Oatmeal Stout Recipe Critique Needed!

[BillBaxter]

For some reason stout recipes seem to be the hardest for me to get just right. Let me know if you see any red flags here!

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Heritage Stout
Brewer: Bill Baxter
Asst Brewer:
Style: Oatmeal Stout
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.32 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.82 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.10 gal
Estimated OG: 1.057 SG
Estimated Color: 37.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 68.1 %
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 20L (Briess) (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.5 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.5 %
12.0 oz Chocolate Malt (Simpsons) (430.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.4 %
8.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.3 %
8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.3 %
0.70 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 60. Hop 7 33.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs 12.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 18.69 qt of water at 168.0 F 156.0 F 40 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.06 gal water at 168.0 F

 

[meatcleaver]

i think it needs some roasted barley.
& I'd omit the honey malt & swap the c20 for c60 or 80

 

[BillBaxter]

i think it needs some roasted barley.
& I'd omit the honey malt & swap the c20 for c60 or 80

Just curious: why would you omit the honey malt? And why switch the Caramel?

Also, I know the roasted barley is almost necessary to call a stout a stout but I wanted a very smooth stout on the sweeter side. A dessert beer.

 

[Reisende]

I understand your desire for smoothness, but you really need the roasted barley. Also, the chocolate malt is pretty harsh, I might back that down to 8oz, or use pale chocolate. I also think you need the toffee, burnt sugar flavor of dark crystal.

I recommend using a cold steep for the dark grains, or at least add them at vorlauf. That will help smooth it out.

Finally, consider bumping the bitterness down to 25-30 IBU, and maybe use a smoother hop, like magnum. Good luck!

 

[Gavin C]

I'd loose the black patent and honey malt.

The black patent is redundant for color as you've got tons of black in the chocolate malt

Not seeing the benefit of the honey

If you don't want roasted barley then don't make as stout. This is more like an oatmeal porter.

I'd increase the lovibond rating of the crystal too. You'll get a sweeter and more dextrinous mouthfeel that way in addition to some head retention.

On that note. How about some flaked barley. It is popular in stouts

No experience with that hop variety. Seems very potent and possibly harsh. But yeah, I've no clue there.

I'd use an Irish or a British ale strain of yeast with a lower attenuation than s05. 1056 will work just fine though. mash profile looks good

 

[cyanmonkey]

Like a few people said, I'd go 80L or even 120 on the crystal. You could push it up to 10%. Drop the honey. Could always add lactose if you want a sweet stout.

When you say smooth, do you mean mouthfeel or taste? I wouldn't say stouts are meant to be smooth as much as a drink you savor. A porter I would think of more as chocolatey and smooth.