First Time Post - irish stout

[Jdsmit186]

This is my first time post. I made the switch to all grain a short while ago. I purchased the wrong amounts of grain when I went to the homebrew store. The beer has turned out very bitter. I wanted to see your thoughts on the recipe below. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.
Recipe-
Marris Otter: 3.3 lbs
Roasted Barley: .75 lbs.
Crystal 60: .75
Wyeast 1728 - starter
1 oz. EKG: 60 mins
3 gal batch.

 

[BigEd]

The recipe looks within typical numbers for a dry stout. Depending on the alpha % of the Goldings you are going to be on the high end of the IBU scale for a stout but certainly nothing crazy. The roasted barley is @ 15% and that's a bit high IMO. Most recipes are more like 10%. That extra amount of dark grain and the possibly high end IBUs may be pushing your taste buds a little.

 

[Jdsmit186]

The recipe looks within typical numbers for a dry stout. Depending on the alpha % of the Goldings you are going to be on the high end of the IBU scale for a stout but certainly nothing crazy. The roasted barley is @ 15% and that's a bit high IMO. Most recipes are more like 10%. That extra amount of dark grain and the possibly high end IBUs may be pushing your taste buds a little.

Thanks for the reply BigEd. The EKG are 5.7% Alpha. I was thinking it was the Roasted Barley being a relatively large portion of my grain bill. If I cut the Roasted Barley back to 10%, should that other 5% be Marris Otter? Thanks.

 

[BigEd]

Thanks for the reply BigEd. The EKG are 5.7% Alpha. I was thinking it was the Roasted Barley being a relatively large portion of my grain bill. If I cut the Roasted Barley back to 10%, should that other 5% be Marris Otter? Thanks.

At 5.7% those Goldings are higher alpha than most I've seen. Roasted barley is fairly aggressive in flavor so I think cutting back to 10% makes sense and should yield a stout with a color similar to Guinness. You could also consider using a blend of dark roasted grains and adding chocolate malt to the mix. I think Beamish uses some chocolate in their stout. Unmalted barley is a traditional ingredient in most Irish stouts. You could add that to the mix as it adds a nice texture and a bit of grainy flavor. I didn't mention it at first but I'd also suggest cutting the crystal way back (5% max) or even dumping it entirely.

 

[Pietrach]

I agree with the above comments, 15% roast barley is too much and likely to induce a harsh bitterness. I recently did a dry stout with 5% roast barley and 5% chocolate and still consider increasing the ratio in favour of chocolate.

 

[Jdsmit186]

Thanks for the help guys. So this weekend I am going to give it a try it again. Split the dark grain bill between roasted barley and chocolate malt for a total of 10%, 85% Marris Otter and 5% flaked barley.

 

[ColeVet67]

I think with Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale... youd be closer to a Belhaven Scottish Stout rather then a Guinness. Which isnt a BAD problem. I love Belhaven