Style Of The Week 19/03/08 - Oatmeal Stout

[Stuster]

With winter approaching (even if the weather's not cooling down much here at least), a brewer's thoughts turn to dark beers. One dark style that's perfect for a winter's night is Oatmeal Stout, BJCP style 13C. It's not a beer that's widely available commercially here, but the home brew versions I've tried have been delicious.

Some links
The Jamil Show on Oatmeal Stout
BYO article
Big AHB thread on OS

So any information on Grains? Hops? Yeast? Partial mash options? Conditioning time? Any commercial examples you've tried? Let us all know all you know about this beer so we can all brew better beer. :chug:

13C. Oatmeal Stout

Aroma: Mild roasted grain aromas, often with a coffee-like character. A light sweetness can imply a coffee-and-cream impression. Fruitiness should be low to medium. Diacetyl medium-low to none. Hop aroma low to none (UK varieties most common). A light oatmeal aroma is optional.

Appearance: Medium brown to black in color. Thick, creamy, persistent tan- to brown-colored head. Can be opaque (if not, it should be clear).

Flavor: Medium sweet to medium dry palate, with the complexity of oats and dark roasted grains present. Oats can add a nutty, grainy or earthy flavor. Dark grains can combine with malt sweetness to give the impression of milk chocolate or coffee with cream. Medium hop bitterness with the balance toward malt. Diacetyl medium-low to none. Hop flavor medium-low to none.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full to full body, smooth, silky, sometimes an almost oily slickness from the oatmeal. Creamy. Medium to medium-high carbonation.

Overall Impression: A very dark, full-bodied, roasty, malty ale with a complementary oatmeal flavor.

History: An English seasonal variant of sweet stout that is usually less sweet than the original, and relies on oatmeal for body and complexity rather than lactose for body and sweetness.

Comments: Generally between sweet and dry stouts in sweetness. Variations exist, from fairly sweet to quite dry. The level of bitterness also varies, as does the oatmeal impression. Light use of oatmeal may give a certain silkiness of body and richness of flavor, while heavy use of oatmeal can be fairly intense in flavor with an almost oily mouthfeel. When judging, allow for differences in interpretation.

Ingredients: Pale, caramel and dark roasted malts and grains. Oatmeal (5-10%+) used to enhance fullness of body and complexity of flavor. Hops primarily for bittering. Ale yeast. Water source should have some carbonate hardness.
Vital Statistics:
OG FG IBUs SRM ABV
1.048 - 1.065 1.010 - 1.018 25 - 40 22 - 40+ 4.2 - 5.9%

Commercial Examples: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Young's Oatmeal Stout, Maclay's Oat Malt Stout, Broughton Kinmount Willie Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Goose Island Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Oatmeal Stout, McNeill's Oatmeal Stout, Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout

 

[troydo]

good timing!! i was just writing up one of these.. will post when i get home! but will be watching intently!

 

[beers]

Haha.. I was just doing some research for my 1st bash at an Oatmeal Stout & am currently reading this thread in another window - http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=40009
Looks like a winner of a recipe.

 

[kevnlis]

I like Galaxy and Northdown fermented with the White Labs Cream Ale yeast.

 

[randyrob]

what are people using for oatmeal, i've got a box of this in the cupboard?



Rob.

 

[kevnlis]

I use Home Brand Rolled Oats. Cheap as and works just as good. I boil them for 10 minutes then add them to the strike water.

 

[warrenlw63]

what are people using for oatmeal, i've got a box of this in the cupboard?

View attachment 18202

Rob.

Hey Rob.

Baird's make malted oats. Pretty sure at least one site sponsor would sell them.

Definitely a style I gotta have a crack at sooner rather than later.

Warren -

 

[beers]

I like Galaxy and Northdown fermented with the White Labs Cream Ale yeast.

Seems a little pale :lol:


Edit - I think I recall Jamil saying that quick oats are pre-gelatinized & therefore can be just thrown into the mash?

 

[kevnlis]

Sorry beers, I figured we were assuming oats and Roasted Barley would be in there as well

 

[SJW]

As long as they are Quick Oats just throw em in the mash

 

[Dave86]

I brewed one of these (sort of) as an imperial partial with the malt shovel oatmeal stout kit thrown straight into the fermenter. recipe here Hasn.t been in the bottle for a year yet, but still very drinkable in cooler weather, looking forward to a few more samplings this winter, may have to put one in the fridge now... <_<

 

[jendres]

Haha.. I was just doing some research for my 1st bash at an Oatmeal Stout & am currently reading this thread in another window - http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=40009
Looks like a winner of a recipe.

I think this recipe was in an issue of BYO recently. The one about chocolate malts.

 

[troydo]

The one in the byo has alot of corn syrup...

 

[beers]

I think this recipe was in an issue of BYO recently. The one about chocolate malts.

Maybe. I believe Kris England (aka mashweasel) was writing a series of articles for BYO on dark malts.

FWIW I've since read that Choc Malt has no place in an OS (?) so my previous post is probably misplaced in this thread.

