consider 30-35 IBU to be a minimum to shoot for.

Try out a calculator like Hopville's BrewCalculus to see how much you need.

 

[JDFury]

Stouts typically do not have low IBU. They have lots of malt flavor that balances a relatively high IBU.

Personally, I don't think I'd care for that recipe much. Typically, a balanced stout recipe is going to have IBU's somewhere around 75-100% of the OG points. eg a dry stout starting at 1.040 should be somewhere in the 30-40 IBU range. An imperial stout starting at 1.090 should be in the 67-90 IBU range.

Thanks for the confirmation, Bill. I could have sworn I'd come across information along those lines somewhere, but I couldn't find it again, no matter how I asked the google machine. Maybe I heard it on a podcast...

And, KISS, thanks for the link. I entered in the recipe and and upped the hop additions to 1 oz of Fuggles each at 60 and 30 minutes and hit a 33.1 IBU (Science!).

I guess my only other concern is how the bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate and the coffee addition (It'll be cold brewed and I'll be adding with 1 minute left in the boil rather than the recipe's suggestion to include it for the full 60 minutes) will impact the final product (though as a black coffee drinker, I can't say I'm biting my nails over it or anything like that).

Thanks so much for your input.

 

[inhousebrew]

Thanks for the confirmation, Bill. I could have sworn I'd come across information along those lines somewhere, but I couldn't find it again, no matter how I asked the google machine. Maybe I heard it on a podcast...

And, KISS, thanks for the link. I entered in the recipe and and upped the hop additions to 1 oz of Fuggles each at 60 and 30 minutes and hit a 33.1 IBU (Science!).

I guess my only other concern is how the bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate and the coffee addition (It'll be cold brewed and I'll be adding with 1 minute left in the boil rather than the recipe's suggestion to include it for the full 60 minutes) will impact the final product (though as a black coffee drinker, I can't say I'm biting my nails over it or anything like that).

Thanks so much for your input.

First off, this is just personal preference but I don't care for Fuggles and put two ounces of them in my Oatmeal Stout and will change that up next time around.

Secondly, add the cold pressed coffee after fermentation is finished. No need to put it in the boil.

 

[Gduck]

With the cold brew method you get very little bitterness from the coffee so I don't think you're going to need to worry about that in the beer.

As for the chocolate I have no clue really as I've never done anything with unsweetend chocolate before. But I suspect you're not going to end up with a bitter stout that isn't palatable.

 

[JDFury]

First off, this is just personal preference but I don't care for Fuggles and put two ounces of them in my Oatmeal Stout and will change that up next time around.

Secondly, add the cold pressed coffee after fermentation is finished. No need to put it in the boil.

My reasoning for adding it extremely late in the boil is to make sure any nasties that may be in it are de-nastied, so to speak.

Though from what I've read about fermentation "scrubbing out flavors," I would tend to agree with you. Can I just add it in (I'm thinking four cups of cold-brewed coffee) with my priming sugar when I boil it for bottling? Would that throw anything off? I can't imagine it would...

 

[inhousebrew]

My reasoning for adding it extremely late in the boil is to make sure any nasties that may be in it are de-nastied, so to speak.

Though from what I've read about fermentation "scrubbing out flavors," I would tend to agree with you. Can I just add it in (I'm thinking four cups of cold-brewed coffee) with my priming sugar when I boil it for bottling? Would that throw anything off? I can't imagine it would...

You could add it at bottling time I guess although I like to let it sit and blend itself in there for two weeks. A buddies got a java stout from Midwest going right now and that is what we will do. Just dump it in there, there's alcohol in your beer at that point so risk of infection is negligible. It's like dryhopping, you don't sanitize your hops when you toss them in.

 

[DPBISME]

Depends on the stout... I have seen some low hop rates but I would go with at least an OUNCE of something arount 4 to 5 AAUs....

I just did a English Mild/Brown... I think it had two (2) oz for a 11 gallon batch... it has been naturally priming in the Keg for 10 days now... I was thinking about putting one of the kegs in the Keezer tonight and trying it tomorrow.

I did a little taste last night at room temp:::: and boy was it "brown and chocolaty" (a bit unexpected) we will see what it is like when cold

 

[JDFury]

You could add it at bottling time I guess although I like to let it sit and blend itself in there for two weeks. A buddies got a java stout from Midwest going right now and that is what we will do. Just dump it in there, there's alcohol in your beer at that point so risk of infection is negligible. It's like dryhopping, you don't sanitize your hops when you toss them in.

Cool beans. So if I'm planning on letting it go four or five weeks in the primary, I can just pop the lid at about two weeks in (after most of the activity has died down), pour in the coffee, and let it do its thing? Easy peasy. Is a mild non-oxygenating stir appropriate when I add it, or given that they'll be "living" together for two weeks, does it really not matter? Thanks again for the advice.

Cheers, and here's hoping I'll be drinking my "No. 77 Paul Coffey 'Power-Play' Stout" while there's actual NHL hockey being played ... (fingers crossed on the lockout...).

 

[inhousebrew]

I personally would rack to a secondary and put the coffee and the bottom before adding the beer but dumping into the primary should be fine. Don't think you should need a stir, if nothing else it will get mixed up when moving to the bottling bucket but should be fine before then.