My First Stout: Please Audit/Criticize my recipe!!!

[Evan!]

Beer: Strong Bad's Imperial Chocolate-Espresso Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
Type: Extract w/grain
Size: 5 gallons

Color: 156 HCU (~48 SRM)
Bitterness: 53 IBU
OG: 1.084 FG: 1.030
Alcohol: 7.0% v/v (5.5% w/w)

Grain:
1 lb. American 2-row
2 lb. American crystal 90L
.5 lb. American chocolate
.5 lb. Roasted barley

Boil: SG 1.210 2 gallons
6 lb. Amber malt extract
2 lb. Dark malt extract
1 lb. Light dry malt extract
12 oz. Molasses

Hops:
3 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 60 min.)
4 oz. Northern Brewer (8.5% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (10.5% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Willamette (5% AA, 15 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (aroma)

Other:
4-6oz unsweetened cocoa powder, 20 mins
1oz coarsely-ground espresso beans, steeped after boil
16oz freshly-brewed espresso @ bottling


So, comments? Suggestions? Critiques? Insults?

 

[the_bird]

Wait a minute; I know next to nothing about building recipes, but how on earth does the use of 10 ounces of hops - including 8 ounces of bittering hops - result in only 53 IBUs? Is that right? That seems like a HUGE amount for an IPA, much less a stout.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

this should be a heck of a brew. I agree with the point on the hops. that would seem to be a bit of over kill to me, since you will get plenty of bitterness from the roasted grains and the steeped coffee. I just bottled a coffee stout a week and a half ago, I'm trying it for the first time tonight. I'd be happy to post the recipe and how it tastes if you like.

 

[the_bird]

The advice I got on MY coffee stout (lot of these going around these days) was to only use bittering hops, you don't want the hops flavor competing with the coffee and the chocolate.

I also added some lactose for sweetness and body; the tasting I did at racking was pretty good, it was definately full-bodied and the mocha flavors were coming out very well.

 

[EdWort]

How about 179 IBUs for those 10 ounces. Hooooweee.

 

[the_bird]

That's Dude territory! Is there a typo in the original post? Should the Cascade and Northern Brewer be 3/4 ounce?

 

[Evan!]

You know, that final IBU count sounded off to me too. I generated the bill using the spreadsheet calculator at recipator.com, so blame them, not me. 179 IBU? Hahaha!

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll stick with just bittering hops.

As for sweetness + body, I also plan on adding maltodextrin, about 4-6oz.

Hercules: yeah, I'd love to see your recipe + tasting notes


Another question:

With regards to adding chocolate + coffee, I've seen many different options:

Chocolate:
1) Adding cocoa powder with 20 mins left in boil
2) Adding unsweetened baker's chocolate to boil

Coffee:
1) Adding grounds after boil (I've heard it kills the head because of the oils, though)
2) Adding brewed coffee to the boil in place of some of the water
3) Adding brewed coffee to the wort in the primary ferment tank
4) Adding brewed coffee at bottling
5) Dry-hopping with grounds.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to which options are best? I saw a recipe at Recipator that had you adding brewed coffee to the primary ferment, and supposedly it won a gold medal in a competition. Might try that. Thoughts?

 

[the_bird]

Don't boil the coffee, either add at flameout (which is what I did) or add it afterwards. Boiled coffee is N-A-S-T-Y. I've also heard of adding coffee at bottling time (I think that's what Walker-san did with his concoction).

If you add grounds like I did, USE A GRAIN BAG OR OTHER MECHANISM TO CONTAIN THEM. Straining coffee grounds from wort is the biggest PITA.

 

[david_42]

If all you can find is dark molasses, you might want to reduce it it 8 oz.

 

[gruntingfrog]

David,

Why only 8 oz if it's dark molasses? Just curious since I have a molasses stout in primary right now that I used 12 oz in. Of course I don't know what it tastes like yet so...

 

[Brewpastor]

I wouldn't use the molasses on this round. Make it without first and then add it next time to see how it does. I think the recipe has enough going on without making it murky with molasses.

 

[the_bird]

Why amber, dark, AND light extracts? It's a stout, I'd just use dark. The five different types of hops strikes me as odd, even the three types (if you just use bittering) seems odd for a stout. If they are just for bittering, I'm not sure what you'll really get by using the mixture.

Basically, I think the recipe needs to be simplified. Cut out the mollasses or not, but I'd pare back to just one type of bittering hop (I used, based on some recommendations here, 2oz of Northern Brewer), and just dark extract. I don't think you need to add both grounds to the wort AND more coffee at bottling; do one or the other (the 1 oz of coffee at flameout isn't going to do much, I probably went a little heavy with a full pound but it tastes great so far).

Are you doing a partial mash? If you're just steeping the grains, I don't think the 2-row will do you any good. Someone who knows AG/PM can speak to that matter. I'd stick to the crystal, chocolate, and roasted barley. The grain bill (except the 2-row) is close to what I did except I added 1/4# black patent.

 

[Evan!]

Bird:

Thanks for the advice. I've already done some tweaking of the recipe, some exactly what you suggest:

1) No 2-row, just crys, choc, roasted in the steep (no, it's not PM---I'm doing a PM pumpkin ale at the same time, and I don't have enough brew kettles (or patience) to do 2 mashes on the same day)

2) Going to add a pot of drip-coffee to the primary prior to pitching. Then, at bottling, I'll add some freshly-brewed espresso, for a little extra punch.

3) The hop bill was a bit silly, I know, I was just experimenting with what I have vs. what the Recipator database calculated in terms of IBU's, which I now realize was WAY off. I still wonder what's up with that website. I rechecked, and entered the stuff again, and it still came out with like 55 IBU's for 10oz of hops. WTF?

4) The extract bill was a resultant of my current malt stocks. However, I do have a 6-lb jug of dark, which I think I'll use here, and then add some light DME just to get the gravity/ABV a little higher.


Another question:

My friend who I brew with dropped off a bunch of grains the other day, all dark stuff. Included were chocolate wheat and "Moravian Chocolate". Can anyone tell me anything about these, and whether either of them would be fun to use in this imp stout? Also, what's the deal with black patent? Is that ever used in stouts, or is it mainly used in porter?

Thanks!

 

[jcarson83]

From what I've gathered the black patent is used mostly for color. Don't add too much or you'll end up with charcoal flavors. I used 1lb in my choclate coffee stout I did last weekend and caught a lot of ****. Hence the charcoal stout in primary. I thought it tasted good anyway but would recommend using much.

I plan on adding 6oz of coffee to mine in secondary for 1 week.

 

[Evan!]

hehe, well, if the Recipator calcs are right for the HCU's (they were wrong on the hops, so who knows?), then color is not a concern of mine. This joint is going to be darker than a black hole if I go with my current plans. We're talking 240 HCU. Awww hell yeeuh.:rockin:

 

[Brewpastor]

In my best Strong Bad voice, "Hey, thats a really, really great name for a beer, very nice! Now all it needs are some pom poms and a couple of the other things you always see at wild parties, like pretty women and stuff like that."

For those of you who by some great misfortune have missed out on Strong Bad... http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail.html

 

[Evan!]

Senor Cardgage Says: "Call now for a free canceltation!"

 

[Brewpastor]

LOL Next to this board Strong Bad is my greatest work distraction.

 

[the_bird]

Is that why you haven't written Part IV yet? C'mon, BP, we're waiting for you...

 

[Brewpastor]

OK, as soon as I finish this weeks sermon.