Anyone Using Grok?

[teal]

I looked (quickly) and didn't really see it on the front page. Sorry if it's a repeat. Wondering if anyone's using Grok off X (Twitter) for recipe formulation?

I'm not great at building recipes but I asked it for an Irish stout with 2 more follow on asks for clarification and it seemed to do ok.

Thoughts? (my inputs in bold)

Write a good homebrew recipe for a dry irish stout. Include mash temperature and hop additions. Assume this is brewed on a BIAB or brew in a bag. 5 gallon recipe please.

Here’s a solid 5-gallon homebrew recipe for a Dry Irish Stout using the Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB) method. This style is known for its roasty, coffee-like flavors, dry finish, and moderate bitterness—think Guinness but with your own twist. I’ll keep it straightforward and include mash temps and hop schedules tailored for BIAB.
Dry Irish Stout Recipe (5 Gallons)
Target OG: 1.040
Target FG: 1.008–1.010
ABV: ~4.0–4.2%
IBU: ~35–40
SRM: ~35 (deep brown to black)
Ingredients

• Grain Bill:
  • 7 lbs Pale Malt (2-Row, UK or US) – Base malt for fermentables (~80%)
  • 1 lb Flaked Barley – Adds body and that creamy stout mouthfeel (~11%)
  • 0.75 lb Roasted Barley – Brings the signature roasty, coffee flavor and dark color (~8%)
  • 0.25 lb Black Malt – Deepens color and adds a touch of sharpness (~3%)
• Hops:
  • 1.5 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) (5% AA) – Bittering addition
  • 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings (5% AA) – Flavor addition
• Yeast:
  • 1 packet Irish Ale Yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1084, White Labs WLP004, or Safale S-04) – Dry, slightly fruity, perfect for the style
• Water:
  • 7.5 gallons total (adjust for your system’s boil-off rate; BIAB typically uses full volume)

Equipment

• BIAB setup (bag, kettle, heat source)
• Thermometer
• Hydrometer
• Fermentation vessel

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Brew Day Process
Mash

1. Water Volume: Heat 7.5 gallons of water to ~158°F (strike temp). BIAB uses full volume, so this accounts for mash and sparge in one go.
2. Mash Temp: Add grains to the bag and stir well. Target a mash temp of 152°F. This gives a balanced fermentability for a dry finish without being too thin. Hold for 60 minutes.
3. Stir Occasionally: Check temp and adjust heat if needed (BIAB can lose heat). After 60 minutes, lift the bag and let it drain into the kettle. Squeeze lightly if you want max efficiency (around 70–75% typical for BIAB).

Boil (60 minutes)

• Bring wort to a boil (~6.5 gallons pre-boil, aiming for 5.5 gallons post-boil).
• Hop Additions:
  • 60 minutes: Add 1.5 oz East Kent Goldings. This gets you to ~35 IBU, keeping bitterness firm but not overpowering.
  • 15 minutes: Add 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings. Adds a subtle earthy flavor that complements the roastiness.

Chill & Pitch

• Cool wort to 65–70°F after the boil.
• Transfer to fermenter (should be ~5 gallons after losses).
• Aerate well, then pitch the yeast.

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Fermentation

• Primary: Ferment at 65–68°F for 10–14 days. Irish Ale yeast works fast but likes this range for clean flavors with a hint of esters.
• Check FG: Look for 1.008–1.010. If it’s stable, you’re good to go.

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Packaging

• Carbonation: Bottle or keg to 1.8–2.2 volumes CO2. Dry stouts shine with lower carb—creamy, not fizzy.
• Condition: Let it sit 1–2 weeks after carbonation. Flavors meld nicely with a little time.

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Notes

• Mash Temp Tweaks: If you want it drier, drop to 150°F. For a touch more body, go to 154°F.
• Roasted Barley: Don’t overdo it—too much can turn it acrid. 0.75 lb is the sweet spot for 5 gallons.
• Hops: EKG is traditional, but Fuggle works too if that’s what you have. Aim for 35–40 IBU total.
• BIAB Tip: If your efficiency is lower (e.g., 65%), bump the pale malt to 7.5 lbs to hit the OG.

This’ll give you a classic Dry Irish Stout—dark, roasty, and sessionable. Let me know if you want to tweak anything! Ready to brew? Cheers!


