Oatmeal Stout Advice

Grain bill looks ok to me. I didn’t see mash temp so just want to suggest mashing high like around 155 with US-05 so it doesn’t dry out too much.

 

I brew Oatmeal Stouts a lot (lately 3 batches a year).

For the base malt my preference is Maris Otter Pale Malt.

I use 1 lb. of Flaked Oats and I personally have never exceeded this value so I have no personal experience with using a greater value (e.g., 2.5 lbs.). I will point out that this amount of flaked oats impacts my beers head retention so I would guess that 2.5 lbs. would be worse in this aspect?

For the specialty grains I use 1 lb. of Bairds Chocolate Malt and ¼ lb. of Black Patent Malt. I purposefully choose to use no Roasted Barley but that is because I am personally not a fan of roastiness for this beer style.

My target OG is 1.056. Needless to say but 1.071 would result in a more robust beer.

I also chose to use US-05 and I am happy with that yeast strain for my Oatmeal Stout.

I solely hop for bitterness using German Magnum at around 9 AAUs. I have no interest in using any other hop additions.

I think the recipe as is could make a tasty Oatmeal Stout. Please report back.

Cheers!

 

Do you think this recipe would taste the same without the oats. I would think you would get the same mouthfeel with maris,choc malt,black patent and the right carbonation.

 

I’d use Maris otter and besides maybe going a bit heavy on the oats it looks like a fine recipe. I say brew it as is so you can make notes about what you like or don’t. Tinker with the recipe until you get it how you like.

 

Oats are high in fat and that is what impacts head retention. Whether using more (e.g., 2.5 vs. 1 lb.) will be a 'problem' I have no experience here.

I am happy with the silkiness that 1 lb. of flaked oats adds to my beers. Would I use the word "significantly" to describe this? Boy, I really don't know how to respond here.

Why not try the 2.5 lbs. that you mentioned above and decide for yourself? I would be interested in reading about your experience.

Cheers!

 

To be frank I have never even considered not using flaked oats to brew my oatmeal stout. Would it be the same without the oats? In all probability I will never know. If I ever changed how I brew this beer my 'customers' (i.e., friends and family) would likely get upset with me.

Cheers!

 

I have an imperial oatmeal stout I've brewed a few times -
14 lbs 2-row,
2 lbs chocolate malt
1 blackprinz
1.5 lbs flaked oats.
I don't have any troubles with head - I don't worry too much about retuention.
I do like to mash a few degrees higher than usual. I have a pale ale I like at 149 - 150, my IPAs at 152 or so, this stout I like to mash around 155. This will give a bit more residual sweetness and a thicker mouthfeel (in my head, maybe.)
I use the Irish Ale yeast and I like to ferment on the low side, right around 60 if I can.

 

I think I was the one that recommended to you to add more oats. I remember reading something about adding more oats to oatmeal Stout on one of the mad fermentationists recipes a while back, and that’s how I’ve always done it. I will say mine have all had good mouthfeel and good head retention. Can’t say for sure the extra oats are the reason though.
My last one I subbed some of the oats for flaked rye and thought that worked really well for mouthfeel.
You could try using an English yeast stain. That might give you a little extra character, plus higher FG and improve the fullness or mouthfeel. Cheers!

 

Is perhaps that residual sugar attributing to the mouthfeel? Maybe you don't want to hit your numbers

 

Glad it turned out nicely for you!

Just some late thoughts I have to entertain you:

Use of midnight wheat can give you color and chocolate without any roast addition. Can be used to sub out a roasted grain that may be adding too much roastiness.

Use of a lower attenuating yeast, like an English strain, could leave you with more residual sweetness and some nice fruity ester to add complexity.

My last Oatmeal stout was judged in competition and returned with judge notes that stated it needed more “oatmeal flavor”. I LOL at that and stopped reading any further notes on any of the beers I submitted.

 

Basic Brewing Podcast has a good episode lately on a Stout.

2-7-19. Stout Calibration.