Critique my recipe: Oatmeal Stout

Irish Ale tends to be a bit drier, so you'll get a lot more of the roasted barley bit than you would with other strains. I'm personally a fan of London Ale III, which underattenuates a bit and emphasizes the malts a bit better.

You may also want to think about bumping the crystal up slightly, otherwise mash high and it looks good.

 

what Levibond is your roasted barley and chocolate? they tent to vary a lot, from 300 to 600. if they are really dark, like 550-600 L, then a pound and a half could give you strong harsh flavors and take a good while to mellow. Would be good on the long run but may take 6 or more months. i personally like low L dark malts. more subtle flavors and the beer is ready faster. also i like to use a ratio of dark malts to crystal of 2:1 (so 3/4 of crystal in your case) but that may be just me.

 

" , which underattenuates a bit "

I got slammed awhile back for saying that instead of saying it is a "low attenuater"...just say'in

 

I second the use of Wyeast 1318 London Ale III. I used it in my last oatmeal stout and it left behind the perfect amount of sweetness.

 

I'd consider throwing in a half pound of rice hulls in there given the oats (to help minimize the chances of a stuck sparge.)

 

I've always used the Irish ale yeast and love it. I want the dry, roasty flavor, otherwise I'd brew a milk stout. I would drop the Crystal 60, I don't really see what it contributes in an oatmeal stout. I would also consider an oz of Goldings at 20 minutes.

 

I'd have them on hand, but I am reactive with rice hulls rather than proactive. You can always add them in if it stuck, remix, revorlauf... Better to know your system IMHO and most systems don't need hulls for oats & wheat.

 

Whats the gravity/ABV you shootin for?

I'd suggest the London ESB for this beer myself, and allow yourself to mash a bit lower with it too. Unless you want a beer milkshake, which sounds good sometimes.

 

Yor are correct, Irish and London should be about the same in terms of attenuation. The Irish strain produces "a dry, crisp profile with subtle fruitiness", while the the London strain "will finish slightly sweet."

Oatmeal stouts can range from dry to sweet. To each his own.

"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.

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. "

 

Keep an eye on the vanilla beans its easy to over do them.

 

Probably a good idea. I did a stout that had a decent amount of oats (1 lb) and it was a "difficult" sparge (perhaps not quite stuck, but it required a lot of stirring to get it to drain). Shoulda used rice hulls, lesson learnt.