Can you advise a specific pale malt to use? Maris Otter or another?
For a Dry Irish Stout, the choice of pale malt can subtly shape the beer’s character, and since you’re asking about specifics like Maris Otter, I’ll dive into that. Maris Otter is an excellent option, and I’d recommend it here over a standard US 2-Row for this style. Here’s why and how it fits:
Recommended Pale Malt: Maris Otter

• Why Maris Otter?
  Maris Otter is a UK heritage barley variety known for its rich, biscuity, and slightly nutty flavor—a bit more complex than the cleaner, neutral profile of US 2-Row. In a Dry Irish Stout, where the roasted barley and flaked barley dominate the flavor, Maris Otter adds a subtle malty depth to the backbone without overpowering the roastiness. It’s a traditional choice for British and Irish beer styles, so it aligns beautifully with the stout’s heritage.
• Specifics:
  • Lovibond: ~3–4°L
  • Diastatic Power: High enough to convert the flaked barley in the mash
  • Source: Look for Crisp or Simpsons Maris Otter—both are widely available and reliable.

Alternatives
If Maris Otter isn’t on hand or you want options, here’s how others stack up:

• UK Pale Malt (e.g., Golden Promise): Similar to Maris Otter but slightly sweeter and less biscuity. Golden Promise (from Simpsons) is another classic UK malt that’d work well—still keeps that traditional vibe.
• US 2-Row: A solid fallback (e.g., Briess or Rahr). It’s cleaner and less flavorful, letting the roasted barley take center stage even more. If you want the roast to scream, this isn’t a bad pick—but it’s less “Irish” in spirit.
• Munich Malt (Light): If you want a twist, sub 1–2 lbs of the pale malt with Munich (8–10°L). It adds a toasty warmth, but use sparingly—it could push the beer away from the dry, crisp finish.

My Pick for Your Recipe
Stick with 7 lbs of Maris Otter for the recipe I gave you. It’ll give your stout a touch of malt richness that plays nicely with the coffee-like roasted barley and creamy flaked barley, while still finishing dry thanks to the 152°F mash temp. If you’re sourcing it, Crisp Maris Otter is a homebrewer favorite—consistent and widely praised.
What do you think—does Maris Otter sound like it fits your vision, or were you leaning another way?



This sounds excellent. One more question. Assuming I started with reverse osmosis water, what water chemistry additions should I make and where should the wort ph be?
Starting with reverse osmosis (RO) water is a great move—it’s a blank slate, so you can build the perfect profile for your Dry Irish Stout. For this style, you want a water chemistry that enhances the roasty flavors, supports a creamy mouthfeel, and keeps the bitterness in check. I’ll tailor the additions to your 5-gallon BIAB recipe and give you a target wort pH. Let’s dive in.
Water Chemistry Goals for Dry Irish Stout

• Flavor Focus: Emphasize roastiness and malt depth without harsh bitterness.
• Key Ions:
  • Calcium: Boosts yeast health and clarity (50–100 ppm).
  • Chloride: Enhances creaminess and malt sweetness (100–150 ppm).
  • Sulfate: Moderate to keep hops subdued (50–100 ppm; sulfate-to-chloride ratio ~1:2 or lower).
  • Alkalinity: Enough to balance the dark malts’ acidity but not too high (target ~50–80 ppm as CaCO3).
• Wort pH: Aim for 5.2–5.4 during the mash. This range optimizes enzyme activity, extract efficiency, and keeps the roast flavors smooth rather than sharp.

Additions for 7.5 Gallons of RO Water
Since BIAB uses full-volume water (7.5 gallons total for mash and boil), we’ll treat the whole batch. Here’s what to add:

1. Calcium Chloride (CaCl₂):
   • Amount: 4.5 grams (~0.6 tsp)
   • Why: Adds ~70 ppm calcium and ~125 ppm chloride. Boosts malt richness and that creamy stout texture.
2. Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum, CaSO₄):
   • Amount: 1.5 grams (~0.2 tsp)
   • Why: Adds ~25 ppm calcium and ~60 ppm sulfate. Provides a touch of hop crispness without overdoing it.
3. Calcium Carbonate (Chalk, CaCO₃):
   • Amount: 2.0 grams (~0.4 tsp)
   • Why: Adds ~50 ppm alkalinity (as CaCO₃) and ~20 ppm calcium. Buffers the acidity from roasted barley and black malt, preventing an overly sharp pH drop.
4. Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt, MgSO₄):
   • Amount: 1.0 gram (~0.1 tsp)
   • Why: Adds ~10 ppm magnesium for yeast health and a hint of sulfate. Optional, but rounds things out.

