oatmeal stout

[223nbecker45]

I made a oatmeal stout a few weeks ago and it turned out like new castle. Very thin and not a lot of flavor. Do you think I need to mash at higher temps for longer to get more body and flavor? I mashed at 153-154 for 80-90 minutes.

 

[SteveHeff]

What was your grain bill like? Yeast? Ferm temps? What was your water:grain ratio? How long did you allow fermentation to take place?

 

[223nbecker45]

8.2 lbs of British 2 row
.3 lbs of chocolate
.3 lbs of roast grains
.5 lbs of British 55 Crystal
1 lb oatmeal
Wyeast irish ale
68 degrees for 2 weeks
I used beersmith with full body single infusion and ended with about 8.25 gallons preboil. Then boiled to 5.5 gallons at the mark for 4.8 abv

 

[223nbecker45]

The srm came out a lot lower to. Looks like a brown ale not a stout

 

[brew_ny]

I think your 80-90 minutes of mash is the problem

but what was your OG and your FG ? also water to grain ratio?

I have been doing my SMaSh at 156 with a 60 minute mash time the beer has great body

all the best

S_M

 

[wetzie]

With that recipe I would have had 7gl preboil and boiled to 5.5gl in 1 hour. Could this be the issue?

 

[223nbecker45]

The recipe called for 90 minute mash and boil. I will get the water calcs off of beer Smith when I get home from work

 

[brew_ny]

With that recipe I would have had 7gl preboil and boiled to 5.5gl in 1 hour. Could this be the issue?

I do not believe the boil time is the problem, I just was reading somewhere about mash time and attenuation

the poster was saying how his beers were drying out on him and beers with a lower ABV were coming out with a higher ABV

so by doing a shorter mash he was getting beer not so dry

I know thicker and thinner mash changes thing etc.

OP needs to give us more data

S_M

 

[223nbecker45]

Ok so OG was 1.048 and sg was 1.012
I mashed in 13.31 quarts at 155 for 90 and sparged with my auto sparged 6.35 gallons at 168.
I didn't read beer smith correct it said to mash in for 45 minutes and I did 90 like the recipe said in clone brews.
That probly had a negative on the body and made it dry?
If you were to make a Samuel smith oatmeal stout how would you mash it?

 

[brew_ny]

All Grain Recipe - Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout ::: 1.055/1.014 (5.5 Gal)
Grain Bill (70% Efficiency assumed)

8 lbs. - 2 Row Pale Malt (UK if you have it, but whatever)
1 lb. - Flaked Oats
1/2 lb. - Crystal Malt (60L)
1/2 lb. - Chocolate Malt
1/4 lb. - Roasted Barley
Hop Schedule (31 IBU)

1.75 oz. - East Kent Goldings - 90 min.
Yeast

White Labs Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004) - 1800 ml starter
Mash/Sparge/Boil

Mash at 151° for 60 min.
Sparge as usual
Boil for 90 minutes (remember to compensate your water)
Cool and ferment at 65° to 68°

not mine it came from here

http://www.brew365.com/beer_ss_oat.php

good luck

S_M

 

[JonM]

Are you sure you got the correct grains? Last time I had a beer turn out completely different than expected the problem was that I had gotten the wrong grains at the LHBS. Maybe you accidentally left out the roast or the chocolate?

 

[SteveHeff]

For my oatmeal stouts, I usually mash at 152-154 for 60 minutes, single infusion. I mash with 16 quarts and sparge with 4.4 gallons at 170.

My chocolate malt is at 9 oz and my Roasted Barley is 5 oz. I also use 1# of C60 to help add color, but I've made the recipe without it and it came out just as dark. It has a nice creamy mouthfeel to it as well.

My suggestion, like those previous to me, double check your grains. Ensure that you are getting what you're ordering. Make sure the grind is where you want it to be, too. Lastly, work on mash temp and time. Good luck on your next brew.

 

[oach]

Have you calibrated your thermometer? It seems like you should be fine if that was truly your mash temperature and with that yeast.

 

[223nbecker45]

Yeah thermometer is calibrated. Just checked it again. I read an article on byo website that the roasted grain will lower your ph to low and you should mash for less time for full body. I already bought the grains for another brew and the roasted grains are mixed in so I can't steep them after the mash like i should. So I need to figure out how I can raise the ph during mash in.

