Oatmeal Stout Oatmeal Stout

[Lil' Sparky]

You think the cascades worked well with the grain bill? I've used them in a brown with good results but never a stout.

 

[stever]

I think they are fine and since they are just solely for bittering they really don't impart much if any flavor. I was even tempted to dry hop with cascade but decided against it, I do think it would be tasty though.

 

[atromic]

Just did a 2.5 gal batch for my first AG... Waiting to see how this one turns out is going to be torture!

 

[cyclonetx]

I am relatively new to AG brewing and this one is next on my list. I am curious as to how long this needs to age in the bottle before it is ready? Do the oat flakes get milled or added whole to the MT.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

This one goes through some big changes as it ages. Definitely give it several weeks, but taste it along the way to see how your brew changes as it conditions.

The oats don't need to be milled.

 

[Slowfro]

Hey Sparky, just brewed this Saturday, can't wait to get it bottled and conditioned. Just wondering if you've ever added any coffee malt to the recipe either in place of or in addition to the chocolate malt. I'm thinking I want to give that a shot and see how it goes to compare the 2 flavors, just wanted to see if you've tried at all. Thanks!

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Never tried it, but coffee flavor should go well with a stout.

 

[Slowfro]

I figured it would go well with this beer, some of my favorite stouts have coffee incorporated in them. Any idea how much of the malt I should use? My first thought was to just sub the coffee malt for the chocolate for comparison but I'm not sure that would have a strong enough presence. I'll be bottling this weekend so I don't have a feel for what the beer is like yet. Any advice?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I think I'd brew it as-is and then add some extra strong coffee at bottling for flavor. We've done that with a porter before and it turned out really good.

 

[Slowfro]

How much coffee do you add at bottling? Do you just brew the coffee and mix it in the bottling bucket?

 

[shay1989]

I'm confused on the protein rest what is that? is that after your done sparging bringing the wart down to 122 for 20 minutes before starting your boil?

 

[brehuh]

Thanks for the recipe, we made 11 gallons of it yesterday. The only thing I did differently was use MO. I ended up with a higher OG though, I got 1.071. What should my target FG be now? I love oatmeal shouts and cannot wait for this to be ready!

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Probably something in the 1.010-1.015 range

 

[WarrantedFED]

This is what Palmer says about oats:

"Oats are available whole, steel-cut (i.e. grits), rolled, and flaked. Rolled and flaked oats have had their starches gelatinized (made soluble) by heat and pressure, and are most readily available as "Instant Oatmeal" in the grocery store. Whole oats and "Old Fashioned Rolled Oats" have not had the degree of gelatinization that Instant have had and must be cooked before adding to the mash. "Quick" oatmeal has had a degree of gelatinization but does benefit from being cooked before adding to the mash. Cook according to the directions on the box (but add more water) to ensure that the starches will be fully utilized. Use 0.5-1.5 lb. per 5 gal batch. Oats need to be mashed with barley malt (and its enzymes) for conversion."

So apparently you do need some barley for conversion. In that case, I'd add a lb or two of barley when you steep the grains, and use just enough water (at 155') to cover the grain bag (maybe 2 gals) - basically you're doing a partial mash here. Add the rest of the water when you're done steeping. You can be heating this to a boil in another pot while the grains are steeping (mashing) to avoid wasting time. Shouldn't be much more complicated than what you're used to. Hope that helps.

This is fantastic information, I had no idea that the rolled oats needed to be fully cooked and protein rested prior to adding to the mash, despite having used rolled oats previously in a chocolate stout. In that recipe I had made, i just tossed them into the mash dry. I guess that made them ineffective?

Am I to understand that the barley malt's enzymes facilitate the rolled oats' conversion? But conversion of what to what? Does it contribute to the coveted oatmeal texture? Or is it conversion of the starches to fermentable sugars?

Also, how does the 2 lbs of barley malt affect the brew? Does this add fermentable sugars? Other flavoring? I guess the question I really have is: How would this affect a pumpkin ale; will it alter the style negatively?

Thanks,

-Will

 

[Lil' Sparky]

You need the barley, because it has the enzymes needed to convert the oat's starch to sugar. The barley won't affect the flavor, since it's the same as your base extract, you'll just need to use less extract since the barley will add fermentable sugars. That's where a brewing program comes in very handy. I think oats in a pumpkin ale sounds like an interesting experiment. Should add a little creamy texture.

 

[WarrantedFED]

You need the barley, because it has the enzymes needed to convert the oat's starch to sugar. The barley won't affect the flavor, since it's the same as your base extract, you'll just need to use less extract since the barley will add fermentable sugars. That's where a brewing program comes in very handy. I think oats in a pumpkin ale sounds like an interesting experiment. Should add a little creamy texture.

I'll be using Golden Promise, which I have just learned is a barley malt. So I am good to go.

 

[Diesel48]

brewed this last night, seemed more brown than black. We will see when it goes in the glass.

 

[Diesel48]

Put it in the keg today. Naturally carbonating it because the keezer is full. The hydro sample was great!

 

[Chia]

So i am making this in the morning. will be my first experience with oatmeal. i am using a rims system so i am going to just mash like i would any other beer and hope for the best. if this is wrong and there are directions on what i should do different that are clear, please give them to me. i have never had a protein rest and dunno how i would do with out resting and then ramping up the temp with the rims. thanks

 

[marinosr]

Just bottled my second go-round with this recipe, with the minor change that I subbed safale s-04 for the yeast. Fantastic, simple recipe. Can't wait to drink this one again!

 

[steven_b]

Brewing this up tomorrow using homegrown Cascade hops.

 

[bakernotabanker]

I have only done 1G (3.89L) batches up until now but I am going to try doing a double sized batch with this one. Just divided the recipe by 2.75 and changed to metric. I don't have a 40'L caramel, only a 20'L. Should I sub some Munich malt in place of the 2 row to bring up the caramel notes? Or just increase the amount of 20'L caramel? Also I am at a loss for how much coffee to add at bottling time


1.485kg 2 row
.247 kg oat flakes
.165 kg caramel 20'L
.082 kg chocolate
.082 kg roasted barley
16g Golding's
Notty yeast

40'C-60'C-70'C multi step mash

?? Coffee at bottling

Thanks for any input you folks can give!
Nate

In primary right now: Kolsch 2
Bottled: Kolsch 1, Mild Brown Ale, Weisse