My First Crack At A Stout

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I'm thinking of making a choc stout, my brew pantry has 2 cans of Coopers stout, 1 can of coopers dark ale, 1kg of dark malt, 500g light dry malt, 100g maltodex, heaps of dex, 500g choc malt grain, 25 g of fuggles, Dutch cocoa powder, Windsor and S04 yeast.

I was thinking of using

One can of the stout
500g of choc malt
500g of light malt (to not make it so heavy because of the grains)
500g of dark malt
15g of fuggles @ 20
10g of fuggles @ 10
100g of maltodex
A big ol spoon of cocoa powder
Do I need to add any dex?

What are your thoughts/criticisms on the recipe? I also don't really want a stout that will put me on my ass after 2 stubbies so 6% or under is what I'm trying to aim for so depending on the OG I might use the Windsor instead of the S04.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers
 
Looks good but it still will be fairly potent ABV just by looking at the amounts of malt but not running the figures.

Probably a bit off topic but a toucan with 1xStout and 1xDark Ale makes one cracking stout add about 250g of the chocolate malt and late Fuggles and it should be a killer but should still come in about 6% if you do 23L.

I have one can of stout and just need the dark ale to make this one again it really is a cracker if you like a full bodied stout.

Edit: Choc Malt is a bit of a misnomer as it actually gives a kind of bitter coffee flavour to the beer I think Choc Chit was more chocolatey but they don't make it any more
 
Looks good but it still will be fairly potent ABV just by looking at the amounts of malt but not running the figures.

Probably a bit off topic but a toucan with 1xStout and 1xDark Ale makes one cracking stout add about 250g of the chocolate malt and late Fuggles and it should be a killer but should still come in about 6% if you do 23L.

I have one can of stout and just need the dark ale to make this one again it really is a cracker if you like a full bodied stout.

Edit: Choc Malt is a bit of a misnomer as it actually gives a kind of bitter coffee flavour to the beer I think Choc Chit was more chocolatey but they don't make it any more

Maybe Choc Pale Malt. Tends to be less acrid.

Goomba
 
Looks good but it still will be fairly potent ABV just by looking at the amounts of malt but not running the figures.

Probably a bit off topic but a toucan with 1xStout and 1xDark Ale makes one cracking stout add about 250g of the chocolate malt and late Fuggles and it should be a killer but should still come in about 6% if you do 23L.

I have one can of stout and just need the dark ale to make this one again it really is a cracker if you like a full bodied stout.

Edit: Choc Malt is a bit of a misnomer as it actually gives a kind of bitter coffee flavour to the beer I think Choc Chit was more chocolatey but they don't make it any more
So is 500g of the choc malt too much for the can and dry malt recipe? I havent steeped grain before so I dont know how much it will bump up the OG.

I have no problem with a coffee / choc stout, no problem at all, it is a bit weird that they call it chocolate when it doesn't really taste like it.

I haven't looked too much into toucans but are you saying that you don't need to add anything else but the 2 cans, 250g choc malt and the hops. That seems way too easy. I might go for that and save my DME for something else. But still put in some cocoa powder.

Cheers
 
I did the toucan with no additions IIRC it was a while ago. Here is a recipe from Petesbrew there are quite a few good examples if you trawl through the Toucan thread. Need to watch out adding a bunch of hops to a toucan as it can end up extremely bitter. The stout and dark ale combo is one that works very well together.
 
Thanks, I'll have a look at that tomorrow. By the way I bottled the Blonde with the cascade hops, its tasting brilliant!

Cheers
 
1 of my best k&k stouts was
coops stout
300 LDME
200 LIGHT CHOC
100 DARK CHOC
250 MED CRYSTAL
400 GOLDEN SYRUP[head retention-mouth feel]
300 DEX[brewing sugar]
grains steeped 45min @ 65* strained-5min rolling boil with EK GOLDING PLUG
saf04 20 ltrs@ 18* came out bout 5.2%
 
1 of my best k&k stouts was
coops stout
300 LDME
200 LIGHT CHOC
100 DARK CHOC
250 MED CRYSTAL
400 GOLDEN SYRUP[head retention-mouth feel]
300 DEX[brewing sugar]
grains steeped 45min @ 65* strained-5min rolling boil with EK GOLDING PLUG
saf04 20 ltrs@ 18* came out bout 5.2%

I might give that a crack with the second can of stout. If I do both of the brews now I should have some waiting for me at winter. Would it be easy enough to sub honey instead of the golden syrup, I have plenty of it around the house?

Cheers
 
My Toucan Headbanger stout came midfield in the National Competion two years ago B)

2 cans coopers stout
1kg dex
1kg LDME

Nottingham ale yeast

handful of any aroma hop pellets whatsoever on day 4 of fermentation.

