Golden Coffee Stout - How does it look?

[Knightshade]

So..seems like 2 months ago now I got 13.48 lbs of 2 Row and 1.08 lbs of Torrified Wheat from the LHBS for a beer I had intended to brew. It had some other stuff that I was going to add later, but in that time...I've decided I don't really feel like brewing that beer again.

Spent this morning trying to build on top of that for something that might work based off of a similar recipe. Hoping to get some feedback, suggestions on what I might need to do to make this work...or something similar. My limitations being...the 2 Row and Torrified Wheat are already mixed in the bag. They're not milled yet, but...kinda hard to separate at this point so I'm stuck. And..I use an Anvil Foundry so I'm limited to 16 lbs. This is technically a smidge over and I'm trying to not get too out of hand in case I need to add rice hulls during the drain.


Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Oatmeal Stout
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 6.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.063
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)

Hop Utilization Multiplier: 0.98

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.075
Final Gravity: 1.018
ABV (standard): 7.51%
IBU (tinseth): 28.87
SRM (morey): 6.07
Mash pH: 5.6

FERMENTABLES:
13.48 lb - Pale 2-Row (83.9%)
1.08 lb - Torrified Wheat (6.7%)
0.5 lb - Flaked Oats (3.1%)
1 lb - Caramel / Crystal 15L (6.2%)

HOPS:
1.2 oz - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 18
1 oz - Fuggles, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 20 min, IBU: 8.18
1 oz - Fuggles, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 2.69

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 152 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 7.02 gal
2) Fly Sparge, Temp: 170 F, Amount: 1 gal
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
6 g - Calcium Chloride (dihydrate), Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
3.5 g - Epsom Salt, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.5 g - Gypsum, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.41 ml - Lactic acid, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2 g - Salt, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.5 each - Whirlfloc, Time: 0 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
3 tsp - Yeast Nutrient, Time: 0 min, Type: Other, Use: Boil
9 oz - Coffee Beans, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Kegging
2 each - Vanilla Bean, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Kegging
8 oz - Cacao Nibs, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Kegging

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - English Ale Yeast S-04
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 75%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 54 - 77 F
Fermentation Temp: 65 F
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Ca2: 110
Mg2: 11
Na: 25
Cl: 150
SO4: 50
HCO3: 0

pH 5.6

NOTES:
Cacao, Coffee & Vanilla Beans : Soaked separately in just enough vodka to cover for two weeks. Pour tinctures through strainer into bulk beer. Crush the coffee beans, do not grind.

 

[AlexKay]

I find that I don't get that oatmeal mouthfeel unless I'm at 1/3-1/2 oats (flaked or malted) in the grain bill. Maybe only use part of your 2-row/wheat mix and up the flaked oats? Alternately, you could mash high to get body that way.

Also, I usually get ~65% attenuation with S-04, though maybe that's just me; I see Fermentis lists it as 74-82% (!!)

 

[Knightshade]

Yeah, I thought those numbers were low as well. I usually get the same as you.

I might just do a WTH this weekend with this and see what happens. Any additional input would be appreciated though.

 

[Gusso]

In my White Christmas Stout, like you, I soak the vanilla beans for a while in vodka. As for the coffee, I extract good flavor but no color by essentially dry hopping .5 to .75 pounds of whole beans after fermentation.

 

[Knightshade]

In my White Christmas Stout, like you, I soak the vanilla beans for a while in vodka. As for the coffee, I extract good flavor but no color by essentially dry hopping .5 to .75 pounds of whole beans after fermentation.

Are you soaking those in vodka as well to get some type of sanitization going or just dropping them in from the coffee bag?

 

[Gusso]

I just drop them in the fermenter in a hop bag.

 

[Knightshade]

Just said the hell with it and went with the originally intended recipe.

Fermenter is bubbling away now.

 

[monkeymath]

Just said the hell with it and went with the originally intended recipe.

Fermenter is bubbling away now.

So, how did it turn out?

 

[Knightshade]

The original recipe was a strong ale. I never actually brewed the recipe from the first post as I didn’t feel like I was getting enough feedback that it would end up being a good, or at least decent one.

 

[anteater8]

In my White Christmas Stout, like you, I soak the vanilla beans for a while in vodka. As for the coffee, I extract good flavor but no color by essentially dry hopping .5 to .75 pounds of whole beans after fermentation.

What's the batch size and ABV? That seems like a ton of coffee, so I'm curious how the coffee character comes through in the beer. I recently used 4 oz to dry bean an 8.5% stout and it came through nice. I wouldn't have thought to double or triple that amount.

 

[Gusso]

Iirc, the beer was 8-9%. Since there were no roasted grains, the coffee (and vanilla to a lesser degree) was the backbone. It was a half pound not 3/4 ( I double checked). Personally, I would scale back the coffee but it's a beer that my wife requests and she likes the strong coffee notes.

5 gallons.