Steeping Grains - Stout

“What types of steeping grains are recommended for a stout?” Well, there are different styles of Stouts. The style of Stout that many people associate with the term “stout” is a dry stout like Guinness stout you get at the bar on nitrogen pour. A dry stout typically uses Roasted Barley. It would be appropriate to use other steeping grains like Crystal Malt and/or Black Patent Malt.

“And how much would I use if I'm only brewing 2 gallons?” Below is an example of malts that you could utilize to make a dry stout (in quantities adjusted for a 2 gallon batch):

· Roasted Barley: ½ lb.

· Black Patent Malt: 2 ounces

Cheers!

P.S. The above assumes that you are using light malt extract for the bulk of you fermentables.

 

Have you seen this video?

 

Sticking to the same recipe for a number of batches is actually a great way to get better at brewing. If you can be consistent and the beer comes out good, you are way ahead of the game. A dry stout is a good one to work on too, as it's not too complicated, has moderate ABV, lends itself well to steeping grains/extract batches, and is at least somewhat forgiving.

I'm making a somewhat similar stout soon (oatmeal stout) that uses roasted barley, C40, chocolate malt and oatmeal, in addition to the primary fermentables (for me it's 2-row, for you it's extract).

Out of curiosity, what's your hops gong to be for this brew?

 

“one more hopped extract left” What color is that hopped extract malt?

Cheers!

 

DME= dried malt extract, LME = liquid malt extract

Dark LME + steeping grains does not equal light LME + steeping grains.

Same with dark DME, it's not the same as LME.

Dark extracts have some of what you might use as steeping grains for a stout already incorporated into their composition. Therefore adding steeping grains on top of dark LME will probably result in too much of the "dark" component. I would not do roasted barley and black patent malt on top of dark LME.

I would instead brew one more batch with your dark LME, then begin with steeping grains and light extract on your next batch.

Also, if you have hopped extract, adding hops on top of that would be likely to give you an overly bitter, unbalanced beer.

NEXT batch, get light extract, steeping grains, and hops.

BTW, some prefer dry extracts over liquid. Dry extracts have a longer shelf life, so if you're not sure whether your vendor has got a good turnaround of liquid extracts, go with the dry. Dry is more expensive, but you need less of it, so it's about the same really. I personally don't have a preference and have used plenty of both without issue. When I was doing extract beers, my vendor was brewmasters warehouse, and I didn't have any issues with quality or freshness. YMMV.

Also, most people build extract recipes starting with light or extra light extracts, then adding steeping grains from there. This allows more control over what your final product will be. You may not be certain of the composition of amber or dark extracts, so it might be tough to decide what grains to use if you don't start with light or extra light.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with amber or dark extract. Even tho my primary brewing facility is all grain, I still mess with extract and my Mr Beer keg too. My next small batch will have amber extract in it. But I know the ramifications thereof, so this makes a big difference. I'm not trying to amber-up my amber extract with amber-y steeping grains.

 

I am not that familiar with the various brands of extracts. I suppose I've used munton's and briess, but some of what I got from BMW wasn't marked. I think what I'm about to use in munton's. Others may have a more definite reply. I suspect that any extract from a major company that's fresh will be fine.

 

My suggestions:

· Muntons Extra Light or Light DME

· Briess Light (Pilsen) DME

You will need a small scale to measure the weight of the DME.

You need to reseal any unused DME in an air tight (keep out humidity/moisture) container. I would recommend in ziplock type bag with air squeezed out and then put inside a Rubbermaid or similar vendor’s snap tight container. The left over DME will last a long time; you just need to ensure it stays dry.

Cheers!

 

That will depend on the Original Gravity (which in turn influences ABV) that you want, and what other fementables (steeping grains) you'll be using. If you haven't read www.howtobrew.com yet, I recommend it. It answers questions like this.

 

1# (Briess) DME => 2% ABV
2# would get you 1.042 OG, 3# 1.063

You might find Qbrew (freeware) useful...especially if you're using MrB products.
http://www.mrbeerfans.com/ubbthread...02962/QBrew_and_How_to_use_it.html#Post102962

Bonus tip: The little brown keg is large enough to brew 2.45G (9L).