Lower ABV Stout with flavor and consistency of Imperial Stout

[CyberFox]

Has anyone had any experience with lower alcohol Stouts (around 5 ABV) that have the taste and consistency of an Imperial Stout? When I say Imperial Stout, I mean the kind that are fairly sweet and thick as motor oil, what some call Dessert/Pastry Stouts.

 

[VikeMan]

IMO, not really. There's just not enough malt in a lower gravity beer to pull this off convincingly. But if you want to try it, use a large-ish grain bill with lots of low-ish attenuating grains. Do a short mash at high temperatures. Add lactose to the boil. Use a not very attenuative yeast strain.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Check out this gent's approach.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beerandbrewing.com/amp/little-raspy-recipe/

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Check out this gent's approach.

There is a related video here with Josh Weikert:


Another related recipe:
https://beerandbrewing.com/recipe-morning-session-stout/

 

[CyberFox]

Thanks for the links. Sounds like taking an Imperial Stout and decreasing the specialty malts by 25%, then adjusting the base malt to hit the desired ABV is a good place to start. Using a less attenuative yeast (probably English), doing a 45 minute mash around 156 degrees, and using lactose should also help. Good stuff!

 

[tracer bullet]

Do a short mash at high temperatures.

Agreed on this (and the other stuff too). I'm drinking a stout right now where I did this. The only thing I changed from the last one (other than adding some nibs) was the mash temperature and time. I went from my standard 150F for an hour to 45 minutes at 155F. In both cases I hit OG around 1.070, but the mash temp / time difference took my from about 1.020 the previous brew to 1.029 this time around. No question it's thicker and sweeter.

 

[MaxStout]

Using some adjuncts, like oats, can add that rich mouthfeel.

 

[CyberFox]

Using some adjuncts, like oats, can add that rich mouthfeel.

I actually was planning to use a couple pounds of flaked oats for more body and mouthfeel.