 

[JonM]

CHeck out Bru'n water - it'll help you adjust the water so the pH will be better. I'm a noob at water adjustments, but what I've read so far says that adding calcium hydroxide (slaked lime, lime, pickling lime, or Cal in the Mexican grocery store) is the thing to use to raise the pH when dark malts make it too acidic.

 

[Yooper]

Yeah thermometer is calibrated. Just checked it again. I read an article on byo website that the roasted grain will lower your ph to low and you should mash for less time for full body. I already bought the grains for another brew and the roasted grains are mixed in so I can't steep them after the mash like i should. So I need to figure out how I can raise the ph during mash in.

Even with roasted grain, your pH was likely still high (and not low). Most pH issues are from a too-high pH, not too low!

I think there are two issues here. One is simply the grainbill itself- a 1.048 OG beer with 8 pounds of base malt is a pretty "small" beer. Also, there really isn't any think in there to give a rich mouthfeel and fuller body. Try adding a pound of flaked barley, for example. That recipe is a bit low on chocolate malt and on roasted barley as well.

The other is mash temp and time- if you want a smaller beer to come out full and heavy bodied, I'd mash higher for a shorter time. Mash at 156-158 for 45 minutes. That will make the wort more dextrinous, and it would finish at a higher FG and have more body.

 

[bethebrew]

Maybe a little more oatmeal too. 1.5 or even 2 lbs? I always toast my oats an hour at 350 adds a nice flavor. Could throw in 4 oz Special B.

 

[BugAC]

I made a oatmeal stout a few weeks ago and it turned out like new castle. Very thin and not a lot of flavor. Do you think I need to mash at higher temps for longer to get more body and flavor? I mashed at 153-154 for 80-90 minutes.

I just brewed an oatmeal stout as well. I am bottling today after work. I mashed at 154 for 60 minutes, same beersmith setting as you. However, i had considerably more grains. My OG was 1.08, and it is finishing around 1.028, about 7% abv. My mash efficiency was about 84%. I use 5.2 ph stabilizer, 9.5% oatmeal, and rice hulls.

To me, it appears that maybe your fermentation finished off a little low for the style. I would assume you'd want to hit 1.016 or higher to get a sweeter/thicker mouthfeel. Also, your water quantities might have something to do with it.

 

[223nbecker45]

Bugac what yeast did you use? I think more grain at a 156-158 for 45 minutes like yooper said and now I have to figure out the ph. The article in byo 0ct 07 said high ph is better for the oatmeal stout. And the roasted malt lowers the ph to much and would be better to steep them in the wort after the mash. I will keep trying this intill I get it right.

I think my first batch went wrong with to long of a mash at 154. That made the wort to fermentable and the yeast went to town and made it dry.

It was a medium to dark brown after the boil so I knew something wasn't right. Samuel smith is almost black in a glass.

 

[BugAC]

i used White Labs irish ale, which i think is wlp004.

I had vigorous fermentation. So much so that i had to clean up my ferm freezer from a blowoff (with blowoff tube attached.

It's tasting great right now. Roasty, sweet, chocolatey goodness.

 

[223nbecker45]

Hey bugac care to share your grain bill

 

[BugAC]

I'd have to go home and look at what i did, but i had something like this.

70-72% Maris Otter
9% Flaked Oats
6-8% Black Roasted Barley
4% Chocolate malt
3% Coffee Malt
3% De-bittered Black Carafa 3
3% Crystal 75
1 lb. Rice Hulls
1 oz. East Kent Goldings
.75-1 oz. Millenium

Mash @ 154 for 1 hour. Fly sparge. OG = 1.08, FG = 1.028, ABV = 6.8-7%, IBU = 44-46

 

[BugAC]

Also, i use a 2-10 gallon cooler system

 

[BerserkerPaul]

brew_ny,
Do the flaked oats get milled with the rest of the grains?
Thanks,
BerserkerPaul-

 

[brew_ny]

brew_ny,
Do the flaked oats get milled with the rest of the grains?
Thanks,
BerserkerPaul-

no flaked oats do not get milled just add to you mash

all the best

S_M

 

[BerserkerPaul]

great, much thanks.

BerserkerPaul-