Chocolate Stout Ingredients

[homebrewer]

I have a few questions about this Chocolate Stout recipe that I am considering and am looking for input:

1) Has anyone had either bad or good luck using Lactose in their brews? Frankly, I'm unfamiliar with it and am thinking about dropping it from the recipe. The recipe mentions that the lactose is added to replicate the "sweet" taste that breweries get by adding sugar prior to bottling and then pasteurizing. The premise is that the lactose is not fermentable and therefore remains in the bottle like the remaining sugar would in pasteurized bottles.
2) Invert sugar- are there any easy subsitutes if I can't find it at my LHBS?
It seems that is just sucrose broken down into glucose and fructose. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_sugar_syrup
3) The OG is only 1.053, are the yeast nutrients really needed for such a relatively low OG?

6 lb 14 oz 2-row pale
11 oz crystal
13 0z chocolate malt
12 oz lactose
8 oz invert sugar
4 oz cane sugar
6 oz cocoa powder
.33 oz liquid choc extract (in secondary)
1 tsp irish moss
1/8 tsp yeast nutrients
7 AAU Fuggles
1.25 AAU Kent Goldings
Wyeast 1318

Thanks in Advance!

 

[avidhomebrewer]

Looks good to me. I have had recipes that call for invert sugar and haven't used it. You are correct in your assumption about invert sugar. I have used lactose in a stout I made some time ago and liked the beer. As you say, it is unfermentable by brewers yeast and does add a nice flavor. I would keep it in. The yeast should get all of the nutrients they need from the malt, but it never hurts to put in a little more, but don't go overboard.

 

[Joker]

Looks tasty. I have not used lactose but hear it has good effect on the brew, Iwould leave it.

 

[SenorWanderer]

1- i have a choc stout about ready for kegging and i added a lb of lactose, pretty tasty.

2- if the invert sugar is there to boost the gravity, that's fine, but i don't think the cane sugar has any place in the recipe. </opinion>

3- i add yeast nutrient to everything.

 

[z987k]

Such a small amount of cane sugar won't effect anything but the abv. Invert sugar (Belgian candy sugar)is as mentioned above, someone here did a write up on how to make your own out of table sugar.
Found it: Orfy did: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42786&highlight=invert+sugar

Definitely use the lactose, I'm drinking a stout right now that has 1 lb of lactose in it, and it's wonderful.

Yeast nutrient... I've never used it in any brew.

 

[CBBaron]

I'm not sure I understand the reason for either of the sugar additions. Sugar is usually used to get better attenuation but in this case you are adding back an unfermentable sugar in the lactose. I would just replace the 12oz of sugar with about a pound of 2-row.
As for lactose, it is a sugar commonly used in sweet/milk stouts. I think that would be a very good addition to a chocolate stout.
Don't see the need for yeast nutrients but as was mentioned they shouldn't do any harm.
Craig

 

[Glibbidy]

This recipe needs some tweaking.

Let's address you initial questions directly, then move on to wthe Grist.
1) Lactose is not critical in making a stout
2) You can make you own invert sugar very easily with table sugar, water, and lemon juice. Again, an item not critical in making this beer.
3)Yeast nutrient helps, but is not critical. I'd opt for making a starter instead.

Let's discuss the Grist.

As far as Stouts go the key element in making them is that they should have some quantity of roasted barley. Anywhere from 3-17% of the total grist would be acceptable.
I'd skip the sugars all together, and just up the base malts.
You could stand toscale back the crystal to around 5%
I wouldn't recommend putting more then 10% chocolate malt in anything. Your better off scaling back to around 5% on this as well.
Skip the Cocoa powder.
Assuming your making 5 gallons, I would go with 1oz of choclate extract in secondary.

Consider a more nuetral yeast like 1056, Save the London Ale III for a bigger beer.
My two cents.

 

[rabidgerbil]

1- i have a choc stout about ready for kegging and i added a lb of lactose, pretty tasty.

2- if the invert sugar is there to boost the gravity, that's fine, but i don't think the cane sugar has any place in the recipe. </opinion>

3- i add yeast nutrient to everything.

Being that lactose is a "milk" sugar, does it add a milk/cream type flavor to the final product?

I have been looking for a way to sweeten up a dry cider, but I would not want to add a creaminess to it, just a sweetness.