Better aroma in a Stout?

[dangerbrew]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on a way to get better aroma in a stout beer that's more to BJCP style guidelines. My beer always tastes exactly the way I want it to, but I just can't seem to always get the kind of aroma from it I'd want - it's always very light.

Any thoughts?

 

[beerman1957]

You could add saaz hops at the flame out or add dry hops in the secondary. Both methods would provide a very good aroma without adding bitterness.

http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/05/21/dry-hopping-enhanced-hops-aroma/

 

[Danbreeze]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on a way to get better aroma in a stout beer that's more to BJCP style guidelines. My beer always tastes exactly the way I want it to, but I just can't seem to always get the kind of aroma from it I'd want - it's always very light.

Any thoughts?

Malt aroma or hop aroma? You can always add some roasted barley to get a more roasty stout aroma from the beer. If it is hop aroma I would follow Beerman's advice.

 

[RM-MN]

What is your serving temperature? I've learned that my porter tastes much better poured in a warm glass than in a frozen mug because there is more aroma to it.

 

[beerman1957]

Oh, yeah! I should have asked. For coffee-stout aroma I suggest bumping up the roasted barley to .5 lbs.

 

[Bswinter2]

If you want more hop aroma, I would take about 30% of your late addition hops and add them as a first wort hop. You will have to adjust your bittering hops down some to compensate for the extra IBU's from the first wort hop. The result will be a smoother blending to the flavors of your hops and many claim a more enjoyable aroma.

 

[mjohnson]

Might try a different yeast - or play with the temp of your fermentation with the yeast you're using. Perhaps a tad warmer ferment will provide just a bit of yeast derived aroma. Depends on what you're looking for I guess.

 

[EricCSU]

Serving temp is a big contributor. My dry stout and english mild both had very little flavor out of the keg. After 10 minutes, the aroma and flavor was fantastic. The temp was 48F.

Eric

 

[dangerbrew]

First of all, the aroma I'm looking for is more of the roast/coffee notes. The hops are evident.

As to adding more roasted barley, I already have 1 1/4 lbs. of it in the recipe, so I can't imagine adding much more. I also have about 3/4 lb. Chocolate Malt in it, so yeah... I'm pretty good ingredient-wise I think.

My serving temp is at 50 degrees F so I'm pretty sure I've got that nailed down good.

I think I might play with the yeast a bit - maybe a dry ale yeast instead of the liquid White Labs Irish Ale I've been using for a while. My ferm temp is around 66 degrees F usually.

 

[indigi]

What kind of roast barley are you using? I think Briess' is only 300-330L, whereas Weyermann's is 500-550L+. I find that stouts I make with darker roasted barley always have a more roasty aroma.

 

[DBear]

Having a large, persistent head on the beer pulls out the aroma and flavor. I have only brewed stouts using belgian yeast and usually carb to 2.5-3.0 vols

 

[dangerbrew]

It's Munton's. Something like 500-560 L.