Last brew of the year. Thoughts on recipe?

[Tarks]

With winter nearing here in the GWN I am more than likely brewing my last batch of beer for the year. The plan is to try to get rid of my current inventory. I have come up with an oatmeal stout recipe and would appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. If I have to pick up a few things to make minor changes I'll do that. Cheers.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 13.49 gal
Post Boil Volume: 11.70 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 10.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.057 SG
Estimated Color: 36.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10 lbs 4.2 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 48.0 %
3 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 14.0 %
1 lbs 11.2 oz Malteurop American 2-Row Pale Malt (2.4 Grain 3 8.0 %
1 lbs 10.1 oz Chocolate Organic (Briess) (350.0 SRM) Grain 4 7.6 %
1 lbs 8.5 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 5 7.2 %
1 lbs 1.3 oz Caraaroma (Weyermann) (178.0 SRM) Grain 6 5.1 %
1 lbs 1.3 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7 5.1 %
1 lbs 1.3 oz Roasted Barley (Briess) (300.0 SRM) Grain 8 5.1 %
2.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - Boil 60.0 mi Hop 9 18.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 10 7.8 IBUs
0.50 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 11 6.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 12 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 21 lbs 5.8 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 27.70 qt of water at 163.2 F 152.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 9.38 gal water at 168.0 F

 

[Tarks]

Bump!

 

[daksin]

I quite like your recipe, but would make an adjustment to the hop schedule. I don't like Magnum as an aroma hop, the fuggles and goldings are both great aroma hops. I would reverse those two- use your goldings/fuggles late in the boil, they both go great with stouts. Use the magnum to bitter to your preferred IBU. Otherwise, the recipe sounds delicious. I might mash a little higher, personally, as I like a higher FG and more mouthfeel for my oatmeal stouts. If it was my beer, I'd probably go to 156-157F. That's a personal preference thing- do what you prefer for sure.

Also: why does winter end your brewing season? I know it gets bitter cold up there to brew outside, but why not in your garage or do some extract/PM/AG BIAB batches in your kitchen? My favorite beer to make is a 1.036 OG Bitter that I can mash in my good soup pot and boil on my stove, all-grain. If you wanted to BIAB and can get a decent boil on your stove (I can, cheap gas stove), you could do bigger AG batches as well. And then there's always the classic partial boil extract/steeping grains stuff.

If you're trying to get max distance out of this 10g batch though, consider splitting up half and oaking/fruiting/vanilla-chocolating/other-stuffing some of it. Or you could ferment it with different yeasts. Lots of possibilities.

 

[Tarks]

Thanks for the tips. I have adjusted my hop schedule as per your advise and bumped my mash to 156F as I agree on the mouth feel of an oatmeal stout. Cheers!