milk outmeal stout help

[walcotteric]

I found this recipe in the database. I'm looking to do a 2.5 gallon batch instead of the 5 indicated. I also read some comments saying to replace the Windsor yeast with Nottingham yest.

Couple of questions:
1) Can I just cut everything in half as far as amounts go?
2) Windsor vs. Nottingham? Which should I use
3) any other recommended improvements (if so, why?)

Here's the original recipe I found:

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Windsor
Yeast Starter: None
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.024
IBU: ~17
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: ~35 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 11 @ 70
Tasting Notes: Nearly opaque with a creamy tan head. Subtly sweet, toasted malts come through, crisp

M.O. Stout (Milk Oatmeal Stout)

Light Dry Malt Extract – 4.5 lbs
Black Patent – 8 oz
Chocolate Malt – 12 oz
CARAPILS – 8 oz
Lactose – 1 lb
Oats, Flaked – 1 lb
Fuggle Pellet Hops – 1 oz (60 min)
Fuggle Pellet Hops - 1 oz (5 min)
Windsor Yeast
Irish Moss - 1 tsp

Steep oats for 15 minutes at 115 F.
Bring temp up to 155.
Steep grains and oats for 45 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Add malt extract.
Bring to boil.
Add bittering hops with 60 minutes remaining.
Add 1 tsp Irish Moss and 1 lb lactose at with 15 min remaining.
Add aroma hops with 5 minutes remaining.

 

[gointomexico]

1. yes
2. I don't know, sorry.
3. Yes, I would add (in your case) .5 lb of some American 2 row (milled) with the oats, and remove 5 oz of DME. The oats need to be mashed, but there does not appear to be any Diastic Power in the ingredients there.

I'd skip the 115 rest cus I'm lazy, and its a stout so I don't care if its cloudy. I would also want the additional proteins that the oatmeal provides to give the beer that extra chewy mouth feel.

 

[walcotteric]

1. yes
2. I don't know, sorry.
3. Yes, I would add (in your case) .5 lb of some American 2 row (milled) with the oats, and remove 5 oz of DME. The oats need to be mashed, but there does not appear to be any Diastic Power in the ingredients there.

I'd skip the 115 rest cus I'm lazy, and its a stout so I don't care if its cloudy. I would also want the additional proteins that the oatmeal provides to give the beer that extra chewy mouth feel.

The oats need to be mashed? I'm a noob, please help me with what this means.

 

[gointomexico]

Mashing is the process of converting starches in the oats to simple sugars, something that the yeast can eat and turn into alcohol. By the recipe above, that looks like what you are doing (mashing) but your missing Diastic Power from a base malt. There are not enough enzymes in the oats to convert the starches to sugar, so you need to add a base malt. Your process is the same, but you will want to add a little bit of base malt to your recipe to get the starches to convert.

You could just skip this step, like if your homebrew store is really far away and you cannot find base malt anywhere. If you don't convert the starches in the oats into simple sugars, you'll get something called starch haze, and your beer wont store all that well. Those two problems can be solved with some red solo cups and a keg party.

You will want to add some base malt (2 row, 6 row) so you can add some "Diastic Power" or DP to convert the starches in the oatmeal into simple sugars. There is an equation to figure this out (DP EQUATION) but you don't really have to worry about it yet, if ever. The rule of thumb I use was equal parts base malt with flaked stuff. That will give you more than enough DP to convert every time when using American barley.

 

[walcotteric]

1. yes
2. I don't know, sorry.
3. Yes, I would add (in your case) .5 lb of some American 2 row (milled) with the oats, and remove 5 oz of DME. The oats need to be mashed, but there does not appear to be any Diastic Power in the ingredients there.

I'd skip the 115 rest cus I'm lazy, and its a stout so I don't care if its cloudy. I would also want the additional proteins that the oatmeal provides to give the beer that extra chewy mouth feel.

Thanks again!

Also, just so I can continue learning, why am I adding 1/2 lb or the 2 row but only removing 5 oz of the DME? (why those amounts?)

 

[gointomexico]

1lb of DME is about the same amount of sugar as 1.6lb of grain. You can leave in the DME, but your beer will have a higher OG and possibly more alcohol. I just did an off the cuff calculation and came up with those numbers.