TheWiggman
Haters' gonna hate
I've been brewing for a few years now and have made my fair share of decent and rubbish beers. I brew almost exclusively from a published book and have found most recipes to be ok, but have never really 'nailed' a stout. The more I brew the more I'm finding my simplest recipes to be the best. However when it comes to stouts - my favourite beer - I'm finding I can't quite make them hit the nail on the head and instead feel like I'm making something close but "not quite there".
For reference, here are my favourite stouts:
For me I think my stouts are missing more in the malts that the hops. Here are some of the grain bills in my recipes:
Oatmeal (4.7%, 33 IBU)
Pale 85.3%
Flaked oats 5.2%
Pale chocolate 4.0%
Crystal, dark 4.0%
Roast barley 1.5%
Dry (4.7% 38 IBU)
Pale 78.3%
Torrefied wheat 10.3%
Roasted Barley 9.3%
RIS (8.2%, 66 IBU)
Pale 87.5%
Crystal, med 6.2%
Roast barley 2.5%
Carafa III 1.9%
Chocolate 1.9%
Confederate Stout (5.1%, 37 IBU) (my own concoction)
Pale 35.3%
Flaked oats 5.2%
Pale chocolate 4.0%
Crystal, dark 4.0%
Roast barley 1.5%
I've used mainly English hops with 1084, 1098, 1469 and 1028. A few different water profiles with standard step mashes on a 3V system not that I think it matters. Ferment temps in the 18-22°C range.
You can see with the exception of the dry stout the portion of really dark malts is pretty low. 9.3% roast barley works out to be 450g in a 23l recipe and I'm feeling like my stouts aren't acrid and roasty enough.
I feel like I'm answering my own question, but I think a higher portion of black malt or roasted barley will contribute towards a more roasty, toasty and flavoursome stout. I also think that crystals push that element of flavour too much and while supposedly to style, contribute too much of the wrong thing to a 'real' stout. I'm thinking of pushing the boundaries with the roast, and on the next brew going -
Pale 84%
Black patent 8%
Torrefied wheat 6%
Pale chocolate 2%
Some PoR for bitterness, maybe a bit of late EKG and ferment with some classic English yeast or even a WLP008 yeast cake.
Any ideas on how to make a really roasty and bitter stout? I'm not interested in making a beer all the drop ins like, I want something that will put hairs on your chest and remind me of campfires and gunsmoke.
For reference, here are my favourite stouts:
- Coopers Best Extra Stout (roast and acrid no-nonsense goodness)
- Abbotsford Invalid Stout (coffee/chocolate/roast balance is great for the low body)
- Guinness (Dublin version only. Classic)
- Cascade Stout
For me I think my stouts are missing more in the malts that the hops. Here are some of the grain bills in my recipes:
Oatmeal (4.7%, 33 IBU)
Pale 85.3%
Flaked oats 5.2%
Pale chocolate 4.0%
Crystal, dark 4.0%
Roast barley 1.5%
Dry (4.7% 38 IBU)
Pale 78.3%
Torrefied wheat 10.3%
Roasted Barley 9.3%
RIS (8.2%, 66 IBU)
Pale 87.5%
Crystal, med 6.2%
Roast barley 2.5%
Carafa III 1.9%
Chocolate 1.9%
Confederate Stout (5.1%, 37 IBU) (my own concoction)
Pale 35.3%
Flaked oats 5.2%
Pale chocolate 4.0%
Crystal, dark 4.0%
Roast barley 1.5%
I've used mainly English hops with 1084, 1098, 1469 and 1028. A few different water profiles with standard step mashes on a 3V system not that I think it matters. Ferment temps in the 18-22°C range.
You can see with the exception of the dry stout the portion of really dark malts is pretty low. 9.3% roast barley works out to be 450g in a 23l recipe and I'm feeling like my stouts aren't acrid and roasty enough.
I feel like I'm answering my own question, but I think a higher portion of black malt or roasted barley will contribute towards a more roasty, toasty and flavoursome stout. I also think that crystals push that element of flavour too much and while supposedly to style, contribute too much of the wrong thing to a 'real' stout. I'm thinking of pushing the boundaries with the roast, and on the next brew going -
Pale 84%
Black patent 8%
Torrefied wheat 6%
Pale chocolate 2%
Some PoR for bitterness, maybe a bit of late EKG and ferment with some classic English yeast or even a WLP008 yeast cake.
Any ideas on how to make a really roasty and bitter stout? I'm not interested in making a beer all the drop ins like, I want something that will put hairs on your chest and remind me of campfires and gunsmoke.