Can You Brew It recipe for Deschutes Obsidian Stout

[RJS]

No need for adding chocolate!

 

[menisale]

I think i actually prefered this one when it was really fresh and young, verus some age on it

I still have a number of 22 OZ bottles left from my August brew and it is incredible. IMHO this is a great beer fresh but really hits a new level at about the 9 month mark. The roast really comes true with a good coffee and chocolate notes. It is a great beer.

I will be brewing 12.5 G of this on the 23rd, 5 for keg and young drinking and the rest for 22 OZ bottles for next year.

 

[HopSong]

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I love their black porter.. now to try the extract/grain version.. anyone do that?

 

[menisale]

I'm brewing this again tomorrow. It will be my 3rd go round with this recipe. I obviously like this recipe. they have all been incredible.

I'm doing a 12.5 G batch and have a 10 G igloo MT, so not room for all of the grains so I'm cold steep my dark grains. It is amazing the aroma of these grains, when they are all combined without the pale malt.

Has anyone else tried cold steeping?

I will be using the water from my steeping in my original mash water and then adding the dark grains to my last batch sparge. I will have 5 batch sparges to get the wort that i need.

 

[TacoBrew]

...
90 min boil

WLP002 or Wyeast 1968. Ferment at 65F to start and increase to

11.9 lbs US 2-row
...

I'm planning on making this later this week. Could someone tell me what the end of the fermentation schedule is supposed to be?

 

[jammin]

I just racked this to a secondary today and took a sample.

SG: 1.061 (a little low)
TG: 1.016 (happy w/this!)

Had to post because this was a really tasty sample. I'm looking forward to getting this beer finished up and taste the final product.

 

[beowulf]

Awesome stout...the best I've brewed yet and exactly what I'm looking for with the style. I think you'll be happy with it. Mine was 1.069-1.017, so not far off.

As for fermentation schedule in the post above, I went to about 68F and it turned out just fine.

 

[ResumeMan]

I brewed this in mid-May, and have been drinking it for a couple of weeks.

It's delicious, I'm very happy with this beer. It has a rich, complex dark malt character that develops as you work your way down the glass. I've been thinking it could use a touch more roast character, but I think that is due to two things: when I got back from the LHBS it occurred to me that I may have come in a couple ounces short on the black malt (scale operator fail). Plus, I tried for the first time the add dark grains at vorlauf technique, and I suspect that that benefits from upping the quantities just a bit.

That said, a great beer, I am really enjoying it!

 

[menisale]

I'm brewing this again tomorrow. It will be my 3rd go round with this recipe. I obviously like this recipe. they have all been incredible.

I'm doing a 12.5 G batch and have a 10 G igloo MT, so not room for all of the grains so I'm cold steep my dark grains. It is amazing the aroma of these grains, when they are all combined without the pale malt.

Has anyone else tried cold steeping?

I will be using the water from my steeping in my original mash water and then adding the dark grains to my last batch sparge. I will have 5 batch sparges to get the wort that i need.

So I made this with the cold steeping back on June 22 and just drank it for the first time last night. Incredible! All of the coffee and chocolate flavor but without the astringency that comes from the black patent. I highly recommend trying this for yourself and I will be doing it again. Not only do I like what it did for the flavor and drink-ability, I also love the fact that it allowed me to produce more beer.

If you try it, I would love to hear about it.

Now the bottle bombs had nothing to do with the cold steeping but trying to bottle too soon and allowing my storage temperature to increase too high.

 

[bobbrews]

Just to confirm, this is approx:

72% 2-row (Mash at 149)
8% Black Patent (Cold Steep)
7% C-80 (Cold Steep)
4% Munich (Mash at 149)
4% Wheat (Mash at 149)
4% Carapils (Mash at 149)
1% Roasted Barley (Cold Steep)

...Is that true??

Also, I think if done right, you can tweak the recipe with added chocolate or coffee, etc. similar to the methods of the KBS clone.

How long is this kept in the primary? Thoughts on using WLP007 for more attenuation/lower FG?

 

[jammin]

Just to confirm, this is approx:

72% 2-row (Mash at 149)
8% Black Patent (Cold Steep)
7% C-80 (Cold Steep)
4% Munich (Mash at 149)
4% Wheat (Mash at 149)
4% Carapils (Mash at 149)
1% Roasted Barley (Cold Steep)

...Is that true??

Also, I think if done right, you can tweak the recipe with added chocolate or coffee, etc. similar to the methods of the KBS clone.

How long is this kept in the primary? Thoughts on using WLP007 for more attenuation/lower FG?

Here is a link to my recipe on Brewer's friend if you like:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/9037/obsidian-stout

I would stick with Wyeast 1968 on this. My attenuation was perfect. Obviously taste is subjective but a little body on this beer is terrific. I'll take 1.016 TG on this one every time.

FWIW - i just entered this in the fair today. We'll see how it does come Saturday.

 

[TriggerFingers]

Brewing this up today. The LBHS didn't have any Black Patent in stock so I made a judgment call and subbed Dingeman's Debittered Black 509L. I think I may lower the IBU's just a little to compensate. Also, going to go with Magnum, Fuggles, and Chinook for the hop additions (its what I have). The beer calc #'s are spot on for everything else. This should be a good one!

 

[JesperX]

Brewing this up today. The LBHS didn't have any Black Patent in stock so I made a judgment call and subbed Dingeman's Debittered Black 509L. I think I may lower the IBU's just a little to compensate. Also, going to go with Magnum, Fuggles, and Chinook for the hop additions (its what I have). The beer calc #'s are spot on for everything else. This should be a good one!

