Adding Dark Grain Later or Steeping

[Gytaryst]

I'm getting ready to brew a stout with the following grains:

• Pale Malt (2 row) - 42.9%
• Weyermann® BARKE® Vienna Malt - 39.3%
• Torrified Wheat - 3.6%
• Chocolate Malt - 2.7%
• Flaked Oats - 2.7%
• Black Patent Malt - 1.8%
• Roasted Barley - 1.8%
• Demerara Sugar - 5.4%

I'd like to get some feedback on when to add what to the mash. I'm planning a single infusion mash at 152*F for 45-60 minutes.
My questions:

• Throw everything in the mash at the same time?
• Add the Chocolate, Black Patent and Roasted Barley 20 minutes into the mash?
• Steep those grains separately and add the tea to the wort?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jimbodaman]

Standard operating procedure is to just throw all the grains in the mash for the entire time. Many experiment with adding dark grains at the end of the mash for less of an acrid/roast character. I would stick to the basics as this is in the beginners section. However for next time you brew this recipe if you thought the roastiness was too pronounced you could add it in the last 10-20 minutes to extract mostly the color.

 

[Sadu]

Yeah normally you would put everything in together for a stout. Late additions are used for things like schwarzbier where you want dark colour but want to minimise the roast character.
In this case there is not a lot of roasted malts in your recipe anyway so I don't think you are at risk of overpowering roast flavours.
I would mash this all together.

 

[jwalk4]

You'll get varying opinions on this.

Gordon Strong has widely supported the technique where you add dark grains at vorlauf.

Brulosopher tested it, and the panel preferred dark grains added for the full length of the mash.

I hear good things about cold steeping, but you might as t to boost the dark grain percentage by 30-50%, based on what I've read.

But personally, for a stout, you want a little bitter/astringent flavor from roasted barley.

 

[Gytaryst]

Thanks for the feedback. I take it there's no real pH concerns I need to worry about if I throw it all in at once?

 

[jwalk4]

Thanks for the feedback. I take it there's no real pH concerns I need to worry about if I throw it all in at once?

Acidity is acidity when it comes to dark grains.

I assume you have bru n' water or are using brewer's friend for a mash water calculator. You'll want to target a PH range between 5.2 and 5.4 Personally, I shoot for closer to 5.4 on dark, malty beers.

So as long as you're in the ph range, you're good to toss it all in at once.