 

[goatherder]

I made one on the weekend just gone. It's a repeat of the recipe I made 12 months ago which was tops. Silky smooth, heaps of flavour and a killer head on every glass. Last time I held the RB back until 15mins before the end of the mash, this time it went in at the start. I'm not anticipating a lot of difference. I'll use malted oats next time as my LHBS will have them in stock soon.

I think the important bits in an Oatmeal stout are:
- Oats (kind of obvious)
- An English ale yeast, ferment it coolish to restrict the esters
- Bittering hops only, use an English or neutral variety
- A good hit of RB - it's not a stout without plenty of RB
- Plenty of specialty malts for complexity. I disagree with you beers, chocolate malt should be in because it's awesome.
- High mash temp to balance the drying effect of all the dark grains.

Here is the recipe I used on Saturday:

77% IMC Pale Malt
8% Uncle Toby's Quick Oats
6% Pale Choc Malt
5% Roast Barley
4% Dark English Crystal

Mash at 68 for 60min to 1.050
60min boil

NZ Goldings flowers at 60min to 30 IBUs

Wyeast 1469 from slurry at 19 deg for 2 weeks

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

I made one on the weekend just gone. It's a repeat of the recipe I made 12 months ago which was tops. Silky smooth, heaps of flavour and a killer head on every glass. Last time I held the RB back until 15mins before the end of the mash, this time it went in at the start. I'm not anticipating a lot of difference. I'll use malted oats next time as my LHBS will have them in stock soon.

I think the important bits in an Oatmeal stout are:
- Oats (kind of obvious)
- An English ale yeast, ferment it coolish to restrict the esters
- Bittering hops only, use an English or neutral variety
- A good hit of RB - it's not a stout without plenty of RB
- Plenty of specialty malts for complexity. I disagree with you beers, chocolate malt should be in because it's awesome.
- High mash temp to balance the drying effect of all the dark grains.

Here is the recipe I used on Saturday:

77% IMC Pale Malt
8% Uncle Toby's Quick Oats
6% Pale Choc Malt
5% Roast Barley
4% Dark English Crystal

Mash at 68 for 60min to 1.050
60min boil

NZ Goldings flowers at 60min to 30 IBUs

Wyeast 1469 from slurry at 19 deg for 2 weeks

That looks like a mighty fine recipe there goatherder. I particularly like your choice of yeast :beerbang:
Reckon that will be on the to brew list for winter supping :chug:

C&B
TDA

 

[beers]

- Plenty of specialty malts for complexity. I disagree with you beers, chocolate malt should be in because it's awesome.

I'm happy to be corrected... I love pale choc & it will make it's way into my OS

I was just going on what Kris mentions here - http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic....mp;&start=7

 

[Stubbie]

Hi All,

After lurking on this site for at least 6 months - it's just mighty informative - this is my first post. A delicious stout is one of the styles that I'm really keen on brewing a good example. I brewed my first AG stout, an Oatmeal Stout, a couple of nights ago and only just stumbled across this thread (obviously, I haven't been lurking enough !!!). Based my recipe on Jamil Zainasheff's in 'Brewing Classic Styles'. As per JS's recommendation, I toasted my (Aldi) minute oats until they goldened and gave off a biscuity/nutty aroma.

4.20 kg Maris Otter
0.35 kg Amber malt
0.25 kg Crystal
0.35 kg Choc malt
0.25 kg Roasted Barley
0.60 kg Flaked Oats
45g EKG @ 60 min (30 IBU)
Wyeast 1318

Bairds everything, but the oats. Mashed @ 68 deg for 90 min. Boiled for 90 min. OG 1052. Fermenting @ 20 deg.

Very much looking forward to tasting time, but the wait is agonising . I figure a good distraction in the mean time will be to brew something else ...........

Cheers

 

[Duff]

Stubbie,

For a first AG stout, it looks great. Well done. I also brewed one last weekend, receipe as follows. Found out when I pulled the oats out of the cupboard that SWMBO had used some recently so wasn't at the 10% addition I would have liked:

08-21 Oatmeal Stout

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 40.00 Wort Size (L): 40.00
Total Grain (kg): 8.60
Anticipated OG: 1.050 Plato: 12.34
Anticipated SRM: 34.6
Anticipated IBU: 29.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
80.2 6.90 kg. Marris Otter England 1.038 3
4.7 0.40 kg. Flaked Oats America 1.033 2
5.8 0.50 kg. Pale Chocolate Malt UK 1.033 254
4.7 0.40 kg. JWM Roasted Wheat Australia 1.032 726
4.7 0.40 kg. Crystal UK 1.034 74

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
40.00 g. Target Pellet 9.00 23.1 60 min.
40.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 4.30 6.7 20 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1084 Irish Ale

 

[Stuster]

a biscuity/nutty aroma.

Good to see you've got that in. What style would be complete without a bit of ahhhh wellll ummmmm ..... biscuity.... :lol:

I figure a good distraction in the mean time will be to brew something else ...........

Always the best answer. :super:

Have a look at some of the other style of the weeks and if you're not inspired to make some of those by the time you're finished, you're not a real brewer.