Hey guys,
I've been playing with the thought of making a stout for once, after I made some hop heavy pale ales, for a change. I've had a lovely stout which had a nice, dark color, a hint of smoke and a fair amount of chocolate/coffee aroma. So my plan is to create something somewhat similar. Doesn't have to taste anything like it, but I want to see where I get with this. Plus, I'd like to make a really heavy beer, but I'm a little worried about blow out and whatever other difficulties I might encounter. Advice is very welcome!
My plan for a 12 liter batch so far looks like this:
3kg light LME (60%)
1.5kg wheat LME (30%)
50g smoked malt (1%)
150g roasted barley (3%)
200g chocolate malt (4%)
This'll result in an OG of 1.113.
Do you think this is a good start? Perhaps replace that wheat LME with 500g wheat DME, maybe an OG of 1.113 is a bit overkill and the 1.091 with the DME is better?
Furthermore, I've got about 3 packages each of US-05 and Nottingham in my fridge. Pretty sure they'll be viable. Can I use one of those strains for a stout (probably gonna straight up pitch all 3 packages), or should I go for a different strain?
What about the hop schedule? I'd like to go for something simple, and I also probably don't want to overpower the malt flavor with aroma hops. Which hop variety is suitable for a beer like this? I've seen Saaz, Mount Hood, EKG ... Aim for a 60-80 IBUs with a decent aroma charge? Can this work with less bitterness, to please a friend?
Most recipes I've seen seem to call for a transfer off the trub after a month and then letting it go for another 3 months or something among those lines - is this necessary for stouts or is it like with pale, normal-sized beers, where a transfer is overrated? Generally, what kind of fermentation time can I expect?
Lastly, big beers seem to need to bottle condition for months, according to aforementioned recipes. I can see that it would take longer to carb up for one, since the higher alcohol content will slow down the yeast.
Thanks a bunch for any advice you can give! Links to recipes (preferably extract) are also appreciated.
I've been playing with the thought of making a stout for once, after I made some hop heavy pale ales, for a change. I've had a lovely stout which had a nice, dark color, a hint of smoke and a fair amount of chocolate/coffee aroma. So my plan is to create something somewhat similar. Doesn't have to taste anything like it, but I want to see where I get with this. Plus, I'd like to make a really heavy beer, but I'm a little worried about blow out and whatever other difficulties I might encounter. Advice is very welcome!
My plan for a 12 liter batch so far looks like this:
3kg light LME (60%)
1.5kg wheat LME (30%)
50g smoked malt (1%)
150g roasted barley (3%)
200g chocolate malt (4%)
This'll result in an OG of 1.113.
Do you think this is a good start? Perhaps replace that wheat LME with 500g wheat DME, maybe an OG of 1.113 is a bit overkill and the 1.091 with the DME is better?
Furthermore, I've got about 3 packages each of US-05 and Nottingham in my fridge. Pretty sure they'll be viable. Can I use one of those strains for a stout (probably gonna straight up pitch all 3 packages), or should I go for a different strain?
What about the hop schedule? I'd like to go for something simple, and I also probably don't want to overpower the malt flavor with aroma hops. Which hop variety is suitable for a beer like this? I've seen Saaz, Mount Hood, EKG ... Aim for a 60-80 IBUs with a decent aroma charge? Can this work with less bitterness, to please a friend?
Most recipes I've seen seem to call for a transfer off the trub after a month and then letting it go for another 3 months or something among those lines - is this necessary for stouts or is it like with pale, normal-sized beers, where a transfer is overrated? Generally, what kind of fermentation time can I expect?
Lastly, big beers seem to need to bottle condition for months, according to aforementioned recipes. I can see that it would take longer to carb up for one, since the higher alcohol content will slow down the yeast.
Thanks a bunch for any advice you can give! Links to recipes (preferably extract) are also appreciated.
