Oatmeal Chocolate Stout - feedback

[terodox]

Hello all,

I've been doing a bunch of reading through the forum on Chocolate Stouts, Oatmeal Stouts, etc and I have a recipe I wanted to get some feedback on. Any and all feedback is welcome.

Thanks in advance!



Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 4.01 gal
Post Boil Volume: 3.64 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 27.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 69.2 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.9 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4 4.9 %
1.0 pkg American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124 Yeast 10 -
1 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Chocolate Malt (200.0 SRM) Grain 2 14.8 %
1.9 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 5 1.2 %
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 33.1 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
8.00 oz Cocoa Powder (100% pure) (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 8 -

 

[slarkin712]

Looks good. When I make an oatmeal stout I like to lightly toast the oats in the oven to give the beer a little more oatmeal taste. I toast them on a cookie sheet, spread out in a single layer. Toast at 250-350F for 10-20 minutes. Just check them often and take them out when they start to get a light brown color. I'm sure you can find better instructions somewhere on this forum, but it's pretty simple. What temperature are you going to mash at? I'd probably go 154F or so to get a little bit of body.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I'm not "getting" the reason for Cascade @ 0m... Cascade is citrusy and I just don't see it in a stout or porter. But that's just me.

MC

 

[ao125]

I'm not "getting" the reason for Cascade @ 0m... Cascade is citrusy and I just don't see it in a stout or porter. But that's just me.

MC

I'd probably do something more like:
60 mins 0.75oz Magnum pellet 14.0 AA
5 mins 1.00oz Tettnang pellet 4.5 AA
(my nut brown hop schedule)

or

60 mins 1.00oz Tettnang pellet 4.5 AA
30 mins 1.00oz Tettnang pellet 4.5 AA
5 mins 0.25oz Liberty pellet 4.0 AAA
(my sweet stout hop schedule)

 

[slarkin712]

I'm not "getting" the reason for Cascade @ 0m... Cascade is citrusy and I just don't see it in a stout or porter. But that's just me.

MC

Yeah, I agree. I didn't even notice that at the bottom of the recipe.

 

[terodox]

I get that, I will cut the 0 min addition as looking at it now I agree that it doesn't make much sense. I don't think I will change the other hop charge though merely because it's what I having laying around, and it's purely for bittering so the flavor profile of the hop won't matter much.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[joelrapp]

That's an awfully high percentage of chocolate malt. Most say max 10% in a batch, will give it quite a dominant dark chocolate flavor. I'd go with some Special B and Victory, or do a de-bittered black and Victory.

 

[cyclonite]

Looks good. When I make an oatmeal stout I like to lightly toast the oats in the oven to give the beer a little more oatmeal taste. I toast them on a cookie sheet, spread out in a single layer. Toast at 250-350F for 10-20 minutes. Just check them often and take them out when they start to get a light brown color. I'm sure you can find better instructions somewhere on this forum, but it's pretty simple. What temperature are you going to mash at? I'd probably go 154F or so to get a little bit of body.

Absolutely agreed - toast those oats! Gives it more of an oatmeal cookie flavor. I like to toast them about 1 week in advance, and put them in a paper bag to "age" (they smell kind of funky after toasting them, putting them in a paper bag will help keep the toastiness but get rid of the funk).

Also agree on the Cascade. The citrusy character of Cascade doesn't really fit this recipe IMHO. I would go for something earthy, spicy, or clean.

 

[terodox]

Thanks for all your feedback guys!

Here is my updated version of the recipe.
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 65.9 %
1 lbs Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4 9.4 %
1 lbs Pale Chocolate Malt (200.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.4 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.4 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.7 %
1.9 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.1 %

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2.00 oz Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 38.3 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 8 -
8.00 oz Cocoa Powder (100% pure) (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 9 -

I'm planning to order this afternoon. Any last minute feedback before I commit?

Thanks again!

 

[skydvr74]

I find that the cocoa powder increases the bitterness of the stout. I offset that with lactose. In your case ~8 oz, but that is just my personal taste.

 

[funkswing]

I don't think you should boil the cocoa powder. I would just add it at flame out, let it steep for 5 - 10 min and then start cooling. Also, I would add the whirfloc later in boil, say the last 1 min or so.

 

[funkswing]

Another thing, your IBUs for the beer are pretty high for a choco stout. I would move it to like 25 IBUs. The increased bitterness will take away from the maltiness you are wanting in the stout. Plus the dark malts will add their own perception of bitterness.