Imp Stout recipe critique.

[graaaypes]

This is the first time that I will be making an imp stout, just looking for thoughts on this recipe since its the first stout recipe i've ever worked on.

System: BIAB, 3 gal. 5 gal spiedel fermenter.
OG: 1.11
IBU: 56.7
SRM: 59.7

Recipe:
5 lbs 7.9 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 40.0 %
4 lbs 12.9 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 35.0 %
1 lbs 6.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 10.0 %
13.2 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 6.0 %
11.0 oz Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) 5.0 %
8.8 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) 4.0 %
Hops-
0.50 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 32.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 40.0 min 24.1 IBUs

Pitching WLP 001

Mash schedule:
152.0 F 40 min
160.0 F 30 min
168.0 F 10 min (mash out)
168.0 F (sparge to get pre boil vol)

Im not really sure if 4% of black malt is enough to give me that roastiness/motor oil blackness that really want out of this so there would be the first point of inquiry.

Also, looking for something chewy and thick on this so i am thinking about bottling a gallon of each with no maltodextrin added, and then two varying additions of maltodextrin for the remaining two gallons so i could scale up if i like the mouthfeel that one produces.

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[Queequeg]

I would say your roast malt additions are slightly under but not buy much. Any reason for the black patent in stead of say roast barley? Roast barley adds more complexity and sweetness in my experience. I would go something like 1lb chocolate, 1lb roast barley, then 0.5 carafa special III

If you want it chewy you need a malty body builder, I would suggest switching to a single base malt and subbing some for a good amount of aromatic malt say 2Lb.

Layering the crystal malt also works well, perhaps sub out a bit of C60 for C120 or a bit of special b.

I would increase the IBU's, so dropping back the 40 min addition to 60 mins and then adding an oz of a relatively restrained flavor addition at the 5 or 10min mark.

I personally would simply the mash schedule, because big beers are long brew days I mash at 148 F for 90 mins and then do a decoction up to 160F insulate well and leave over night.

I don't mash out, the beer will not be too dry if you have plenty of crystal and malty enhancers.

 

[bowserm]

I agree about the black malt. I find it adds extra estringency to the beer. Stick with roasted barley and chocolate malt.

For mine, I use crystal and ekg hops.

Do a small batch for starters and if you like it, go big. That's how I test mine

 

[graaaypes]

I would say your roast malt additions are slightly under but not buy much. Any reason for the black patent in stead of say roast barley? Roast barley adds more complexity and sweetness in my experience. I would go something like 1lb chocolate, 1lb roast barley, then 0.5 carafa special III

No specific reason for the black patent except to add some roastiness and color, also because i had used it before. astringency isn't something that i would like so now seems like a good time to play around with it.

If you want it chewy you need a malty body builder, I would suggest switching to a single base malt and subbing some for a good amount of aromatic malt say 2Lb.

I didn't want the beer to be too bready but love the flavor of marris otter, do you think that using marris 100% as a base malt in a stout would be too odd?

Layering the crystal malt also works well, perhaps sub out a bit of C60 for C120 or a bit of special b.

Funny you mentioned this, i originally had c120 but cut it to c60 because beersmith had my estimated SRM suuuuper high. But i guess this doesnt really matter since im going for motor oil.

I would increase the IBU's, so dropping back the 40 min addition to 60 mins and then adding an oz of a relatively restrained flavor addition at the 5 or 10min mark.

I personally would simply the mash schedule, because big beers are long brew days I mash at 148 F for 90 mins and then do a decoction up to 160F insulate well and leave over night.

I don't mash out, the beer will not be too dry if you have plenty of crystal and malty enhancers.

I don't tend to like a ton of hop character in a stout so i didn't want to go too high, however this is going to be malty as all hell. So bumping the IBU makes sense. Do you think that not adding a late addition aromatic of flavor hop would matter much?

