Oatmeal Stout in the Primary; what should I do with it??

[stealthfixr]

Have you ever over-thought something where you lose the forest for the option trees? That's where I am at, and I am curious what your opinion is.

I brewed the Oatmeal Stout in the Classic Brewing Styles book yesterday, BIAB style and hit my OG on the money (1.063). I have some Madagascar Vanilla Beans that I could use, and I also have two containers of Vintner's Harvest Cherry puree.

Vote in the poll and let me know what you think should be done with this Stout. BTW, it is raging away nicely with my Brew Jacket holding it at a nice 65F--had active fermentation in well under 12 hours. Amazing what a little O2 will do for fermentation vigor.

 

[jrcrilly]

I currently have ten gallons of oatmeal stout in primary myself. I hadn't planned to do anything special to it - but I'll be watching this thread and the poll with interest in case I get some ideas. I add vanilla beans to my porters (there's a batch of that here, will be ready to be racked off the split/scraped beans Friday) but hadn't considered that for the stout.

 

[PGEduardo]

If this is to become a common style for you, brew it per the recipe the first time to develop a baseline. Brew it immediately after adding whatever tweaks you think it could benefit from (+aging?)

I think all of us suffer from idle hands, wanting to tweak things here or there without actually sticking to the original plan.

 

[stealthfixr]

No other votes?

 

[logdrum]

What yeast?

 

[stealthfixr]

Wyeast 1968 "London ESB" from a 1.5L starter.

 

[kh54s10]

I have an Imperial Stout in progress, not an oatmeal though. I have 4 ounces of medium toast oak chips soaking in Jim Beam Bourbon that is going in soon.

Either this "other" or "Don't mess with it!"

 

[stealthfixr]

As a follow-up, I just checked the gravity, and it is down to 1.016, or right about where it should be. Might drop another couple points in the next week, but this was after two days at 69F.

I tasted it, of course, and it tasted so darned good already that I am not doing anything to it--might screw it up. I just had Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout a couple night ago, and I'll be darned if this stout will not compare of exceed it. I have yet to brew anything but an outstanding batch of beer from the Brewing Classic Styles book--could not recommend it more highly.

So, leaving it as is. Problem is that I have two cans of Vintner Harvest Cherry puree sitting in my brew room. I am thinking Belgian Wit, Cherry style.

 

[antony]

brew a porter, add pb2 & the cherry puree...*poof* pb&j porter. good stuff.

 

[chisena]

Add the cherries, some WLP655, and let it sit for a year.

 

[iijakii]

As a follow-up, I just checked the gravity, and it is down to 1.016, or right about where it should be. Might drop another couple points in the next week, but this was after two days at 69F.

I tasted it, of course, and it tasted so darned good already that I am not doing anything to it--might screw it up. I just had Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout a couple night ago, and I'll be darned if this stout will not compare of exceed it. I have yet to brew anything but an outstanding batch of beer from the Brewing Classic Styles book--could not recommend it more highly.

So, leaving it as is. Problem is that I have two cans of Vintner Harvest Cherry puree sitting in my brew room. I am thinking Belgian Wit, Cherry style.

Hah! Time to brew it again and do half with cherries and half with vanillr.

Personally I love fresh cherries but hate anything cherry flavored...

 

[Codfishhead]

My .02

If you're brewing a beer for the first time and like the results. Brew it again. If you can hit all your marks and it taste the same. Now you know you can repeat the results. Key to being a good brewer is being able to make the exact beer every time.

After you've done that change ONE and only ONE ingredient at a time. That way you'll know exactly what changing or adding that one ingredient does. Anything more and its guessing at best.

Also don't add flavors to your entire batch. If it sucks so now does all your beer. Get some gal glass bottles and split the batch into 5 parts. This way you could do 5 diff test on the same batch changing one thing on each. You can do this even with the same ingredient at diff amounts.

Good luck.

 

[mcspanner]

Adding stuff to beer?!?! Did Gary Oak teach us nothing?

Seriously though as others have said enjoy this one unadulterated, then re-brew, split the batch and do a few gallons of both. Personally I'd go for the vanilla if I had to choose one option.