Tag: stout

Smoky Stout

Posted by mac – 2011-01-30

Batch #12: Brew day 2011-01-29

Targets:

  • OG: 1.060
  • FG: 1.016
  • SRM: 39
  • IBU: 58

Ingredients:

  • 7.5 lb 2-Row Pale
  • 1 lb Roast Barley (525L)
  • 1 lb Crystal 90
  • 0.5 lb Flaked Barley
  • 0.25 lb Cherry Smoked Malt (Briess)
  • 2 lb Briess Pilsen Light DME (actually only used 1 lb)
  • 11.6 AAU Brewer’s Gold pellets @60 min
  • 6 AAU Perle pellets @60 min
  • 1 tsp Irish Moss @10 min
  • Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale

Single infusion mash, target temp 154*F.  10.25 lb of grain in 16 qt water at a strike temp of 165*F, initial temp readings at mash in around 155-156*F.  60 min mash, temp at end was ~148*F, pH ~5.

Sparge with 16 qt at 167*F. Collected ~6.5 gal, measured a corrected 1.044, for 286 pts. This was more than I was expecting, based on my calculated efficiency from my last batch (67%).  I did some math and estimated that if I boiled off a gallon and added only 1 lb of the extract instead of the planned 2, I would hit my target volume and target gravity right on.

In the end, I only boiled off maybe a half gallon in the 1 hour boil, and I added only the 1 lb of extract.  After chilling, I measured only 1.051 instead of the planned 1.060.  Maybe I can’t trust my high-temp gravity readings of my runoff.

Primary is going to be in a 5 gal glass carboy, and I don’t have a blowoff setup, so I may have a mess on my hands here.

[2011-06-02] Tasting Notes

From the tap at ~40F and 11psi. Color is deep brown to black.  Nice brown head fades rather quickly.  Roasty aroma with the barest hint of smoke, no real hop aroma to speak of.  Almost smells a little like soy sauce.  Initial flavor is strongly marked by the tang of the carbonation.  Mouthfeel is balanced, tending more towards dry than big and malty.  Finishes with a bit of the bitter burnt bite of the roast barley, and just a hint of smoke.  Overall pretty good, I think I would like it better if it had been naturally carbonated bottles or if it was served on nitrogen.  The tang of the carbonation is a bit much for the style I think.

Black Box Stout

Posted by mac – 2010-02-28

mac batch #4

Based on a “Black 47 Stout” recipe from North American Clone Brews.  Black 47 is brewed by The Old Nutfield Brewing Company of Derry, NH, but as I’ve never had any of their beers, I don’t quite know what to expect out of this brew, hence “Black Box”.

[2010-02-28] Boil Day

  • 3 lb UK 2-row pale malt (1.8 L)
  • 1 lb roasted barley (525 L)
  • 8 oz black patent malt (500 L)
  • 8 oz crystal 120 L
  • 1 1/2 tsp gypsum
  • 6 AAU Northern Brewer (0.8 oz of 8.1% AA) for 60 min
  • 1/2 tsp Irish moss for 15 min
  • 3 lb LD Carlson Briess Sparkling Amber dry malt extract for 15 min
  • 4 AAU Fuggles (0.8 oz of 4.8% AA) for 5 min

steep all above grains (two giant muslin sacks worth) in 155*F water for 45 min (started with 5 3/4 gal), then bring to boil

Ended up with 1.018 @ 78*F, which corrects to 1.021; using hopville’s beer calculus, I worked out that I got about 56% efficiency from my “super steep” method.

The recipe I was following has OG at 1.047, so I needed to work out how much dry malt extract I’d need to add.  Fortuitously, the 3 lb that I calculated I needed was exactly how much I had on hand.

As I was bringing the wort to a boil, I added ~1.5 tsp of gypsum.  I’d never used the stuff before, maybe I should have added it before the steep, since I’ve read that its supposed to alter the pH, which has an effect on the mash.

Add Northern Brewer, boil 45 min

Off heat, add dry malt extract and Irish moss, return to boil for 10 min

Add Fuggles, boil 5 minutes

Chill to ~70 deg with immersion chiller (took 30-45 min)

Pitched Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale using the “immediate” method, rather than the “let swell for at least 3 hrs” method.  It was probably around 10PM when the yeast met the wort.

Gravity was 1.049 @ 68*F, which corrects to 1.050; a little high.  I have about 4.8 gals in the ale pail, so that’s 240 gravity units.  If I want 1.047, I need to add water to get to 5.1 gal, so I put about 6 cups of water on to boil and cool (dig a hole; now fill it in).  When it got to ~70*F,  I popped the lid on the ale pail and poured in the water.  I didn’t bother to take a hydrometer reading (cleaned and put away), but the math doesn’t lie, dude.  OG should be 1.047 for my now 5.1 gal of wort.