Resulting Profile (Approximate)

• Calcium: ~90 ppm
• Magnesium: ~10 ppm
• Chloride: ~125 ppm
• Sulfate: ~65 ppm
• Alkalinity: ~50 ppm (as CaCO₃)
• Sodium: ~0 ppm (none added, but you could toss in 1–2g of table salt for ~20 ppm if you like a slight savory note)

Application

• Dissolve these salts into your 7.5 gallons of RO water before heating. Stir well—chalk can be stubborn, so mix it thoroughly or pre-dissolve it in a small amount of warm water.
• If your system allows, split the additions: add half to the mash water and half to the kettle post-mash for better control, but full-volume BIAB makes pre-mixing simplest.

Wort pH Target and Adjustment

• Target Mash pH: 5.2–5.4
  • The roasted barley (0.75 lb) and black malt (0.25 lb) will drop the pH significantly due to their acidity. The chalk helps counter this, but check with a pH meter 15 minutes into the mash.
  • If too high (>5.5): Add a small amount of lactic acid (88%) or acidulated malt (e.g., 0.1–0.2 lbs mashed separately). Start with 0.5 mL lactic acid and recheck.
  • If too low (<5.1): Add a pinch more chalk (0.5 g) or baking soda (NaHCO₃, 0.5 g) sparingly—watch sodium levels.
• Pre-Boil pH: Should settle around 5.1–5.3 after the mash. The boil will drop it slightly further (to ~4.8–5.0), which is fine for fermentation and flavor.

Notes

• Why This Profile? The higher chloride-to-sulfate ratio (roughly 2:1) leans into the malt and roast, keeping the East Kent Goldings’ bitterness smooth. The calcium and alkalinity ensure yeast happiness and prevent an overly tart stout.
• Tools: A water calculator like Bru’n Water or Brewer’s Friend can fine-tune this if you know your exact RO baseline or want to tweak further.
• Taste Test: After brewing, if the roast feels too harsh, next time cut the sulfate (gypsum) to 1 g and bump chloride (CaCl₂) to 5 g.

This setup should pair perfectly with your Maris Otter, roasted barley, and 152°F mash. You’ll get a smooth, roasty stout with a dry finish. Got a pH meter handy, or are you winging it? Let me know how it goes!

 

[lumpher]

I'm not, but I bet he could easily move a full boil kettle...

Seriously, though, I went through that recipe and process. Long read, but it looks good, even at the step by step level.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Thoughts?

One of the better recipe chats that I've seen. +1 to your prompt writing skills (and the bubble that has been created for you).

I'll point out just three areas (there are more) that need improvement.

 

[M54B25]

Not sure I could trust a recipe put together by AI. Mistakes probably wouldn't be dangerous but there are already so many other places to find recipes for pretty much any style of beer and brewing equipment that it seems unnecessary to take any sort of risk it'll tell you to add glue to the mash (or something less conspicuous but still unwise).

 

[Snuffy]

I would try brewing it so as not to displease the Virtual Overlords.

 

[Willy]

I have used Grok to make cool labels (just for fun, I don't do bottles but like making labels for kicks )

Checkers - the Pilsen Monkey.

 

[bstacy1974]

I haven't used grok, but I have used Google Gemini. I prompted it to create a beer recipe featuring Mt Hood hops.
It created Mt. Hood Citrus Burst IPA. Fairly basic recipe but I brewed it for a beer tasting my wife hosted for some of our friends. It was nice.
Totally trust AI to get me a decent recipe to start testing new hops or coming up with new hop combos.

 

[NewBrewer2025]

Yes, I used Grok to make my lemon shandy, and then I doubled checked with other sources to make sure it made sense. Everyone agreed it seemed fine.

I’ve also used it to help tweak recipes.

What I like about it is that it explains things to you, like why you’re making the choice you are. And then I double check with a google search / forum search to make sure it’s actually true. I have found it mostly knows what it’s talking about when it comes to recipes, and can often offer you alternatives to consider.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

In this keynote (NDC 2025), there is a segment that demonstrates the statistical word generation aspect of LLMs.

 

[fluketamer]

i started a couple of weeks ago. its addictive,

i like the fact that you can have a running conversation with it and adjust your recipe as you go along.

its interesting how it sometimes makes little minor mistakes. you can then point out the errors and it will correct itself. it makes it seem human. its a little scary.

very easy to bounce ideas off of it that it can back up with web page articles.

i would suggest everyone try it once.

give it a grain bill yeast and hops or a style with what ingredients you want to brew and compare it to what you would have done. its pretty decent in recipe formulations. and you can very easily adjust the recipe . i find it much quicker and easier than say brewers friend.