Stout Recipe

[turnaround89]

Was wondering what you guys think about my stout recipe? First recipe from scratch, just need wanted some input on if this is gonna turn out horrible with my hop selection or malt selections. Thanks everyone


7 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM)
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)
1 lbs Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM)
1.75 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Aroma Steep 15.0 m Hop
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)
1.0 pkg London Ale III (Wyeast Labs #1318)

 

[ashplub]

Stout vs. porter styles seem to hinge on the use of roasted barley. At least that is what I have settled on while trying to find the difference. It looks yummy but I would call it a porter. I will give a couple ideas none of which I am sure I would take as it looks great as is.

1. You could split the crystal between a lower crystal and 120 say 1/2 40 or 60 and 1/2 120.

2. I don't think you need the carapils in there with the flaked barley unless you are looking for a fuller(is that a word to non-beer people?) body in a lower alc beer. As is the worst that will happen is a great mouthfeel and sticky lacing down the glass.

3. You could move some of the fuggles to aroma. For example 1.25 fuggles @ 60 and the other half oz @ 0mins.

 

[one8tvw]

add flaked oats and roasted barley, pound of each

 

[turnaround89]

adding roasted barley will make it a true stout i take it. Thanks for the input guys, i really appreciate it. I am actually going for a fuller beers, each beer i make seems to be thin and i would like more mouth feel. Ive never made a porter, maybe ill try this as a porter recipe and then add the roasted barley for a stout recipe. Thanks everyone.

 

[hampshirebrewer]

Actually I think your recipe looks more like a sweet stout. Roasted malt or barley is a frequent component of stouts, but in small quantities (and generally in weaker gravity brews) they are components of porters as well. The exception being modern draught Irish stouts which are of relatively low original gravity of around 1040.

I don't disagree with roast barley = stout, but back when both styles coexisted in the same brewery, porters were simply less strong beers with similar grist bills as the same brewer's stouts (this includes icons like Guinness and Whitbread). Back then stout = strong, and today's stout is a contraction of stout porter. And they were using black patent malt before some brewers (the Irish ones in particular) switched to roast barley.

What I've never seen is lactose in a porter recipe.

But I agree with you that lactose will add a layer of sweetness and fullness to your beer.

I would call your recipe either a porter or a stout; both work.

If you like your result and want to go darker, replace a portion of the chocolate malt with either roast barley or black patent. There's nothing like a well brewed black ale, whatever you may call it.

Enjoy!

 

[turnaround89]

wow, thanks for the awesome explanation hampshirebrewer. Much Appreciated. I think im gonna try the original recipe and see what happens. Whether its a stout, sweet stout, porter, etc i should end up with at least beer in the end. Thanks for the input everyone

 

[one8tvw]

Lactose in a porter? Never done it but you could be onto something. Milk Porter

 

[cooper]

adding roasted barley will make it a true stout i take it. Thanks for the input guys, i really appreciate it. I am actually going for a fuller beers, each beer i make seems to be thin and i would like more mouth feel. Ive never made a porter, maybe ill try this as a porter recipe and then add the roasted barley for a stout recipe. Thanks everyone.

If you're using RO water, and not currently adding any salts, you could throw in a tsp of Calcium Chloride to every 5 gallons of water treated and that should help out with the thinness you're experiencing.

 

[turnaround89]

I don't use RO water, I just use water Rockford, Illinois's city water. I've used it ever since I started brewing. I looked up the water report to try to add Rockford's water to my Beersmith program. They didn't list certain salts. I can post the report if needed. I always figured it was something I was doing that made for thinner beers, never really bothered to look at the water to in depth.

 

[cooper]

Here is some excellent info that AJ deLange put together that will really help get you on the right track as far as what water profile works best for the style you're brewing.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

 

[BrewMU]

I'm wondering why you need cara-pils when you have a # of caramel and a # of barley flakes. Shouldn't those give it plenty of body? I've never used lactose, so I've got nothing there. Someone said roasted barley - that's good, but easily overdone. I also agree with moving the fuggles where you can taste them - any decent high alpha hop will give you bitterness and cut down on the bulk and wort-loss, meanwhile, why waste the tasty fuggles on the long boil? Just my 2-cents - good luck.