Stout Recipe Help

[mpenn35]

So I'm making a stout, and I'm creating my own extract recipe for it. Here's what I'm looking at:

Steeping:

1 lb flaked oats
.5 lb English Roasted Barley
.25 lb Biscuit OR Victory
.25 lb Franco Belges Kiln Coffee
.25 lb Pale Chocolate

3.15 lbs LME
1-2 lbs DME (late addition likely)

60 minutes 1 oz Cascade
15 minutes .5 oz Cascade or Magnum

I'm new to forming recipes, so if this makes no sense, don't be afraid to tell me. I'm going with the oats for some of the mouthfeel, the biscuit or victory for some bready character, and the kiln coffee and pale chocolate for some coffee and chocolate notes. Also considered secondary on cacao nibs but I'm undecided on that.

I haven't plugged this in to any software so I have no idea what the OG will be yet. Not looking for anything super high, but in the 1.070 range or 6.5-8% ABV would be good. Not really looking for an imperial stout, so I've gotta decide on how much DME to use.

Thoughts? Advice?

Edit: This is a five gallon recipe, and I will be using Danstar Nottingham yeast.

 

[chickypad]

I think it looks pretty good but you might want to bump up the roasted barley closer to a lb. You're going to need more extract, too, if you're looking for 1.070. You probably should plug it into some software as you mentioned before you brew it.

I'd also personally bitter with the magnum and save the cascade for late. You're going to want more IBUs than an ounce of cascade would get you.

 

[mpenn35]

Thanks for the input. I'll go with a pound of the roasted barley since I have it on hand. I guess I underestimated the extract I'll need. Makes sense now that I look at it, though. I downloaded Brewtarget and it put me in the 1.052 ballpark, which isn't bad. There aren't any brew stores within half an hour of me, and I've already placed three brewing-related orders online in the past week, so I think I'll go for the lower gravity and ABV. I suppose I could add half a pound of sugar or something like that, but I've never tried doing that in a brew before.

Also, I'll change up the hops. Still new to making recipes, so thanks!

 

[zeg]

I don't think steeping the oats is a good idea, you need some base malt in there to provide enzymes for conversion. If you're set on having those, you need to make it a partial mash, even if it's a really small one. (No big deal, it just means watching temperatures a little more carefully and waiting a bit longer; you don't need to get fancy with sparging and all that if you were planning just to steep.)

To hit your desired OG, you're going to need more than 5 pounds of extract, also.

If you're doing extracts and this is your first attempt at a stout recipe, I would personally go simpler. I did one with a light DME base (6 lbs), and 1 pound each of roast barley and 60° crystal (steeped---no need for mashing). This gave me an OG of 1.059, for reference. I used Centennial, all boiled 60 mins, with 1.75 oz of 8.7% AA, and it came out what I'd call assertively bitter, but well balanced.

 

[ChessRockwell]

I'd switch it around and do the late addition on the LME instead of the DME. Start the boil with your 1-2lbs DME, and don't add the LME until later. This supposedly helps avoid the extract-y taste you can sometimes get from LME.

 

[mpenn35]

This is my fourth or fifth stout. The others were good, but basic. I just wanted to change things up and get a little bit more going into it.

I recently did an oatmeal stout where I toasted the oats and then steeped them with the grains as I was told to do and it turned out great. Of course, I don't know if the oats had anything to do with it, though...

And thanks ChessRockwell, I'll probably switch the DME and LME additions around.

 

[BuddyWeiser]

+1 DME 1st/LME 2nd. I add DME @ the beginning of the boil and LME @ 15 min.

If you like sugar or creamer in your coffee, then maybe malto-dextrine or lactose before bottling/kegging would be good.

 

[chickypad]

I recently did an oatmeal stout where I toasted the oats and then steeped them with the grains as I was told to do and it turned out great.

Jamil describes this same technique in Brewing Classic Styles, not sure if that's where you saw it.
I wouldn't do the sugar, I don't think you want to thin this out (edit - I don't mean the lactose, you mentioned adding sugar to up the ABV). Unless you have a couple lbs of base grain lying around to do a partial mash I would just roll with the 1.052.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[zeg]

This is my fourth or fifth stout. The others were good, but basic. I just wanted to change things up and get a little bit more going into it.

I recently did an oatmeal stout where I toasted the oats and then steeped them with the grains as I was told to do and it turned out great. Of course, I don't know if the oats had anything to do with it, though...

Ok, fair enough. I've not actually messed around with oats. Without a mash, you won't extract fermentable sugars but you may get some of the mouthfeel and/or flavor. But if it worked for you in the past, I'm sure it'll work again. Good luck!

 

[mpenn35]

Not sure if I'll go the milk stout route or not yet. I've done one and it turned out very well, but I don't know that I want a sweet stout on this one.

I think I'll go with the changes suggested and keep the oats in, and leave out the sugar and be happy with whatever my starting gravity is.

Thanks for all the input!