Dry stout suggestions? Toucan? Spec grains?

[bingggo]

Was trying to give advice to a neighbour about adjusting his last recipe for a drier stout. He says he's looking for something more like Guinness. The last recipe was:
Mangrove Jack's Irish Stout 1.7kg
1kg Dry Dark Malt
100g steeped roast barley
Kit yeast
23 Litres

The spreadhsheet, says that should finish at 1010 if using the coopers Irish stout. Also, that it would be 30ibu. His finished at 1012, but temp control probably fluctuated between 16-20c a bit.

My feeling is he would get a generally better result, and a drier effect, if he:
- better fermentation: s05 and temp control
- more dark grain?
- more IBU: rather than a full hop addition boil, maybe substituting the dry malt for a coopers dark ale kit - maybe half the can if the full can taking it to 62 IBU is too much, in which case maybe 500g dry malt or even dextrose.

Appreciate any suggestions, as I'll be the one helping him drink it

B

 

[manticle]

If he wants something like guiness, I'd be using less dark grain as most of it (bul stuff here especially) is pretty thin and watery. Maybe tin, shade of roast barley, whatever plain sugar (blend of pale dme and dex maybe) and wy 1084

If I wanted to make a decent extract or kit stout though, I 'd go low bitterered pale tin or pale extract and build colour and flavour with a blend of choc, black, roast barley and possibly brown malt.

 

[bingggo]

Thanks.

 

[Bribie G]

The Coopers original series stout is really a flagship product that Coopers has been proud of for a long time and they even recommend ageing it for years. I wouldn't go that far but:

I've done Toucans with the stout kit but they tend to turn out very much like a Foreign Extra Stout rather than a dry stout.
I'd just go the tin and a pack of Brew Enhancer 2 and maybe sub the tin yeast for a pack of Nottingham if you want extra dryness. Guinness isn't a strong beer by any means, low 4% ABV and in Ireland it really fulfilled the same role as Mild Ales over the Water in the UK. If you want to get slammed in Ireland you bypass the Guinness and go the Poteen or Usquebaugh.

 

[Droopy Brew]

A couple of quick fixes to get the FG down would to be sub out about 250g of the dry malt for dextrose.
The other option is adding an enzyme (available at HB shops) which will have the same effect.

For a better stout as opposed to just dropping the gravity, take note of what the 2 gentlemen above have suggested.