Need to get away from the kits

[BadDeacon]

So, I came up with a recipe for a breakfast stout. I'm out of room so I can't make it just yet (got 25 gallons in various stages and only 20 gallons of keg space) Where could I post something like this for forum members to pick apart and offer help?

Right here or in the recipes section.

 

[richm20]

Here we go. I dont want to past this as a recipe because, well, Ive never actually brewed it and I dont want people to think I know what Im doing. This is my first shot at doing something like this.

This is designed as a brew in bag recipe.

4lb 2 row
1/2lb Crystal 120
1/2lb Chocolate malt
1/2lb roasted barley
1lb Flaked oats
1lb Lactose

1oz Northern @60
1/2 oz Willamette @30
1/2 oz Willamette @ 0

Add 2oz Cocoa powder to fermenter

add 1 lb Maple syrup to secondary.

Thoughts?

 

[z-bob]

well, it'll certainly be dark!

It's not a style I particularly like or have much experience with, so take these comments with that in mind. It's not going to be very alcoholic (less than 4%) is that what you want? Adding another pound of 2-row will get you to about 4.5%.

With baking anyway, if you whisk cocoa powder in a little boiling water (not milk) it really releases the flavor. It kind of looks like pudding. It also might mix into your fermenter better.

Check out the free recipe builder at brewersfriend.com

 

[Yooper]

Here we go. I dont want to past this as a recipe because, well, Ive never actually brewed it and I dont want people to think I know what Im doing. This is my first shot at doing something like this.

This is designed as a brew in bag recipe.

4lb 2 row
1/2lb Crystal 120
1/2lb Chocolate malt
1/2lb roasted barley
1lb Flaked oats
1lb Lactose

1oz Northern @60
1/2 oz Willamette @30
1/2 oz Willamette @ 0

Add 2oz Cocoa powder to fermenter

add 1 lb Maple syrup to secondary.

Thoughts?

What sized batch is this? Generally, it's far too much in the way of specialty grains and not enough base malt, and probably too many hops and so will be very bitter, depending on the alpha acids in the hops.

If you look at your recipe, you have 4 pounds of base grain, and 2.5 pounds of specialty grains. Generally, you want maybe 20% of your beer to be from specialty grains at a max. You also have a pound of lactose (ok, if you need it), and a pound of simple sugar (maple syrup).

That recipe is not going to produce a beer that will be very good, although it may convert ok in the mash. Crystal 120L tastes a bit like burnt raisins, the roasted barley is very very roasty, chocolate malt is roasty (and doesn't taste like chocolate), and flaked oats are nice and produce an "oily" or "slick" mouthfeel. So it looks like not enough base malt, too much roasty grain, and too much simple sugar for the beer due to not having enough base grain.

You can try using some free brewing software if you want to write your own recipes, as you really need to know your OG in order to make sure the beer is balanced by the hops and not overly bitter.

 

[Darwin18]

If you're looking to learn how to put together your own recipes, Designing Great Beers and a copy of BeerSmith would be excellent resources for you.

 

[BierGut]

Like a lot of people here have recommended, I would suggest downloading a free trial of BeerSmith and watch some youtube videos on how to set up your equipment profile. Once you get it set up you can then search for a breakfast stout recipe in BeerSmith and play with the ingredients to see how it changes the ABV, color, IBUs, it's an invaluable tool really. I had so many questions when I switched to AG/BIAB from kits and this software made it as easy as following a recipe kit, it's almost foolproof*.

 

[Gavin C]

If you're looking to learn how to put together your own recipes, Designing Great Beers and a copy of BeerSmith would be excellent resources for you.

+1

The recipe is all wrong. Too much of too much. Compare it with some of the more popular recipes here. Less is more. Simplicity is key. Let fewer ingredients shine through. You may be able to taste them that way.

Palmer gives a great analogy in his recent video with Brad Smith (Beersmith ). I'm paraphrasing here. "Making beer is like making a sandwich. You don't make one with 5 different meats, masses of hot mustard, chiles, pickles, french specialty cheeses, Russian bread and ice-cream. It would be a very "interesting sanwich"." The same is true of beer recipes. Do you want a tasty or an interesting experimental beer

Edwort's recipes are really simple and amazingly delicious. The differences will be obvious. This is just one example. Similar differences can be seen across the board.

I have started taking recipes and tweaking them a bit to account for my own system (equipment profile). Use a different yeast here and there, slight adjustment to base grains. It's a start toward designing from scratch. Beersmith is invaluable with this approach.

My thinking is that with so much great recipes already out there, why make my own just yet. The likelihood is that I would end up with something that's already out there in the ether or likely on this forum.

Having said all that, find an approach that you find enjoyable and best of luck with your beer recipe. I hope you enjoy the results of your labors.

 

[richm20]

I used beersmith!

 

[richm20]

I should have typed light chocolate malt, looking for a slight chocolate flavor. I would add the cocoa like I did in my last stout. Boiled water and whisked it in. As far as the lactose, I want a creamy milk like texture and flavor. The syrup would be added in the secondary (yeast removed) so it would not contribute to the fermentation

 

[Gavin C]

I used beersmith!