It'll be a different beer but probably a good one still. With the debittered it should be really smooth and not as overtly roasty/ashy. That black patent plays a huge role in Obsidians flavor profile. Good call lowering the IBUs a touch.

 

[TriggerFingers]

Jesper,

So the brew day went well and I hit all my numbers. The grav sample tasted very smooth, but still has a very pleasant roast character (not as pronounced as with the BP). I think using magnum as the 90 min hop worked well with the Debittered Black Malt in this situation to offer the sense of a bit more bitterness, but in a very clean way. With the debittered black, I did not want to make a Black IPA. I let it go for a few weeks and then bottle and let you know how it works out!

TF

 

[JesperX]

Sounds awesome. Love Magnum, can't go wrong with it. I'm curious to see if some first wort hopping would go well with the debittered black. If you end up liking it, I might have to brew up your variation and try the fwh.

 

[TriggerFingers]

So my gravity finished a few points high at 1.020, but no matter as the beer tastes absolutely spectacular! Should be carbed up next weekend and I can't wait to try it cold. I can kind of see how the debittered black really smooths this beer out. The final gravity sample had a nice roast to it, but not charred or burnt. Even though it was super smooth, it wasn't "thin" or "watery" like some smooth dark beers I have had in the past. One of the best beers I have ever made!

TF

 

[jammin]

So my gravity finished a few points high at 1.020, but no matter as the beer tastes absolutely spectacular! Should be carbed up next weekend and I can't wait to try it cold. I can kind of see how the debittered black really smooths this beer out. The final gravity sample had a nice roast to it, but not charred or burnt. Even though it was super smooth, it wasn't "thin" or "watery" like some smooth dark beers I have had in the past. One of the best beers I have ever made!

TF

I bet the 1.020 finish on this is pretty good - yum!

 

[bmf556]

Never did see an answer on this... Is it flaked wheat that's being used?...

 

[jammin]

Never did see an answer on this... Is it flaked wheat that's being used?...

No - just regular wheat.

Flaked wheat would be fine though if that is what you have.

 

[rustym]

I just bought the ingredients for this and will brew it next weekend. Based on what you guys are saying I can't wait.

 

[TriggerFingers]

rusty, you are going to love it

 

[rustym]

Brewed this today, woo hoo! I hit all my numbers spot on. Mashed at 150, ended up with SG of 1.072 for about 66.7% efficiency. I'm pretty excited about it. It's in my fridge now and I'm starting fermentation temp at 65 as Jamil stated, although that seems a little low for 002. I'll watch it close and ramp up as I need to. Any thoughts on that?

Overall it looks and tastes good so far. It's definitely black!

 

[rustym]

Here's an update on the brew. WLP002 is a silent MONSTER! I made a 2 liter starter, decanted and pitched Wednesday afternoon. By the next morning (Thursday) it was going pretty good. By the time I got home Thursday evening there was almost zero activity. Friday it had slowed even more. I was afraid I had a stuck fermentation. I check it Saturday and the krausen had already dropped and the top was almost clear. I'm a very patient brewer and trust my yeast but I have to admit I was getting a little worried even to the point where I was looking into how to rouse the yeast up and all kinds of other stuff. This morning I did what I was supposed to do and took a gravity reading. It was 1.016! Wow that thing fermented fast! My sample was very good also so I think this beer will turn out very well. I was surprised that this yeast would ferm out so fast. I started my temperature at 65 and by by Saturday had it to 68. I checked my sample temperature and it was right at 68 degrees. I went ahead and cranked the temp up to 70 now so if the yeast neeed to clean up anything they will.

I'm very pleased with how this beer is going. I'll leave it on the yeast for a couple more weeks and then keg it. We'll see how it goes!

 

[HopSong]

Just curious.. the OP recipe says to start the recipe and increase to .... to what? 68 or higher? Like, finish at 70* for a few days?

 

[rustym]

Yea, it just kinda leaves you hanging! The White Labs website says that the optimal fermentation temperature range for 002 is 65 to 68 degrees. So I just ramped it up through that range. Not that I'm pretty sure I've hit terminal gravity I wanted to let it go up to70-72 for a week or two for the yeast to "clean up".

 

[HopSong]

Yah.. kinda what I usually do.. just didn't know if JZ had a special 'secret'

 

[TriggerFingers]

I kept hearing from people how great this was the first time I brewed it, so I am going to do another batch--this time with an 007 cake (instead of a Safale-04 cake). Sunday I am going to brew an English Brown for wifey to make that cake--then going to have at this one for the second time.

 

[rustym]

Wow, it's been 3 weeks on the gas and I just tried it. Wow! It's really good! A little drier than I thought it would be but not too dry. It finished at about 7.1 ABV. I've never had the real thing so I don't have anything to compare to. The roastiness is great, and the color is BLACK! The head is a nice light chocolate brown. Like I said, I can't compare it to the real Obsidian stout but I tell you what, I like it WAAYYY better that the Sierra Nevada stout I just had.
I've been drinking a lot of Imerial Stouts lately so I know my tastebuds are still thinking "Imperial Stout", so I'm trying to think NOT AS RICH.

I know the pictures not the greatest but it gives you a good idea. I really like it so far. Look like I'll do this one a second time for sure!

 

[JScotty]

Just brewed this as my first stout last night... Quick question - would this benefit at all from carbing it with beer gas. I have an extra cylinder that I came across... Would I need a special faucet or would a standard be ok?

 

[rustym]

I used regular CO2. Came out fine to me.