Im unable to leave the mash overnight since I am going to be mashing in a boil kettle since its BIAB and using an immersion circulator to be raising the temp. I was thinking about not doing a mash out and just hitting it with 170ish sparge water just to rinse the grain So i may go that way.

Do you think that a longer rest at 160 would be more beneficial? Such as mashing around 150 for 45 min and having a 160 rest for an hour or so?

I will work on a edit of the recipe and post once I have it

 

[graaaypes]

9 lbs 9.1 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 70.0 %
1 lbs 1.5 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 8.0 %
10.9 oz Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) 5.0 %
10.9 oz Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) 5.0 %
10.9 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) 5.0 %
8.7 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) 4.0 %
6.6 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) 3.0 %
0.83 oz Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 50.0 IBUs
0.62 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 40.0 min 15.0 IBUs
0.60 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min 10.0 IBUs


Okay, so i subbed out the c60 for a mix of 120 and special b, changed to only marris otter (which i may swap to 2 row), added some biscuit. Also swapped out the chinook for magnum in hopes of it being more of a mild hop, and threw in a Willamette addition at 20 min. I dont want to go too much special b or biscuit because ive heard of a darkfruit/fig character to them that im not too crazy about. any thoughts?

 

[Queequeg]

Sorry I think I confused you a little. If using special b or crystal 120 then use one or the other along side some C60.

Say 0.75 C60 and 0.25C120.

C120 will add very little in terms if dried fruit.

Aromatic is a bit to different biscuit, it would use aromatic. As good sub is melanoidin malt or weyerman abbey.

You can use both any of the liberally they will add fullness but remain dry.

The hop addition look good but there is no point in a 40min addition I would do an Oz of williamette at 10 min and enough magnum at 60 min to get 70 ibus

 

[jmark]

Heck, if you plan on aging this, just get all your IBUs from a single hop addition. +1 on Queegqueg's idea of layering in the crystals... I recently did a RIS with a 4% of both C77 and C120, then layered in a 3:1 ration of Pale Chocolate Malt and Chocolate Wheat... came out really smooth and full of depth.

 

[graaaypes]

Sorry I think I confused you a little. If using special b or crystal 120 then use one or the other along side some C60.

Say 0.75 C60 and 0.25C120.

C120 will add very little in terms if dried fruit.

Aromatic is a bit to different biscuit, it would use aromatic. As good sub is melanoidin malt or weyerman abbey.

You can use both any of the liberally they will add fullness but remain dry.

The hop addition look good but there is no point in a 40min addition I would do an Oz of williamette at 10 min and enough magnum at 60 min to get 70 ibus

Heck, if you plan on aging this, just get all your IBUs from a single hop addition. +1 on Queegqueg's idea of layering in the crystals... I recently did a RIS with a 4% of both C77 and C120, then layered in a 3:1 ration of Pale Chocolate Malt and Chocolate Wheat... came out really smooth and full of depth.

Okay, yeah i was a little confused and delerious last night when i made draft 2. Here is draft three which I think i like.

-I layered c60 and special B at a ratio of around 3.3/1
-Subbed out the biscuit for some pale chocolate (or should i just bump regular chocolate up to say 10% and make up the difference in either base malt or the crystals? I was thinking that pale may add a little bit of depth. Or even sub for chocolate wheat as jmark mentioned... hmmm)
-Bumped my 60 min addition to 70 IBU, possibly my throw an ounce of W in around 5 to ten minutes depending on what my efficiency is.
-I believe all else is basically constant.


8 lbs 11.3 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 70.0 %
13.9 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 7.0 %
13.9 oz Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) 7.0 %
9.9 oz Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) 5.0 %
9.9 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) 5.0 %
8.0 oz Pale Chocolate (220.0 SRM) 4.0 %
4.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) 2.0 %
1.10 oz Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 70.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35. Yeast

still shooting for 1.1, 70ibu, and motor oil at 63SRM

 

[Queequeg]

Looks much better