It's also fine to drink after only a couple of weeks in the bottle. Going to make one as soon as the FV available, I bought the ingredients two weeks ago.


toucan__Large_.jpg
 
So I put one of the stouts together last night and I don't feel like a got the hot steeping right. I had the grain in water at 67c for 30 mins, the whole house smelt great but I tasted a teaspoon of the result before putting it into the main wort and there wasn't much to taste, maybe a little oat like. Is this normal for chocolate malt? I was worried that the grain wasnt cracked but read that this grain is ready to go for steeping.
 
I find the steepings from choc malt has a burnt acrid, not very sweet taste to it. No where near as sweet as the crystal malts. Did you get good colour from it?
 
My Toucan Headbanger stout came midfield in the National Competion two years ago B)

2 cans coopers stout
1kg dex
1kg LDME

Nottingham ale yeast

handful of any aroma hop pellets whatsoever on day 4 of fermentation.

It's also fine to drink after only a couple of weeks in the bottle. Going to make one as soon as the FV available, I bought the ingredients two weeks ago.

:icon_offtopic: I must have fecked your Toucan recipe rightly then, or had a horrible brew day. Mine's still not drinkable, at all! No infection that I can pick up (doesn't mean shit really), just molasis, thick, undercarbed syrup. I think I've invented drinking liquorice :lol:
 
How long in the bottle? Try tipping them a few times and try in a fortnight - I've never had a bad batch and put one in a case swap with reasonably good reviews.

You could always mix it half and half with Carlton Mid to cut it and fizz it up a bit :eek: :eek:

B)
 
I got great colour from it. It's just the taste was underwhelming. I'll talk to the LHBS about the grain I buy from them next time. It might bring some nice aroma to the brew. I have 250g left, could I put them in a mortar and pestle to get them to work, or a blender?

I'll keep swinging at these grains till I get it right.

On another note, s04 yeast has gone nuts, in less than 12 hours it has 10cm thick krausen in a demijohn, kit yeast as nutrient seems to do wonders.

Cheers
 
How long in the bottle? Try tipping them a few times and try in a fortnight - I've never had a bad batch and put one in a case swap with reasonably good reviews.

You could always mix it half and half with Carlton Mid to cut it and fizz it up a bit :eek: :eek:

B)


Ha ha, yeah I did think of the B&T. It's been it the bottle about 4 months I think (I brewed it just before Vicbrew last year). I've done the bottle inverting thing a couple of times, and it has carbed a tiny tiny bit, but I'd still call it flat. Honestly I think something just didn't go right for me that day, I'm keeping them bottled anyway, and crack one every month or when ever I need the empty.
Happy to post you one for you thought's if your interested
 
So I put one of the stouts together last night and I don't feel like a got the hot steeping right. I had the grain in water at 67c for 30 mins, the whole house smelt great but I tasted a teaspoon of the result before putting it into the main wort and there wasn't much to taste, maybe a little oat like. Is this normal for chocolate malt? I was worried that the grain wasnt cracked but read that this grain is ready to go for steeping.

Not sure if you are saying that the grain was not cracked. If it was not cracked that would give you next to nothing colourwise or taste. The grains need to be cracked to allow the sugars and starch to combine with your steeping water.
All grains either for mashing or steeping need to be milled before use to release the goodness from the husks.

If the grain was in fact cracked how much water to grain did you use that may explain the weakness of the taste.

Edit: when you buy your grains ask them to mill it for you. The sponsors up top ask if you want it milled or not and mixed or seperate if you are buying more than one type of grain.
 
The grain must of been cracked because it gave off a lovely brown colour. I used about 2 1/2 ltrs of water for 250g choc malt, I kept the temp between 65 and 70 not going over or under those two times.
 
Steep in a little less water next time, I use the same rule as I do when mashing, 2.5L/kg. You've used 10L/kg which IMO is way too much and some reading suggests that tannin extraction is more prevalent in very thin steeps. I've not experienced this though
 
Wow, wouldn't have thought it would have made a difference seeing that it all gets diluted down in the end. Thanks for the tip.

Cheers
 
The grain must of been cracked because it gave off a lovely brown colour. I used about 2 1/2 ltrs of water for 250g choc malt, I kept the temp between 65 and 70 not going over or under those two times.

All sounds perfectly good work cannot really explain why there is lack of flavour although saying that I have never bothered tasting the results of my steeping. Ignorance is bliss. :)

Pretty obvious by looking at the grain if it has been milled you get lots of powder and you can see the husks split open.

Good luck with it I think you will get a good stout out of your efforts.

PS I use about 1 litre water for 300g malt then another 1.5 litrs to rinse the steeping bag to get all the colour and tasty bits out.
 
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