What BJCP category is my stout?

[salb29]

Entering a local competition but trying to narrow down what category my stout is best suited for. I'm thinking the Irish stout or oatmeal.

9lbs of marris otter
1.5 lbs of chocolate malt
1 lb of flaked Oates
.5 lbs of roasted barley
2 oz of fuggles
White labs 0004 Irish ale yeast
Ibus--20
Color 37
Og 1.050

 

[eric19312]

I recommend tasting it side by side with Guiness and Sam Smith or Young's Oatmeal Stout. Recipe really doesn't matter, which of those beers it is most like is the better category.

 

[WhamFish]

How did it turn out? Do you get more roast character or chocolate? Any evidence of oatmeal?

Your prob going to be dinged a few points in both categories, in Irish Stout your going to be low on roasted character since your dark malt profile will be coming more from chocolate. In oatmeal stout you might get dinged for not having a strong oatmeal character. In either case if it is well brewed it should do fine, I think you'll do better in Oatmeal stout. In the future I'd toast the oats or try golden naked oats. Judges want to be able to detect the use of oats and that generally helps.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

The final gravity/mouth feel will help you determine a little better which category to drop it in. Chewy/slick/sticky/smooth probably go for oatmeal stout. If it comes off a bit dry and roasty, irish stout. Like what was said above, you might get dinged for points in either category. But if you think its delicious and people who try it think its delicious who cares what a BJCP judge thinks.


(granted I'm vascilating between categories for a flaked rye stout/porter I made, it fits perfectly by the numbers into a Brown Porter, but to me it reminds me more of like a chocolate oatmeal stout and I'm not sensitive enough to detect rye spice so I'll get dinged probably no matter where I enter it. So I know what you're going through.)

 

[m00ps]

I dont think 1 lb oatmeal would get enough oatmeal character either for a stout. Ive found I need at least 2 lbs and like 0.5 lb toasted oats to get the oat flavor to pop and have that luxurious body.

Definitely irish stout. Its got no crystals so its certainly dry for a stout

 

[salb29]

Definitely has a lot of coffee/chocolate flavor, more sweet then bitter, more smooth then dry

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Definitely has a lot of coffee/chocolate flavor, more sweet then bitter, more smooth then dry

13B Sweet Stout may be an option then as it appears to me its the sort of middle ground between a dry stout and an oatmeal stout. Since the oatmeal probably isnt super noticeable in terms of flavor, and its probably not dry and roast enough (too much mouthfeel) for a dry stout.

Overall Impression: A very dark, sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty ale. Often tastes like sweetened espresso.

 

[salb29]

Pretty close to that, no lactose in it though