Input needed on my first AG attempt/recipe creation

[gmcapone]

So for thanksgiving I want to make a beer based off the sweet potato fries that my girlfriend makes, they are amazing! It would be a stout and have hints of sweetness and spice.

She uses cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, and paprika to season them so I am gonna use these in the brew. I'm not really sure how much I should use though, and when I should add them to the boil. I also am not sure if the grains and amounts I have would be appropriate. I was wondering if you guys could give me some input. This is what I got so far.



Sweet Potato Stout
Brew Type: All Grain
Style: Dry Stout (Irish)
Batch Size: 5.00 gal

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 75.0 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 9.4 %
0.75 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 9.4 %
0.50 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 6.3 %
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (60 min) Hops 17.1 IBU
0.50 oz First Gold [7.50%] (60 min) Hops 12.8 IBU
0.10 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
0.10 oz Chili Powder (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.10 oz Cumin (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.10 oz Paprika (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
10.00 lb Sweet Potato (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Irish Ale (White Labs #WLP004) Yeast-Ale

I didn't change the amount and boil time for the spices, they were just the default on brewsmith. Any help would be appreciated

 

[MalFet]

Boil time for spices looks about right...you just want them in for just the last few minutes.

But...
An oz of cumin and an oz of chili is waaaay too much (and you don't specify whether you mean ground cumin or cumin seeds). It's always very tricky to guess how much spice you should add to a beer, because it's a thin line between undetectable and overpowering. But, my hunch is that a tenth of an ounce would be closer to the right amount than a full ounce.

The best way to know for sure is to experiment, though. Get a stout you like, similar to the one you plan to brew, and dose it with your spices. Once you find an amount that you like, scale it up to a full 5 gallon batch.

 

[gmcapone]

ok thanks, I didn't change the amount from the default when adding the spices but I assumed an oz would be too much. They would be ground by the way.

 

[Brandonovich]

That sounds really good, let us know how it turns out. Also, is ten pounds of sweet potato correct? That will likely thin your beer out quite a bit. I make a potato beer, and the most I ever use is four medium potatoes. I have found that a couple grams of spices at a time is usually plenty. Underkill is the rule.

 

[gmcapone]

Well I saw another thread on these forums about a sweet potato beer, and they came to the conclusion that 8lbs was about what should be used. I know that sweet potatos dont add a ton of flavor unfortunately so I figured a little bit more would be good to make sure the beer has some hint.

My girlfriend is kinda wanting me to just substitute the sweet potatoes for pumpkin now anyway though. So, I might do that. I'm not sure yet. I think a sweet potato stout could be delicious if the flavor of the potatos and spices come together right. Maybe pumpkin would be easier to manage for my first AG batch though....

 

[Gwitz]

Its a great idea, don't get me wrong, but its pretty ballsy to tackle pumpkin/sweet potato with your first AG. That stuff doesn't exactly play by the rules. You could save your self some headache by just boiling the pumpkin.
Pretty cool idea though, pumpkin stout....wouldn't have thought of that.

 

[gmcapone]

lol, ya if I run into some hiccups I wouldn't be surprised. I plan on baking the pumpkin or sweet potatoes before hand and mash them up, then put them in a very fine mesh bag to throw in the mash.