Oatmeal Stout Yooper's Oatmeal Stout

Brewed this up, primary for about 5 weeks. Half kegged and half bottled (2.5 gal each). Keg was on 28psi for about 36 hours and then 8 psi for a day. Gave it a pull last night and though lightly (probably appropriately) carbed, it was fantastic. I expected some rough edges and more age needed at this point but it was much smoother and drinkable than planned. Final OG was 1.018, so very approachable final alcohol in the upper 4's. Not much head due to light carb but what was stuck well. Not full mouthfeel, though I did dial back oatmeal about 30%. Great balance between malt and bitter structure. Amazing chocolate through mid and aftertaste - gets even better when warms in the glass. It's a good one!

 

I brewed this two days ago and its fermenting along nicely but there's one problem. While explaining the difference between black barley and roast barley the guy at my lhbs forgot to put in either. I noticed it was a little light at start of mash but at midpoint its linked black. It must of just been my kettle because when it transferred to carboy it was DEFIANTLY brown!! I checked receipt and saw the mistake but I didn't want to drive all the way there for a half a pound of grain. So...I was wondering if I should add coffee for a coffee oatmeal brown or maybe raisins for a oatmeal cookie brown or should just leave it and see what its like? Any ideas? Thank you in advance.

 

If you leave it as it is, it will lack any real roasty flavors of a stout. My vote would be to do some coffee. I've had a few coffee browns that are really good. Or if you can split the batch and do half with coffee and leave half alone..you might like the result without coffee.

 

Agreed, depending on your OG.

 

Personally, i'd leave it. It'll be a on the light end for a stout, call it a brown or whatever you want, but i'll bet it'll still be a decent beer.

 

Thanks for the response, I'm torn on whether to add some coffee beans or not. I only have a one gallon carboy and 5 gall so maybe I'll spilt it up some how. My OG was 1.057 because I was a tad light on the volume side but I do like a brown ale so maybe I'll only bean a gallon.

 

My first batch after 14 days in the bottle

 

Brewed up another batch of this awesome recipe today. Netted 6.25gal @ 1.052 O.G. I've been just dipping my toes into water chemistry lately. This will be my second dark beer that I've tinkered with the water a bit, looking forward to the end result. Using Wyeast 1335 British Ale II this time around.

 

Had two bottles this weekend that have been in the bottle 3 weeks. This is a delicious stout. Just enough roast but not too overpowering and a super creamy mouthfeel. My only issue is that I don't have much head retention at all which is strange. It pours with a beautiful tan head but it disappears after about a minute. You would think with the flaked oats and barley it would have better retention but oh well.

 

I'm also having the head retention issue with my first batch after 2 weeks in the bottle. Does aging affect head retention in any way?

 

Mine out of the tap has very little head/retention. My other beers have plenty, so I know its not a process thing. I bottled half so will see how they do.

 

The oats and flaked barley are probably fighting each other. The oils in the oats are a detriment to head retention.

I haven't gotten lasting head in my batch of this, either, but it's still pretty young.

 

I was thinking of experimenting a bit when bottling (440ml bottles) the next batch.

• add a little bit of Jack Daniel's (ie 10ml)
• cold pressed coffee (ie 10 - 15ml)
• adding a small piece Jack Daniel's smoking chunks (very small piece)

 

This goes against everything I've read about oats and head retention. Oats actually help promote head retention, not thwart it. Where say you find your info?

 

This is pretty succinct (4th paragraph, under "Head Hunting"): http://byo.com/malt/item/621-fabulous-foam

 

Every beer in which I've used oats, either flaked oats or Thomas Fawcett oat malt, has had head retention issues. I tend to add more than I probably should though, usually 1.5 - 2lbs per 5 gallon batch. I love the slick mouthfeel I get and don't care much about the head.

 

Interesting. Based on all I've read, even just now, the key to getting good head is high proteins. Specifically hydrophobic and hydrophilic proteins; they contrast each other to create surface tension, which props up the foam making it last longer. This article goes more into the science of it. Since oats are busting at the seams with proteins, it only stands to reason that they contribute greatly to the cause.

What I wasn't aware of is the higher oil content in oats though. It seems that even though they provide the proteins necessary for good head formation and retention, these oils can indeed cause some significant issues.

I'll concede the fact that oats may not be as helpful as I thought, however I have never had any issues with head retention on this beer in particular. I've also 'dry-beaned' it with direct contact with coffee beans (also high in oils) for a week with no noticeable depreciation of the head. I do carb this to 2.5 volumes though, which may be higher than most people.

 

Wow, good information about flaked oats. I assumed they would aid in head retention but also didn't know about the high oil content. For me, the creamy mouthfeel the oats give far outweighs a long lasting head so I'm not going to worry about it too much.

Always learning something new on HBT!

 

Brewed 5.5 gal today. Hydrometer sample was delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

 

Two weeks in the keg, and about carbed up. Taste is awesome. Can't wait for another few weeks to pass. Great recipe.

 

I'm heading off to the LHBS today for a grain bill and want to try this again but I want a more robust flavor. Any ideas to build up this recipe to give a darker body and head and a more robust flavor?

 

Buller, Buller... anyone?

 

Maybe look for a robust Porter recipe or an RIS recipe. By changing any recipe by adding more dark grains or adjuncts you throw off the balance of the beer. This beer is pretty good the way it is.

 

man. this beer is really good.

 

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6 weeks post brew-day. Turned out great. Can't wait to see how it tastes in a few more weeks cause it's pretty awesome already.

 

You can add a little more of one of the two chocolate malts if you want it a little darker and more chocolate flavored. It works, I actually prefer it that way but I am a chocolate hound. Don't over do it.

 

I got something similar at 3 weeks. I was going to bottle today. The quality isn't the greatest, but you can see the whitish, almost webby spots on the surface around the flash. I'm hoping it's just something that happens with oats..it's my first time brewing with them.

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Well great

 

Not exactly the same recipe but based of this and absolutely fantastic. I had some grain that was similar so I substituted.

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I bottled today on exactly 3 weeks and the surface area was clean, no spots or oiliness

 

I'm going to bottle it up. I hit about 1.012 FG and it tastes alright from the carboy. Time will tell

 

FWIW, mine had this oily slick on the surface. I chilled and bottled, and I've neither seen nor tasted any signs of infection.

 

Here's my blueberry version of this. Works surprisingly well (if you like fruit beers, I know they're not everyone's thing). Nice head retention throughout the pint.

 

Nothing to worry about, it's not infected. Mine looked exactly the same. It's been bottled for 6 weeks now and it tastes great. Head retention is poor though, but I used a bit more flaked oats, 1.5lbs.

 

Great, thank you both for your reassurance. It hit FG and the sample tasted fine so I bottled it up. It had strong appley and estery aromas, because I accidentally let it get too hot while fermenting (and because it's still green). I used Mangrove Jack's M07, which is safe up to about 72-74..the internal temp of my carboy got up to 72. So here's to hoping that dies down a little over time!

 

It's probably been asked many times before, but can porridge oats be used in this recipe? (regular or rolled porridge oats, not quick oats).