Hi all,
I just came back from my LHBS with ingredients for my second brew ever which I plan to start this weekend. I took a recipe for an extract based vanilla bourbon stout that I found in the forums and adapted for what was available at my LHBS and the fact that I am doing a partial (~3.5G) boil...this is what I came up with:
2.0 lbs Oats, flaked
0.5 lbs Crystal 120
0.5 lbs Chocolate
0.5 lbs Roasted barley
0.25 lbs Black (Patent)
6.6 lbs Dark LME
2.2 lbs Dark DME
2.0 oz Northern Brewer (60 min)
2.0 oz Williamette (5 min)
1 pkg White Lab Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004)
After a week in primary, I plan to transfer to a secondary with a vanilla bean, oak cube and bourbon mixture I have soaking right now.
Beer Smith is kicking out an OG of 1.064, which is definitely on the high end of the Oatmeal Stout range. I have read that with OGs above 1.06, sometimes a single package of yeast is not enough. I've also taken a look at the brewersfriend.com yeast calculator, and it seems to suggest 2-3 packages of yeast without a yeast starter.
Based on this, I plan on creating a 2L starter with my one yeast package and a 1/4 lb of the above DME today and let it sit for a couple days. I do not have a stirplate, and so plan on simply leaving it in a foil covered container and doing the 'drive-by shaking' technique...
My questions are:
1) To be on the safe side, should I pick-up another packet of yeast?
2) Is 2 days enough time for a starter without a stir plate to actually do anything?
3) Should I look into getting a stirplate? My LHBS has them but they have a slightly steep price tag ~$80 and I want to make sure the investment is worth it here.
4) Should I also think about adding yeast nutrient to this recipe?
As this is my first non-kit brew, I want to make sure I am pitching enough yeast and appreciate any comments you seasoned vets may have (also happy to get feedback on the recipe in general...)
Many thanks in advance to you all!
I just came back from my LHBS with ingredients for my second brew ever which I plan to start this weekend. I took a recipe for an extract based vanilla bourbon stout that I found in the forums and adapted for what was available at my LHBS and the fact that I am doing a partial (~3.5G) boil...this is what I came up with:
2.0 lbs Oats, flaked
0.5 lbs Crystal 120
0.5 lbs Chocolate
0.5 lbs Roasted barley
0.25 lbs Black (Patent)
6.6 lbs Dark LME
2.2 lbs Dark DME
2.0 oz Northern Brewer (60 min)
2.0 oz Williamette (5 min)
1 pkg White Lab Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004)
After a week in primary, I plan to transfer to a secondary with a vanilla bean, oak cube and bourbon mixture I have soaking right now.
Beer Smith is kicking out an OG of 1.064, which is definitely on the high end of the Oatmeal Stout range. I have read that with OGs above 1.06, sometimes a single package of yeast is not enough. I've also taken a look at the brewersfriend.com yeast calculator, and it seems to suggest 2-3 packages of yeast without a yeast starter.
Based on this, I plan on creating a 2L starter with my one yeast package and a 1/4 lb of the above DME today and let it sit for a couple days. I do not have a stirplate, and so plan on simply leaving it in a foil covered container and doing the 'drive-by shaking' technique...
My questions are:
1) To be on the safe side, should I pick-up another packet of yeast?
2) Is 2 days enough time for a starter without a stir plate to actually do anything?
3) Should I look into getting a stirplate? My LHBS has them but they have a slightly steep price tag ~$80 and I want to make sure the investment is worth it here.
4) Should I also think about adding yeast nutrient to this recipe?
As this is my first non-kit brew, I want to make sure I am pitching enough yeast and appreciate any comments you seasoned vets may have (also happy to get feedback on the recipe in general...)
Many thanks in advance to you all!