First Stout - All Grain Recipe help

[skepace]

So I am going to brew my first all grain Stout and need some help. I can't seem to find where to base my total grain bill pound total. I think I have my percentages but don't know where to start for my 5 gal recipe

Pale malt - 60%
Roasted Malt - 10%
Chocolate Malt - 10%
Crystal 60 Malt - 13%
Oatmeal - 7%

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Most "typical strength" (5-6%) recipes I see seem to be around 11 lbs for 5 gallons. There are calculators that can help you whittle it down further; I've used BrewersFriend for other things, and I've heard mention of Mr. Malty, too.

 

[skepace]

Thanks!

 

[JKaranka]

I'd about halve each speciality malt and up the pale malt. 11-12lb of grains should take you to just under 1.060. Make sure to keep it bitter enough.

 

[chickypad]

I'd about halve each speciality malt and up the pale malt. 11-12lb of grains should take you to just under 1.060. Make sure to keep it bitter enough.

Agreed, assuming that roasted malt is roasted barley. I'd aim for 10-12% total dark roasted malt (i.e. roasted barley + chocolate) and cut the crystal in half. You need to know your target OG and efficiency but as JKaranka said for average efficiency in the 75% range 11-12 lbs should get you around 1.060.

 

[JKaranka]

I just played around with this. You mention 'roasted malt' so I assume you mean patent malt (black patent malt, etc.). I've sort of dialled this towards my tastes: roasty, relatively dry, good body from the oats, and definitively bitter and refreshing. I assume an efficiency of 65% as it's your first all grain brew and an attenuation of 75%.

OG 1.057, FG 1.014, 5.6%, 55IBU, 35SRM.

11lb US 2-row (82%)
1lb Flaked oats (7.5%)
9oz Chocolate malt (4%)
9oz Black patent malt (4%)
4oz Medium crystal malt / 60L (2%)

60 minute boil with 1.75oz of 8.5%AA hops at 60 (I use Challenger for bittering).

If you want it darker, up the roast malts slightly. If you are not using black patent, you'll need to up the roast malts considerably.

 

[skepace]

Thanks for the input. Why do I cut my percentages? Just asking so I understand the information behind the suggestions

 

[skepace]

It's not my first but my second all grain, just my first dark all grain. Sorry.

Here is what I have in Beersmith

8 lbs US 2-row
1 lb Flaked Oatmeal
1 lb, 8 oz Roasted Malt
1lb, 8oz Chocolate Malt
1lb Crystal 60

1oz Tettneng
1oz Kent Goldings

OG - 1.052, FG 1.013, 28.8IBU, 47SRM

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[skepace]

If you want it darker, up the roast malts slightly. If you are not using black patent, you'll need to up the roast malts considerably.

My LHBS has over 200 grain and roasted malt was sitting next to black patent. It's kind of impressive all of the options. I could add in some black patent but the rating on the roasted is 300.

 

[chickypad]

I think you've likely got roasted barley there not malt - Briess's regular roasted barley is 300L, many of the British ones are more like 500L. At any rate, 3 lbs of dark roasted malt for a relatively low gravity stout I would consider a crap ton - you're at 23% there. I would expect it to come out harsh and acrid.

For comparison one of the popular imperial stout recipes in the database that won a HBT comp has only 2.25 lb total dark roasted malt and it's a 1.106 beer. Yooper's popular oatmeal stout recipe looks more on the lines of what you're after, for a 5.5 gal batch she's got 0.5 lb of roasted barley (hers is 500L) and .75 lb of chocolate but 10 oz of that is pale choc.

This is a very rough guide but at least until you get more familiar with making your own recipes I would be careful about getting your specialty malts much over 20% or so, and keep the dark roasted malt (i.e roasted barley, black malt, chocolate malt) total percentage in the 9-12% range. I tend to lump things like flaked barley, oats, wheat in with the base malt when considering specialty malt percentage.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the input. Why do I cut my percentages? Just asking so I understand the information behind the suggestions

Because too much dark roasted malt creates an acrid burnt flavor, like an ashtray, rather than a rich roasted beer flavor.

 

[JKaranka]

Because too much dark roasted malt creates an acrid burnt flavor, like an ashtray, rather than a rich roasted beer flavor.

Exactly this. OP: knowing a bit more about what you aim for helps (e.g., OG, some ideas on descriptors, etc.). Like now I see that you go for a lot less bitterness that I would. I don't think I'd ever make a stout where the IBUs at least matched the OG...