Improve my stout.

[pipsyboy]

Hi guys.

Very new to home brewing and I'm looking for some advice on how to improve on what I'm already fairly happy with. Have made a couple of stouts to date and both are ok but could do with improvement. Mainly mouth feel and head creaminess/retention.

Starting point will be Morgans Dockside. I'm not averse to doing something on the stove top though I only have a 10 litre pot (and absolutely no idea what I'm doing). Any advice beyond K&K sort of stuff would have to be spelt out like you are talking to a five year old.

Thanks in advance.

Pips

 

[maaark]

What recipe/s have you been using so far?

 

[pipsyboy]

Kit and kilo mate. That's pretty much it. Though the "kilo" might have been a premixed stout blend.

 

[maaark]

Instead of dextrose/dry malt have you tried using a liquid extract? Coopers & Morgans both do a dark liquid extract (1.5kg) which would complement your stout.

Add a box of Brew Enhancer 1 if you like them a bit stronger. Just add some extra yeast.

 

[Wolfman1]

What about some oatmeal and chocolate malt? About 200g of oatmeal and 50g of ground chocolate malt grains into a mesh bag and drop into 2 litres of water at about 70 degrees. Leave it to steep for 30 mins or longer. Swirl the bag around like a tea bag the squeeze all the moisture out if the bag.
Pour some more water on the bag to rinse out the last of the goodness then boil the liquid for 30 mins and leave it to cool. Chuck that in with your kits and it should thicken up the mouth feeling nicely

 

[pipsyboy]

What about some oatmeal and chocolate malt? About 200g of oatmeal and 50g of ground chocolate malt grains into a mesh bag and drop into 2 litres of water at about 70 degrees. Leave it to steep for 30 mins or longer. Swirl the bag around like a tea bag the squeeze all the moisture out if the bag.
Pour some more water on the bag to rinse out the last of the goodness then boil the liquid for 30 mins and leave it to cool. Chuck that in with your kits and it should thicken up the mouth feeling nicely

Just normal oatmeal that I eat for breakfast or something that I would get from the LHBS? Could I also add some lactose as well as I did in an earlier brew and this helped or would both be too much?

 

[Wolfman1]

Depends what you each for breakfast but the answer is probably yes. Rolled oats are the most soluble so should give the best result

 

[pipsyboy]

Lol. Yeah mate, lowans rolled oats. I'm guessing I don't add milk and peanut butter though.

 

[pipsyboy]

Ok guys.

Got myself a Morgans Dockside. 500g of dark malt (powdered) 250g of lactose and 200g each of chocolate malt grains and oatmeal. Might also put 250g of dex in there too. Anyone got any idea of ABV with and without dex?

My question is how much water for the grains and oats and how long mash/boil.

 

[Wolfman1]

About 2 litres for the steep and boil for 30 mins after you've pulled everything out. Wash it with another litre or so
You are just trying to kill any bugs from the the outside of the grains so it doesn't have to be boiled for long.
My similar stout is sitting waiting to start drinking in August

 

[yum beer]

wouldn't hurt to throw some EKG in the boil for 10 minutes either.
Just a 'tea' bag from your LHBS (if you don't have any) will get you a nice addition to the finish and flavour.
Pull it out when the boil is finished.

* I don't like tea bag they are an expensive way of buying hops, but for this type of experiment they work well.

 

[maaark]

Anyone got any idea of ABV with and without dex?

If using tallies with two carb drops:
Without dex approx 3.7%
With dex approx 4.2%

Based on a 23lt brew.

 

[pipsyboy]

Cheers guys.

Going to do today or tomorrow. Will be kegged so will def add the dex but not hops.

Also got some Safale s-04 which I've never used before. Always just used kit yeasts. Must I do anything different, especially regarding pitch/ferment temps?

Cheers

Pips.

 

[Grott]

Hi Pips, the pitch temps on the can or instructions are probably too high as usual, with your yeast I'd pitch between 18 and 20 degrees. Try and maintain the temperature during fermentation.
Cheers

 

[antiphile]

Hi pipsyboy

It's really good to see you willing to expand your techniques and skills so early in your experience. There's just a brief PDF here looking at sweet and oatmeal stouts with extract versions you might like to look at. Feel free to ask questions if you have any.

Cheers
Phil

 

[pipsyboy]

Thanks for the props mate, really appreciate it.

Yeah mate, I'm in hook line and sinker. When my second and third brews tasted as good as they did that was it. They were both just kit and kilo, a stout and a lager. The stout was as good as bottled Guinness (which admittedly is a poor relation of the draught cans but still) and the lager, though not 100% to my taste, was better than beers I don't like, eg Peroni. And everything I've drank up to now is being drank too early too. I've got a mate who would complain if he won $10mil cos it wasn't $20 and all he could say was it tastes a bit green. It was only 2 weeks in the bottle post carbonation.

Looking forward to moving on to at least partials and maybe even AG in time.

 

[pipsyboy]

I put this down this morning.

Not sure if my steep temp was maintained as my digital thermometer is on it's way from Hong Kong and all I had was the type used for coffee milk. I just had it in the pan on the stove top.

Once steeped I boiled for 30 mins then added the DME dex and lactose. It smelt bloody beautiful. Then I added the can and it just smelt ok. (I guess this tells me the way forward).

Anyway, cooled it down in a nice bath then pitched at 22 as I'm nervous of infections and just wanted to get the lid on. It's on the laundry where I have another in there sitting at 22. Too cold in the garage at night I think.

Og was 1040. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[Grott]

Sounds good. When you bottle do two stubbies if you can for sampling purposes, eg. at two weeks and then say four or six. It is best if you mature stout for a while. I've kept some back for 3 years and there like drinking the nectar of the gods.
Cheers

 

[pipsyboy]

Yeah, I usually get at least half a dozen stubbies after I've kegged so will try to keep them a good few months.

 

[pipsyboy]

Did a reading this morning and took a taste and it has an extremely bitter after taste.

Is there anything I can do or will it go away in time? Might it be best to bottle and leave instead of keg and drink?

The few stouts I have done previously have all tasted good after ferm/before bottling.


Cheers