Roasted barley %

[LostHopper]

I'm working up a stout recipe and I'm unsure about how much roasted barley to use. Is 5% too low? 10% too high?



I've never used it and from reading descriptions it sounds like it needs a warning label.



Thanks

 

[BigEd]

Assuming just about everyone is familiar with Guinness stout, Guinness has about 10% roasted barley if that helps.

 

[chickypad]

It also depends on the rest of the grainbill - are you using any chocolate malt, black malt, coffee malt, etc.? I think 9-12% total dark roasted grains for stouts is a good ballpark.

 

[chickypad]

You might also Jamil's article useful:

BYO American stout

 

[LostHopper]

Thanks for the link
Chocolate malt yes
Black malt yes

 

[LostHopper]

This is grain bill for a 2.5 gal batch

5.5 lb pale malt (69%)
1 lb Munich (12.5%)
8 oz chocolate malt (6%)
8 oz black malt (6%)
4 oz Special B (3%)
4 oz roasted barley (3%)

I'm using New Abbey Ale yeast from Southyeast Labs

I've been brewing for over three years and I'm a recipe simpleton. This is the first time I've used more than three malts so I've got analysis paralysis for this one.

If anything looks outrageous feel free to chime in.

(I edited my original post from American stout to just stout. )

 

[chickypad]

Personally I'd back down a bit, that's a fairly big stout and you're sitting at 15% roasted grains (all very dark L). IME for smaller stouts you can get away with higher percentages because the overall total lbs per gallon is still fairly low. Also if you mix in some lighter roasted grains (like pale chocolate, coffee malt) you can get away with pushing the higher percentages. On a first run recipe though I'd probably keep the max under 12%.

Lots of combos you could use to get there, like
5% choc/3% roasted barley/3% black
4% choc/6% roasted barley
5% choc/5% black
etc.

 

[Yalc]

I usually try to stick to around 10% dark malts but I once made a stout based on Anastasia stout which had 10% roasted (black) barley, 4% chocolate and 6% pale chocolate. Had a pronounced coffee taste without adding any coffee.

 

[LostHopper]

Is Special B considered a "dark malt"?

 

[chickypad]

Well it's a Belgian dark crystal malt - kind of a raisiny dark caramel flavor. But no, when we are talking about dark roasted grains we're generally referring to roasted barley, black malt, chocolate and pale chocolate, coffee malts, etc. There are also the dehusked and other less bitter dark roasted malts like the carafa specials, midnight wheat, blackprinz.

 

[olotti]

Well it's a Belgian dark crystal malt - kind of a raisiny dark caramel flavor. But no, when we are talking about dark roasted grains we're generally referring to roasted barley, black malt, chocolate and pale chocolate, coffee malts, etc. There are also the dehusked and other less bitter dark roasted malts like the carafa specials, midnight wheat, blackprinz.

When you say black malt is that black patent or sow,thing else. Just curious.

 

[chickypad]

Yes, black malt is sometimes still called black patent malt.

 

[LostHopper]

I'll refer that question to chickypad.

After checking on availability at local brew shop.

5.5# pale malt maybe maris o
1# Munich
8oz Special B
4oz Roasted barley
4oz Black barley (per Yooper's stout recipe)
6oz chocolate malt
Southyeast New Abbey Ale yeast and
Undecided on some flaked barley or some oats.