noob brewer looking for stout recipe help

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by shredder83, Feb 17, 2014.

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  1. shredder83

    shredder83 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2013 Illinois

    Hey all, I'm new to homebrewing with only 2 batches under my belt and would like to brew a stout. My second batch was an ipa that started @1.065 and finished @1.010 which gave me around 7.3% abv. It turned out pretty tasty so I'm thinking I can do another mid range brew.

    I'd like a stout hopefully starting at @1.065-1.075. I prefer stouts that are big bodied and have a creamy/chewy mouthfeel. Roasted coffee notes are preferable to the acrid/ashy tastes some stouts have.

    Looking for as much detail as I can get; yeast strains, what hops grains, procedure?

    I brew partial extract and have done partial mashes for both of my first batches. I can mash about 8-9lbs of grain max in my 16qt pot, so the less extract I can use the better. 5 gallon batches are easy for a full boil in my 7.5 gallon kettle.

    Sorry this is so much reading but I thought to get the most help I'd be thorough. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers!
     
    #1 shredder83, Feb 17, 2014
  2. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2013 Minnesota

    You may enjoy Wyeast 1450, it's very rewarding with a big chewy mouthfeel, and emphasis the malt. It does take a bit longer than other strains to Flocc...but if you're bottle conditioning it shouldn't be much of an issue. It's a very rewarding yeast.

    Mashing high will also increase the body of your stout.

    To limit acrid quality...don't use black malt...and use smaller amounts of roasted barley.

    If you can actually mash 8-9lbs of grain, you can come pretty close to reaching 1.065 dependent on your effeciency, but as you second brew I would think you won't get great efficiency...I could be wrong.

    Anyway, I'm sure others can touch upon things I haven't addressed, and have plenty more suggestions.
     
    #2 JohnSnowNW, Feb 17, 2014
  3. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
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    1450 sounds good for a yeast. Alternatively, Irish ale yeast might be a choice you could consider.

    If you have a particular commercial beer that resembles what you'd like to brew, you could search for a clone recipe. For instance, Deschutes obsidian stout (or black butte porter for that matter) are reasonably within your capacity to produce a clone-ish beer of.

    The main thing is to not get greedy on the ABV, keep it around 7% or a little less and your chance of success will go up. Focus on KISS methodology and fundamentals: fermentation temperature, pitching temperature, sanitation, and not messing with it for a minimum of two weeks.
     
    #3 AlCaponeJunior, Feb 17, 2014
  4. shredder83

    shredder83 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2013 Illinois

    I mashed 7lbs in my last batch with room to spare I could probably do 8-9lbs. I had around 70% attenuation pitching on the yeast cake from my first batch but my efficiency was lower than I expected. I was shooting for 1.070 o.g and hit @1.065.

    How high should I mash at? I mashed my last batch at 155° , for 60 minutes and sparged at 170°.

    I do bottle condition since I don't have the resources or space to keg anything. Whatever I brew for a stout I'll primary for 2 weeks and secondary after that.
     
    #4 shredder83, Feb 17, 2014
  5. shredder83

    shredder83 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2013 Illinois

    I don't really have a mid range stout I'd model this after. I do love the taste and body of bells expedition stout, but I'm not even thinking about attempting a beer that big. Though the body and flavor profile are exactly what I'm looking to accomplish.
     
    #5 shredder83, Feb 17, 2014
  6. shredder83

    shredder83 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2013 Illinois

    Any recipe suggestions? Even something that needs to be slightly modified would be really helpful.
     
    #6 shredder83, Feb 17, 2014
  7. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2013 Minnesota

    I don't really mash higher than 156°, so I can't comment on temps above that. I'm happy with the results I've been getting, but YMMV.

    Unless you plan on aging the stout on anything, such as wood, cocoa nibs, vanilla, etc...a secondary won't help your beer much. I'd go straight from your primary into the bottling bucket.

    I don't have any recipes with that low of an OG, but I'm sure other people do. We crowd sourced a stout that may be a good starting point for you:

    http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...erican-stout-the-recipes.150159/#post-2127320
     
    #7 JohnSnowNW, Feb 17, 2014
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