Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Nothing Fancy Chocolate Milk Stout

[Rdom]

What about some special B.
I just racked a gallon of my nothing fancy stout onto some oak chips. The rest will be kegged. I got a white house porter too so I may keg it and let my stout age a bit longer.

I brewed this beer with special b (lhbs didn't have the dark crystal) and few other minor modifications and it turned out great.

 

[brew2enjoy]

I brewed this beer with special b (lhbs didn't have the dark crystal) and few other minor modifications and it turned out great.

How much special B did you use?

 

[Rdom]

How much special B did you use?

I did a 2.5gal batch. Here's my recipe:

3lbs 14oz Maris Otter
10oz flaked barley
7oz dingemans special B (LHBS didn't have extra dark crystal)
6oz Briess roasted barley
6oz Muntons chocolate malt
6oz Briess Special Roast (LHBS didn't have brown malt)
Hershey's Cocoa Powder 3oz at 15 min (used lowfat but would use non-fat in the future - it may have interfered with carbonation a little).
Lactose 8oz at 15min
Cacao Nibs 4oz (soaked in Grey Goose vodka for ~3 days) in primary 4 days prior to bottling.
Didn't do secondary.

Used Willamette @ 60min for bittering to ~31 IBU's (I could have probably pushed it up a bit higher).

Mashed at 155 for an hour.
Used Irish Ale yeast.

There was some tanginess to it that I really enjoyed. Don't know if it was due to the yeast or maybe the Special Roast. Chocolate not overwhelming though definitely there. Planning on brewing it again this winter.

 

[slimshady95sox]

sorry if you already addressed this but.. with how much water did you mash and sparge?

and by milk sugar do you mean lactose?

 

[advogold]

How much special B did you use?[/QUOTE]

I used same amount of special B as crystal it was replacing.

 

[eviljay]

And yes, by milk sugar I mean lactose.

 

[WhiteEagle1]

Just ordered all the ingredients online from Northern Brewer.....$85.77. I was like, Damn! This turned out to be an expensive 5 gallon batch!!! Ordered anyway..... Then realized it was for a 10 gal batch. Oops.

 

[eviljay]

Awesome! 10 gallons for you!

 

[FATC1TY]

Just ordered all the ingredients online from Northern Brewer.....$85.77. I was like, Damn! This turned out to be an expensive 5 gallon batch!!! Ordered anyway..... Then realized it was for a 10 gal batch. Oops.

You could try upping the hop additions I bet, and make it a HUGE Imperial stout for 5 gallons.

Although... That would be an expensive all grain batch for sure.. I just did one that was 1.100 and cost me less than 40 locally.

 

[eviljay]

I just did a 10g batch of a wee heavy. 45 pounds of grain. I felt so manly walking out of Annapolis Home Brew with a 55# bag of MO.

 

[FATC1TY]

I just did a 10g batch of a wee heavy. 45 pounds of grain. I felt so manly walking out of Annapolis Home Brew with a 55# bag of MO.

Nice! Yeah, I like walking out of the LHBS with a bag with over 20# of grain it in for a 5g batch. Makes me feel like I know what I'm doing when people gawk. Little do they know!

 

[eviljay]

Hahah. Someone asked me on the way out what I was making, I told him "I have no idea"

 

[advogold]

Haha! I said screw bags. I got a bucket to seal grains airtight and easier to pour into mash. Especially stirring in grains and holding bags with one arm don't want my 20# grains missing the mark

 

[advogold]

pulled gallon of my nothing fancy so I could bottle it and I have to say I added about a qtr oz of french oak chips and it is hella good wow it's amazing at bottling time. I can't wait to get it in my keg however that will not be oaked. Definitely good regardless!

 

[brew2enjoy]

Running down to the LHBS after work tomorrow to pick up the ingredients for this. Need to make sure I have everything on hand so I can brew during the hurricane

 

[brew2enjoy]

Had to sub the brown malt for Victory, other then that I kept everything about the same. Should be brewing tonight.

 

[brew2enjoy]

Well the brew went good. Only problem (if you want to call it a problem) is that I got 85% efficiency. I average 72% normally. So I ended up with a OG of 1.072! Closer to a double chocolate stout I guess. I added 1/2 lb of cocoa powder to the boil as well. Pitched rehydrated s04 over 24 hours ago and I still have no activity. It is sitting at 60 degrees so that could explain the sluggish start.

 

[advogold]

Got mine kegged gonna pull a pint soon as I get home from work

 

[brew2enjoy]

Anyone that brewed this recipe with cocoa powder. Did you notice a strange fermentation? This is my first stout and first time using cocoa powder. The beer seems to be slowly fermenting but there it absolutely no krausen! It's the strangest thing I have ever seen.

 

[advogold]

sorry I just used nibs

 

[WhiteEagle1]

S04 was a pretty slow start....then a pretty quick ferment last time I used it.

 

[FATC1TY]

Anyone that brewed this recipe with cocoa powder. Did you notice a strange fermentation? This is my first stout and first time using cocoa powder. The beer seems to be slowly fermenting but there it absolutely no krausen! It's the strangest thing I have ever seen.

You should get a little chocolate mousse.. I brew with the powder all the time, and it happens. It's working still, the chocolate is just killing it.

 

[advogold]

I went ahead and added 1.5 oz oak chips to keg just to give it added complexity. It's very good my gf doesn't drink beer but she said she could drink this one. Chics n Choc go figure haha

 

[Homercidal]

Shared one with the wife last night. After dinner I took care of her dishes and her beer was gone. I asked her if she still liked the beer and she said it seemed a bit more bitter this time. I told her that a beer doesn't normally go MORE bitter, must be her tastes that day.

I declined to tell her that when I measured grains for the next batch, I accidentally added the Roasted Barley twice. I hope it's not too much more bitter when it's brewed. Oh well, I'm sure I'll like it anyway...

 

[eviljay]

Awesome.

Glad people are liking this.

 

[brew2enjoy]

took a sample yesterday (day 10) and it tastes amazing! Only problem is that its at 1.030. The S-04 doesn't seem to be active anymore so I am going to try to warm it up a little and give it a little swirl.

 

[advogold]

Mine finished at 1.030 as well and I used pac man. I didn't sweat it but it seems to be in the 6-7% abv range so maybe my reading was off do to a temperature.

 

[eviljay]

I figured with the amount of specialty grains that it was going to be a slight issue with finishing high like that, which is why I use irish ale yeast. Even though the strain typically finishes dry, i've never had the irish ale lower it past 1.012.

I'm sure some warm and a swirl will kick 04 back into high gear. I love 04, its my yeast of choice for most of my other beers!

 

[brew2enjoy]

honestly if it's finished at 1.030 I am perfectly fine with that. It did not taste overly sweet. It was actually perfect.

 

[advogold]

I agree its pretty damn good I wonder if the lactose I added was two lbs or one I just asked for 1lb but think they may have mixed up after I bought some for my second batch that I'm making into Christmas beer.