First go at a high gravity sweet stout. Ingredient check, please?

[merriman44]

Good afternoon and thanks in advance for taking a look at my first recipe. I started with an article in the Brewmaster's Bible and have come up with the following for my stout:

Steep:
Briess - 2 Row Carapils Malt (crushed) 4oz
Briess - Barley Flakes 4oz
Briess - Black Malt (crushed) 4oz
Briess - Roasted Barley (crushed) 4oz
Lactose 4oz
Simpsons - Chocolate Malt (crushed) 4oz


Liquid Extract (LME) - Amber-7lb
Dark Liquid Extract-3.3lb

Hops: Bullion 1oz (I'm having a hard time finding these any replacement suggestions?)
Fuggles-1oz
Cascade-.5 oz

Yeast: Wyeast Irish Ale

This is a 5.5 gallon batch,extract brew. My goal for it is to have a sweet stout that warms the cheeks. The OG should be around 1.072 with a target final of 1.019.

I'm open to changes in the recipe, and would love an explanation as to why you think one way or another so that I can understand the process better.

Thanks!

 

[Scotty_g]

That recipe should get you what you want. If you can only find 6.6 lbs of the amber LME, don't worry about it. It's only going to cost you a 0.003 OG; you will be able to make that up with 6 oz of table sugar or dry malt extract if you want.

With that much extract, you shouldn't worry about being too low on the FG. The extract won't dry out, and that will add some sweetness. The off flavors from being extract should be mostly covered by all the dark malts.

The Irish ale yeast will work well, but if you can, make a starter for it. According to Palmer, a 2-qt starter at 1.040 is just right. Make it 2 days before brew day and cold-crash it for 8 hours to settle out the yeast...decant most of the watery beer on top and pitch the yeast cake. (save enough beer to suspend the yeast)

I got the Brewmaster's Bible with my first starter kit 7 years, and I think it's an awful book. The recipes are incomplete, the directions are confusing, and the information is out of date (it was in 2006 and is worse now). You want a neutral-ish bittering hop to replace the Bullions; check the Hop Union website here:

http://hopunion.com/bullion/

I have used Nugget and Challenger in stout; the homegrown Nugget worked really well in the low-gravity oatmeal stout I made (which was also a little sweet).

Most of the time I'd recommend doing a full boil or late addition of malt extract to avoid scorching the wort, but if you're making a big stout you don't have to worry about darkening your beer. The roast barley will take care of that for you. You may still want to do a full boil if you can help it; I find that the beer comes out cleaner. If you can't do so (small pot, stovetop burner, etc.) don't sweat it yet.

Good luck!

 

[merriman44]

First, thanks for the reply! Secondly, I only have a 5 gallon pot. Would it be beneficial to boil more of the wort, like 3 gallons instead of 2? Or is that change not worth the boil over danger?

 

[Scotty_g]

With a 5 gallon pot you can boil up to 4 gallons without too much risk of a boilover. You will have to be careful when it first comes up to the boil, then again when you put the bittering hops in. Once the hot break is done (you'll know it when you see it), you should be fine. I'd recommend dialing the heat down to about 60% once you hit the boil (that's right for my stove).

Any decent brew software should be able to help you adjust the bittering hop addition based on the %AA of your chosen hops and if you do a late malt addition.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Add your Lactose to your boil, you don't steep it. My Sweet Stout I use a full pound of Lactose and it goes in at the beginning of the 60 minute boil.

 

[merriman44]

Ha, oops! Ya, I worked out the recipe in brewtarget and didn't transcribe the lactose over in the correct location. Good catch!

Should I add more lactose?

 

[Scotty_g]

4 oz isn't much considering lactose is less sweet than table sugar. Depends how sweet you want your beer (whether just a hint or doppelbock sweet).

I haven't used lactose much. IMO 4 oz is noticeable but not enough to make the beer cloying.

 

[merriman44]

Sweet (I'm punny)! I'll probably go with 6 oz then and also really on the unfermented sugars from the beers gravity as well. Combined I'm hoping it will give me a beer with great body, head retention and mouth feel, while also kicking you in the pants.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I wouldn't go with less than 8oz, but then I mash at a low temp for a long time to get it to dry out, that tends to give it a more crisp taste and then adding the pound of lactose (unfermentable and mouthfeel) gives it just the right amount of sweetness. I only use 2-row, C-75 and Black Patent for my grains. Best way to describe it is a sweetened espresso - roasted coffee and sweet creme.

 

[merriman44]

CA_mouse, would you say that my recipe will not turn out all that well? I'm fine with going back to the drawing board if this will lend some strange, unpleasant flavor with my current grain bill.

Also, should I throw in some bicarbonate to combat the acidity of the grain bill or should I be ok due to the steeping? Thanks again everyone!

 

[Scotty_g]

Since you're steeping you don't have to worry about the mash pH being messed up. No need to adjust pH.