First Oatmeal Stout and First Experience with S-04

[bransona]

With ~35 batches under my belt, I'd only ever made one stout (a modified version of the 888 RIS). I realized I had to correct this, and added an oatmeal stout to my list of 5 "house recipes" that I'm developing. I threw together the following from my experience developing my house porter (which is incredible) and research on stouts in general. I chose to go with s-04 (because it was available) rather than a nice liquid English ale yeast, but either way I knew I wanted English character in my house stout. In an effort to keep the flagships under 6%, I went with a moderate oatmeal stout range.

1.5 Gallons
1.06-1.014 OG/FG
40 IBU

2.25lb 2-row
6oz pale chocolate
6oz flaked oats
3oz C120
2oz acidulated malt (full volume biab mash)
1oz Black

Mashed at 152 for an hour

Boiled 80 minutes (overshot my volume)

7g NB 80min
13g fuggles 5min

I fermented with s-04 in a 60-63* swamp cooler for 5 days then let it rise to room temperature for another 5. At 10 days old, it just hit the fridge for a cold crash, and the results are in:

Stabilized at 1.015 SG. This thing is great! It's got a nice English character (dark fruit and overripe pear with a touch of breadiness), faint soy sauce (reminiscent of Samuel Smith's), and is very smooth even before bottle conditioning. I'm looking forward to the end result, but this is already great.

I think I'm going to like this yeast, but what can I expect over time?

 

[Jimbodaman]

It's just one of those yeasts and styles that will get better with time. I prefer Nottingham in my english beers (actually almost all of my beers), but if S04 is working for you why change?

 

[Build]

Sounds like a great stout. I've used s04 in stouts and porters, but usually use Nottingham. It's a good yeast for stouts with a complexity that changes a lot as it ages. Like Jim said, it will continue to get better if you can let it sit for a month or two without drinking it all. That's always my dilemma.

 

[bransona]

A month is probably gonna be my limit, but I'll brew it again so that those new ones can age. I just know I'll drink this delicious thing quickly...

 

[Build]

If you can hold out, leave a couple bottles and try them in 3+ months to see how it changes. Or just drink it all and research more in the future. That's what I almost always do. I still have an unopened beer from 1986, but that's a different story.