Tim Tam Stout recipe critique

[Killer Brew]

Inspired by the greatness of Big Shed's Golden Stout Time (Golden Gaytime flavour) and the fact that I work for Australia's largest biscuit manufacturer I want to create a "dessert stout" based on our most famous chocolate biscuit. It needs to be strong, biscuity, light on the bitterness and full of milky chocolate goodness.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Tim Tam Stout
Author: Killer Brew

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Sweet Stout
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 23 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 28 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.062
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.075
Final Gravity: 1.020
ABV (standard): 7.32%
IBU (tinseth): 20.07
SRM (ebcmorey): 95.88

FERMENTABLES:
6 kg - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (75.9%)
0.6 kg - United Kingdom - Chocolate (7.6%)
0.5 kg - Flaked Oats (6.3%)
0.3 kg - United Kingdom - Crystal 90L (3.8%)
0.25 kg - United Kingdom - Roasted Barley (3.2%)
0.25 kg - Lactose (Milk Sugar) (3.2%)

HOPS:
20 g - Perle, Type: Pellet, AA: 8.2, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 16.26
10 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 3.81

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Temperature, Temp: 67 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 18 L, Mash Rest
2) Temperature, Temp: 75 C, Time: 10 min, Amount: 18 L, Mash Out
3) Sparge, Temp: 77 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 12 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 3 L/kg

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
10 g - Gypsum, Time: 90 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Boil
10 g - Irish Moss, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil

YEAST:
Danstar - Nottingham Ale Yeast
Starter: Yes
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 77%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 13.89 - 21.11 C
Fermentation Temp: 18 C
Pitch Rate: 1.25 (M cells / ml / deg P)


Generated by Brewer's Friend - http://www.brewersfriend.com/
Date: 2016-06-09 04:19 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2016-06-09 04:19 UTC

To the above I want to do one the following:
1) add a block of 70% Lindt Milk Choc to the last 10 min of the boil, add 3 vanilla pods to the secondary (or I may be able to get a quantity of the actual Tim Tam chocolate which is made on site)
or
2) add 30g of roast cacao nibs & 3 vanilla pods to a cup of vodka for a week and then add to secondary

Would love to get people's thoughts so that I can give a decent representation first up. Cheers, Killer.

 

[TheWiggman]

If you could nail this you will boost the beer sales to Australian mothers by 50000%
Ed: and you'd also know there's always be a 6 pack stashed somewhere in the food cupboard behind the flour

 

[Killer Brew]

If you could nail this you will boost the beer sales to Australian mothers by 50000%
Ed: and you'd also know there's always be a 6 pack stashed somewhere in the food cupboard behind the flour

It could be my vehicle to turn pro. I would be the pied piper of MILF's!

 

[Grainer]

Not sure where you think you are betting your biscuit flavours from.. probably needs some work.. Pearl base malt will do it ot specialty of biscuit for example.. also id increase your mash temps for more unfermentables and a sweeter finish..increase your ibu to possibly 20.throw in light chocolates and decrease the caramels..jmo

 

[Killer Brew]

Not sure where you think you are betting your biscuit flavours from.. probably needs some work.. Pearl base malt will do it ot specialty of biscuit for example.. also id increase your mash temps for more unfermentables and a sweeter finish..increase your ibu to possibly 20.throw in light chocolates and decrease the caramels..jmo

Thanks. Thought the MO would provide the biscuit? Havent used Pearl, will look into it. IBU's are showing 20?

Are you saying to decrease Crystal and add something more chocolatey?

 

[timmi9191]

I saw the title of the post and almost lost a couple of ounces :super: :super: mmmmmmm tim tams :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:



For me, it cant be a tim tam stout without tim tams. Why not smash up a packet and add it to the boil along with the lindt??

