Creative Ideas For A Stout

[ayellayen]

I've just done an extract stout, I've mixed it up to be about 15L, OG was 1.042 and it's bubbling away nicely at this lovely 23C summer weather we've got in Melbourne. I'm just looking for something creative to do to the sucker, either now or at the secondary fermentation. I was thinking of adding some lactose in, making it sweeter and helping to create some creaminess, I've been told to do this at the priming stage. I was wondering where's the best source to pick some up, also curious as if this is the right way to add this unfermentable sugar.
Aside from that, are there any other ideas that you blokes can think up? Flavours, sugars, etc. If you could post them with a brief guideline of how to implement them, that'd be great. Cheers.

 

[Linz]

Ive primed with Molasses sugar.....

 

[Trough Lolly]

I'll happily stand corrected, but I can't see much point in adding unfermentables to the beer at bottling time - besides, we'd need to see the recipe before we could suggest some improvements. Linz's idea of priming with Molasses is a goodun - you could even use Dark Malt Extract if you wanted. I normally use 150 to 180g of Dry Malt Extract in 300ml of pre-boiled water for a 23L batch as a bulk priming solution and that would add body, flavour and head to the beer instead of just thickening the brew with maltodextrins. For your 15L batch, just scale that down proportionately to about 100g of malt extract...

What hops did you use? Are you interested in doing a part mash with a kilo or two of malted barley and/or perhaps steeping some specialty grains such as Carafa or Choc Malt? How about tossing in some cracked unmalted barley next time to contribute a lovely dry grainy flavour and help out with head production and retention? Here's a reasonable starter for learning a bit more about the contribution that malts and adjuncts can provide:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/malts.php

Did you use the kit yeast? Perhaps you could next time grab a smack pack of Irish Ale yeast from the local HBS? You won't regret it - using a quality yeast will totally change the beer and you'll love the extra complexity that using the right yeast can make to your beer. B)

If you want to remain true to style, avoid adding aroma hops during the racking to secondary (yeah, I know, it's a matter of opinion - but when did Guinness reek of hops???! h34r: ). But then again, brew to your own preferences - the style guides are just that - guides...

If you are bored and want to have a squiz at the latest Guidelines, here they are:
http://www.aaba.asn.au/guides/

Cheers,
TL

 

[jayse]

Hi ayellayen,
Lactose i think isn't the answer and doesn't add sweetness or creaminess, Best bet is to do some reasearch into doing a small boil and use some grains and hops for your next batch.
Stout can have some flavour hops in it not much but some, put 15g of fuggles in a cup of hot water for 10mins then wack it in if you like.

Cheers
Jayse....lactose intolerant, not really but it sucks in beer!

 

[Guest Lurker]

I've used lactose a couple of times and dont like it at all. But - TL the point of adding unfermentables at bottling. The reason a lot of brew shops recommend adding lactose (and also dried corn syrup) prior to bottling is that it adds (quite a lot) to your final gravity. So if you are used to seeing a brew finish at a particular gravity, you can see it reach that point, know it is finished, then add the extras before bottling. But I still wouldnt do it.

 

[ayellayen]

Thanks for the ideas fellas, I'm still an amatuer homebrewer, and I'm scaling up (hopefully) to partially mashing my next brew. The only reason why this didn't have hops or grains in it was because my local HB shop was closed over the holidays! Bloody Christmas...
For the record, I work at the James Squire Brewhouse in Melbourne, and I helped Doug Donelan from the Malt Shovel Brewery put the latest batch of our own Irish Dry Stout "The Craic" into the tanks at work. I want to get as far away as possible from the 'homebrew taste' of my previous beers and get anywhere near the stuff that's on tap at the Brewhouse without stepping up from extract kits. I'm going into the shop in the next few days so I think I'll have to start writing up a shopping list.
Again, thanks for the ideas lads, keep'em coming, I'm writing 'em all into a file on the computer. It's turning into one big "to-do" list.

 

[jimbro]

ayellayen is that a picture of you fire-twirling? i used to be into staff for ages i was getting good too then i just got over smelling like a petrol pump every weekend

 

[lonte]

From previous experience, trust me, don't add Golden Syrup.

 

[lunanick]

From previous experience, trust me, don't add Golden Syrup.

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do you mean don't use GS is a stout at all lonte, or just not as a primer?

you've got me worried now - I used 500g GS as an adjunct in my last stout, which is bottle-conditioning.

 

[lonte]

when i was still doing modified kits i got a recipe from a bloke at work, Coopers Stout kit, dark malt extract + 1kg Golden syrup. It started out subtle but by a few months all you could taste was the GS. I kept a bottle for a year and it was like drinking watery GS.

A year later tried again but cut the GS in half - same thing after a few months.

Approached the guy and he admitted he was a GS nut and wanted it that strong.

Further reading indicated GS is not uncommon in light lagers, saw nothing that ever put it near a Stout.

Bottom line is - if it works for you , great, if it doesn't learn from it and move on. It wasn't undrinkable but it was an unusual Stout, that's for sure. I'll never use it again anywhere until i use it next time

 

[Insight]

Can you post the recipe you used for the base stout?

Cherries go well with stout - just rack onto the fruit in the secondary, picking up some of the trub to get the fermentation started again quicker.

 

[Vangleator]

For a complementary flavour in stout try adding freshly ground coffee. I'm a coffee nut, must be something to do with 'brewing', and I like to add 50gm after boiling the wort and before being cooled.
50gm in 23 litres isn't that much, as a cup of coffee uses around 10g. Well mine do! A mocha style coffee will impart a fuller flavour of coffee & chocolate.
As you're probably not boiling your wort, use a big plunger (4cup) and steep for four minutes before plunging and adding the coffee liquor to the brew.
A mate tried instant coffee with a Cooper Stout, but it just wasn't the same.
If you're not that game to try it on a whole brew, add a few granules to a bottle or two before capping. And don't forget to mark the bottles. :beer:
And substitute DCS and sugar/dextrose weight for weight with malt extract, dried or liquid. It gives more body & flavour to a stout. :chug:

 

[tdh]

In my extract days I primed a longneck of stout with a black jelly bean.

'twas ok.

tdh

 

[Vangleator]

Here's a couple of BBC news items that mention coffee in beer. Don't know if they are stouts, but some Americam breweries make coffee stouts. :beer:

View attachment BBC_Caffeine_beer_sparks_binge_fears.doc

View attachment BBC_Rwandan_coffee_used_to_make_beer.doc

 

[foxy]

Hi ayellayen,
Lactose i think isn't the answer and doesn't add sweetness or creaminess, Best bet is to do some reasearch into doing a small boil and use some grains and hops for your next batch.
Stout can have some flavour hops in it not much but some, put 15g of fuggles in a cup of hot water for 10mins then wack it in if you like.

Cheers
Jayse....lactose intolerant, not really but it sucks in beer!

I done these couple of brews a while ago:

#1
1 can amber ale
250g LDME
250g maltodextrin
250g lactose
500g dext

#2 - same but without the lactose

brew #1 was definately sweeter than brew #2, there was no question about it. Didnt like it. What i did like about that brew was the head retention. Noticeably better that #2. Obviously because the lactose is unfermentable, it added to this