Are you designing to style or going for something of a specialty variety? What is your batch size? I'd be interested to see the results in beersmith.

 

[Gavin C]

I should have typed light chocolate malt, looking for a slight chocolate flavor. I would add the cocoa like I did in my last stout. Boiled water and whisked it in. As far as the lactose, I want a creamy milk like texture and flavor. The syrup would be added in the secondary (yeast removed) so it would not contribute to the fermentation

What is the purpose of the sugar in the secondary? How will the liquid from the primary mix with the syrup?

 

[richm20]

The maple syrup is simply for flavor. My hope is that a hint of maple will carry over into kegging. Going with a 5 gallon batch.

 

[Yooper]

I should have typed light chocolate malt, looking for a slight chocolate flavor. I would add the cocoa like I did in my last stout. Boiled water and whisked it in. As far as the lactose, I want a creamy milk like texture and flavor. The syrup would be added in the secondary (yeast removed) so it would not contribute to the fermentation

How are you removing the yeast? Sterile filtration? Otherwise, it will ferment out.

The recipe has some good bones, as those are decent ingredients, but the quantities are all wrong.

 

[Gavin C]

Whats your expected ABV

4lbs of base malt is very tiny. Do you mean 4lbs of extract?

 

[richm20]

I will look when I get home. I believe BS had it around 4.5. And no, no extract with a brew in bag

 

[richm20]

Yeast would come out as I filter, 1 micron

 

[Yooper]

I will look when I get home. I believe BS had it around 4.5. And no, no extract with a brew in bag

Adjust your ratios, so that you have at least 70-80% base malt. I think your percentage is more like 60%, and that's a huge problem.

You probably need 10 pounds of base malt for a 5 gallon batch. You'll want no more than about 5-10% crystal malt (and not 120L, something 80L or less), 10% of black barley or roasted barley (or less) and less than 5% chocolate malt (pale or otherwise). Lactose is ok, up to a pound or so in a 5 gallon batch. Maple syrup in a chocolate/sweet stout sounds awful to me, but if you have a real sweet tooth it may be just what you're looking for. That, with the lactose, means a very sweet and thick dessert drink.

 

[Gavin C]

I will look when I get home. I believe BS had it around 4.5. And no, no extract with a brew in bag

Doesn't the addition of maple syrup count as a non-grain fermentable? I am familiar with BIAB. I didn't realize yeast could be filtered without some sort of sterilization of the wort. What is your setup?

Edit: Just saw a filtering system that works with kegging. Cool stuff

 

[z-bob]

How about using pale ale malt for the base instead of 2-row? That plus roasted barley should get you pretty close to a stout before you start adding stuff.

 

[richm20]

I'm going to punch some changes into BS this evening and see what happens.
As far as the maple, I'm looking for just a hint. Almost have to search for it.

 

[Gavin C]

I'm going to punch some changes into BS this evening and see what happens.
As far as the maple, I'm looking for just a hint. Almost have to search for it.

For a 5 gallon batch at 75% efficiency I am getting an ABV of 3.4% with a FG of 1.021. Very sweet indeed. That is imputing the 1lb of maple syrup as non-fermentable as you have described.

Perhaps you have much higher efficiency than I am used to in which case your ABV will be more. Exapmle 80% eff gives a 3.7% ABV

I'm not a big fan of sweet alcoholic drinks. Cant recall having a sweet beer before but I'm sure that's more to do with my ignorance than anything else. Is there a particular style you are shooting for?

I cant find one to match the characteristics of this recipe.

 

[richm20]

I appreciate the input, this is exactly what I was looking for.
Maybe Im using BS wrong but when I punch in the #'s I get IBU@59, SRM@41 (dark), and ABV of 6.3???

The numbers all work out, what am I doing wrong?

 

[richm20]

Never mind. My batch size was wrong.

Ill start over!

 

[Gavin C]

no worries. I generally use 5.5 gallon for the batch size with my own systems eff and tweak others' recipes.

 

[z-bob]

I appreciate the input, this is exactly what I was looking for.
Maybe Im using BS wrong but when I punch in the #'s I get IBU@59, SRM@41 (dark), and ABV of 6.3???

The numbers all work out, what am I doing wrong?

Never mind. My batch size was wrong. Ill start over!

Any progress?

 

[richm20]

Not yet. Life keeps getting in the way

 

[richm20]

Sorry. Ive been crazy busy with the holidays and brewing all sorts of stuff:
Recently made a Kona Afire rock clone, a Smoked porter, a simple cream ale, and a Dead guy clone.
My Brother in law (also brews) had a corn beer that he loved. He asked me to help design a recipe. I did my best but would like some input. The only information I get from the brewery is "Midwest grains" and "sweet corn"

Thoughts on this AG batch:

All grain
Batch size:5.5
Efficiency set for 68% (****ty mash setup (will be fixing soon))

-4.5 lbs pale 2 row
-3.5 lbs flaked corn
-1 lb Min. rice
-.5 lb Dextrine
-.5 honey malt


.5 oz crystal 60 min.
.5 oz willamette 60 min.
.5 oz crystal 30 min,
.5 oz Willamette 20 min.

us-05 yeast

Mash @148 for 75 min.

90 min, boil.