Critique my maple coffee american stout

[Xpertskir]

5.5 gallon batch
End of Boil Volume 6.24 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 5.10 gal Est Mash Efficiency 76.4 %



Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 73.8 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.2 %
1 lbs Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 6.2 %
8.0 oz Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.1 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.1 %
8.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 6 3.1 %
4.0 oz Carafa III (525.0 SRM) Grain 7 1.5 %
2.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 48.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 9 9.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35.49 ml] Yeast 11 -

2.5 oz Ground French Roast at flame out
40 oz of Maple Syrup added directly to primary, wort racked on top

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.073 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.9 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Bitterness: 58.4 IBUs Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 39.7 SRM


A few things I am specifically curious about.

Do I need the carafoam?
Do I have enough 2 row?
Should I just say forget the maple syrup and use maple extract, bump up the 2 row to compensate?

The crazy thought I have is, should I use wlp007 to ferment very dry, then kill the yeast and backsweeten with maple syrup?

Thanks, my brewclub just made me aware of an upcoming stout/porter competition. January, I want to get started right away so it can bulk age for as long as possible.

 

[sweetcell]

i'd drop the carafoam, it's not going to contribute much. plenty of other ingredients to help with head retention and body. use that half-pound on something else, like more 2-row and maybe a touch more C120.

for the maple syrup, i would either add it at the very end of primary, once fermentation has started to slow (or has completely slowed). i would also consider using MS as my priming sugar, if you're going to bottle.

 

[MicMurphy]

How did this turn out? Was thinking about adding maple and coffee to a northern brewer kit I had lying around. Do you think the ratio of syrup to coffer worked out in your case? Any feedback would be great....

 

[Xpertskir]

Beer scored a 46 in a competition a few months ago.

It needed to age some of the coffee bitterness out, but it's a fine beer.

I forgot about this post, it's funny to read the thoughts of my novice self. I was pretty green then, that was ~100 batches ago.

 

[loucurr]

I just finished a maple porter that came out nice. Put a bottle of syrup in at the end of the boil and use ms for priming sugar. The flavor is nice and does not over power the beer.

 

[MicMurphy]

I had thoughts of adding cold brewed coffee and maple sugar to the secondary and maybe backing off some of the bittering hops letting the coffee compensate... Still milling this around in my head.... Trouble is I want this kegged by saint pats, so I'm running out of time... I may be more inclined to try something that had been done with good result considering my time constraints. I appreciate the feedback!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[loucurr]

I had thoughts of adding cold brewed coffee and maple sugar to the secondary and maybe backing off some of the bittering hops letting the coffee compensate... Still milling this around in my head.... Trouble is I want this kegged by saint pats, so I'm running out of time... I may be more inclined to try something that had been done with good result considering my time constraints. I appreciate the feedback!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I have a good coffee flavor just from the grain bill.