Recipe feedback desired: Minnesota Stout

[Brocster]

Hi all,

I have been tinkering with a few recipes, and my number one goal is to come up with a unique Stout, but not so unique where it is not a great session beer. My goals are to produce an American Dry Stout with a regional orientation. I am from Minnesota and would really like to represent the state in the beer. Long term goal would be to refine and have as an entry brew at the contest level.

Another item, my favorite stout is Rogue Shakespeare, so that will give you a type of flavor profile I llike. I do not really need to be close, I just don't want to be way off from the range of style which it represents. Basically, I am neither looking for a sweet stout nor a uber Imperial.

The flavor component I want to work with is Wild Rice. This is something I used pretty well in the early 90's, but only in Amber type Ale's.

Any feedback or thoughts would be most appreciated on the followin recipe. It's been a while since I really brewed, so my recipe abilities may be lacking.


BK Brew's Minnesota Stout

Batch size 5.5 gallons
Type: PM


Grain Bill:
Light DME 5 pounds (1.046/67%)
Crystal 80L 2 pounds (1.009/13%)
Special B .5 pounds (1.002/3%)
Oats (Flaked) .5 pounds (1.002/3%)
Wild Rice 1 pounds (1.008/12%)
Roasted Barley .5 pounds (1.002/3%)

Hops Schedule:
Northern Brewer 2oz. AA 8.8% 60 minutes (BU 49)
Cascade 1oz. AA 6% 20 minutes (BU 10)
Cascade 1oz. AA 6% 5 minutes (BU 3)
Cascade 1oz. AA 6% 1 minute (BU 1)


Wyeast American Ale 1056

Predicted OG: 1.069
Predicted FG: 1.017

Strike Water Qty: 7 quarts
Strike Water Qty: 179 degrees
Desired Mash Temp: 153 degrees
Mash Grain Weight: 4.5 pounds
Mash Time: 70 minutes
Sparge Temp: 170
Sparge Volume: 10 quarts
Boil Volume: 4.5 gallons

Wild Rice Steps:
- Boil the wild rice for 45 minutes, using just enough water to cover rice:
- Let rest from the boil (just remove from heat) for 30 minutes.
- Add to Mash Tun (kettle in my PM case). Add to mash after first runnings but before sparge method. Lightly stir into mash, VERY LIGHTLY, then sparge as normal.

After Mash is complete, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add DME and bring back to boil and follow hop schedule. Chill as normal, add to fermenter and top off to 5.5 gallons.


Primary Volume: 5.5 gallons
Primary Fermentation: 1 week at 66 degrees
Secondary: 3 weeks
Bottle Conditioning: 6-8 weeks

*** goal is to have a somewhat dry, strong (not overly strong), well balanced beer, with a roasted finish. The Wild rice should add a nutty component to the complexity of the beer.



So...... thoughts/feedback?

Thanks!

 

[jacksonbrown]

A 1.069-1.017 beer is not going to feel very dry. That's pretty big for a dry stout. Not that it doesn't sound good, it just doesn't fit what you've described as desireable. I've never heard of Special B or rice in a stout, so I'd be interested to know how those work. Seems like a lot of crystal and not enough roast. I would bring them both to a pound. Love the hops. Let us know if you make it and how it turns out.

 

[AquaDementia]

I agree that 1.069-1.017 is not going to give you a dry stout, or any kind of beer. You should really be shooting for 1.010 or so to get dryness. You also have 2.5 lbs of caramel malt in your recipe, which is definetely going to increase your final gravity and sweetness. I would ditch most if not all of the caramel malt and use around 2 lbs of either roasted or chocolate malt, if in fact your going for a dry stout.

Shakespeare stout isnt really a dry stout so im not sure which way to go with things, perhaps you should state if you want your beer to be more like the rogue shakespeare or an irish stout like murphys or guiness draught.

 

[Brocster]

I actually did not mean use dry the way it appears - I used the term wrong, and I am not even sure why I did! I just meant I did not want an overly sweet beer. That's what happens when I type at work while on a conference call.

Thanks for the feedback! I actually wanted the Caramel and Special B to give a little sweetness to offset the expected woodyness of the Wild Rice. It is a pretty unique component and I am not sure what to expect.

I like the advice and agree with it. I like what I "think' the Special B will bring to the beer, so I will up that, reduce the Caramel 80L to 1 pound, and up the Roasted barley to 1 pound. To keep the OG in-line with my first thougts, I had to up the DME as well.

New Grain Bill:
Grain Bill:
Light DME 6 pounds (1.046/9%)
Crystal 80L 1 pounds (1.004/6%)
Special B 1 pounds (1.004/6%)
Oats (Flaked) .5 pounds (1.002/3%)
Wild Rice 1 pounds (1.008/12%)
Roasted Barley 1 pounds (1.003/4%)

Predicted OG: 1.067
Predicted FG: 1.017
ABV 6.9%
BU/GU Ratio: .97 (65 IBU's)


I am looking forward to this one - should be interesting if not good!

 

[GunnerMan]

Sounds good and interesting. I wonder what the rice will addto thi]\\

Id liekl tyo ,mkle a sdate sto8t of my own , I thing some j7ujnipe vberries wouldf dop the strick'

 

[mwhc22]

i was thinking about using wild rice too for a Wisconsin beer i can get it wild from the Indian reservation by my parents house. ill have to keep tabs on this thread... Japanese beer has rice in it... so why not Midwest beer too?

 

[big supper]

1 pound of crystal 80 and one pound of special B could make this an overly sweet beer. If it was me, I would use maybe 1/2lb of crystal and 1/4 pound of Special B.