I would go with windsor over nott, to leave more body. IMO - drop the crystal, reduce the chocolate malt to bring total roast malts to 6-7% and add some biscuit malt

 

[Vini2ton]

Does Mr Arnott know you do all this on his time? I'd sub more crystal for the lactose. That stuff is way sweet. I know they say for sweet stout...but?

 

[Grainer]

Does Mr Arnott know you do all this on his time? I'd sub more crystal for the lactose. That stuff is way sweet. I know they say for sweet stout...but?

meh..disagree

 

[Topher]

Yeah. Real tim tams for sure.

I usually bite both ends off and suck a glass of milk through my tim tams. (That's the normal method right?).

How about a variation on that. A Tim tam hopback or a massive tim tam randall!!!????

 

[Killer Brew]

Yeah. Real tim tams for sure.

I usually bite both ends off and suck a glass of milk through my tim tams. (That's the normal method right?).

How about a variation on that. A Tim tam hopback or a massive tim tam randall!!!????

You are an ideas man! Could set that up for our conference in August. On the other hand a randall full of soggy Tim Tams with stout running through them may not be that visually appealing.

 

[Killer Brew]

Does Mr Arnott know you do all this on his time? I'd sub more crystal for the lactose. That stuff is way sweet. I know they say for sweet stout...but?

Mr Arnott is long dead but I'm sure he would approve of my creative spirit. In fact he was long dead before the Tim Tam was even created.

 

[djsmi4]

(...I may be able to get a quantity of the actual Tim Tam chocolate which is made on site)

This alone would make you said pied piper

 

[Killer Brew]

A question for those who enter or even judge comps. Once i finish tweaking this beer and brew it am hoping to enter it in the state comp at end of August however looking through the style guidelines and can't exactly see where it fits. Looks to be too strong for a Sweet Stout and too sweet for a RIS. Any advice for me?

 

[wereprawn]

You could enter it in the specialty section if the Tim Tams come through in the beer .

Edit- clarity.

 

[Killer Brew]

Ok, thanks. Would i need to nominate the flavour i was looking to achieve in that case?

 

[schtev]

I'm not sure why you want to add vanilla to this. I would have thought that would detract from the chocolatey-biscuit flavours.

 

[wereprawn]

I would imagine you'd need too as specialty beers are basically anything that doesn't conform to a classic style. The judges would need to know the "something special " so they have a reference to judge it against .

 

[Killer Brew]

I'm not sure why you want to add vanilla to this. I would have thought that would detract from the chocolatey-biscuit flavours.

I actual Tim Tam has some vanilla in the recipe. I will need to keep it subtle to match.

 

[Killer Brew]

The below is the grain bill I have decided to go with and intend to pitch 2 packs of Windsor into it. Mash temp will be 68 degrees for 60 mins. Question. Should I be concerned about the high FG (remembering I'm aiming for a "dessert stout")? If so should I then look to remove some of the unfermentables, adjust my mash temp or change yeast to perhaps Notto?

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.069
Final Gravity: 1.021
ABV (standard): 6.24%
IBU (tinseth): 21.05
SRM (ebcmorey): 89.97

FERMENTABLES:
5 kg - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (69%)
0.5 kg - Belgian - Biscuit (6.9%)
0.5 kg - Flaked Oats (6.9%)
0.5 kg - United Kingdom - Chocolate (6.9%)
0.25 kg - Lactose (Milk Sugar) (3.4%)
0.25 kg - United Kingdom - Crystal 90L (3.4%)
0.25 kg - United Kingdom - Roasted Barley (3.4%)

 

[manticle]

I think the fg makes sense given the roast and lactose contribution to higher fg.

Unsure about 500g of biscuit. I love it and I know you're following a biscuit (perfect biscuit in my opinion, original and dark only, **** that strawberry, pineapple, caramel whatever ridiculous ****) BUT:

I normally use around 250g with that amount of base (or 1:1 biscuit, total 250) and it is distinctive. 1/2 kilo I think will be over the top. Maybe 300?