Winter in the bay looks like spring but my heart feels the winter and wants me to have something toasty and warm to sip on in the evenings. I brewed an oatmeal stout years ago and really loved it, so I through why not revisit that old brew. And once again, Northern Brewer had a great all grain kit and since I still haven't done all my brewing homework an all grain recipes (or am too lazy), I decided to go with that one instead of figuring out my own recipe. It was also my first try with my new all grain setup (will blog about that later) so I was excited to get in there and give it a whirl. I think I still have some kinks to work out to get the brewing process smooth as butter, but today went pretty well. And of course, I need to thank my awesome wife for watching the sick baby while I brewed... you are awesome babe!!!
From NB:
NB Oatmeal Stout Recipe
Who doesn’t love oatmeal stout? It’s impossible not to love oatmeal stout. Full-bodied with a silken texture and a gentler roast profile than their Irish and American cousins, this ebony ale is rich and substantial. Almost hidden under strong notes of dark chocolate, figs, and light-roast coffee you’ll find a subtle nutty, grainy flavor from flaked oats. A long-lasting raft of beige foam floats on the jet-colored pint and laces the glass all the way down. This stout is wonderful by itself, but if you’re looking for a dessert beer pair it up against a flourless chocolate cake, truffles, or even a raspberry tart.
O.G: 1.042 READY: 6 WEEKS
Suggested fermentation schedule:
- 1–2 weeks primary; 1–2 weeks secondary; 2 weeks bottle conditioning
MASH INGREDIENTS
- 6.5 lbs English Maris Otter
- 1 lb Flaked Oats
- 0.5 lb English Roasted Barley
- 0.5 lb English Chocolate Malt
- 0.5 lb English Dark Crystal
MASH SCHEDULE: SINGLE INFUSION
-Sacch’ Rest: 153° F for 60 minutes (I added campden tabs to all the water to kill the chlorine. Strike water for 12 quarts 166.5F with a grain temp. of 63F. The mash temp was 153-150F and went for 70 min. My house water is soft so I added 1 tsp gypsum, the pH was 5.8, so I added 3 tsp 5.2 pH stabilizer from Five Star Chemicals.)
-Mashout: 170° F for 10 minutes (Mashout 1gal boiling water to a temp of 158F for 10 min)
*** I used my ice cream motor mash mixer and it worked great!!
BOIL ADDITIONS & TIMES
-1 oz. Glacier for 60 min. (Boil 60 min, chill 30min to 70F, O.G. 1.045, temp corrected to 1.046. The wort has a nice roasted, bready flavor with a kick of bitter.)
Total time, including cleaning: 5 hours.
YEAST
-Wyeast 1945 NB NeoBritannia. Flocculation: Moderatehigh. Attenuation: 72–77%. Temperature Range: 66–74 F.
FERMENTATION
Aerated wort with oxygen 45 sec, pitched yeast at 70F. Robust fermentation started after 12 hours and slowed after the second day. At 4 days the krausen was still on top and the fermenter was bubbling very slowly. Temp 70F. On day 5 there was no visible sign of fermentation and the krausen had not fallen so I gave the fermenter a shake and the krausen fell, 68F. Day 5 there was a thin new layer of krausen and some signs of fermentation, 66F. Racked to secondary after a week cooled to 57F. Racked to bottles after 11 days.
After two weeks in the bottle the beer wasn't very carbonated and tasted sour... I'm wondering if I rushed the fermentation by shaking the krausen down or perhaps I didn't pitch enough yeast to fully ferment and condition. After 4 weeks the sour flavor has diminished a bit but the beer still tastes bad. I don't know, something is off with this batch. The beer tasted the same going into the bottles and I noticed the bung was a bit loose on the carboy... oxidation? Or maybe it just needs more conditioning, so I stirred up the yeast off the bottom of the bottles and will let it go another week. After awhile in the fridge the flavor has improved but it's not my favorite... my wife likes it though.
CONCLUSION
At first, I thought I did something wrong with this brew because it just didn't taste the way I expected it to, i.e. Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout. However, I just cracked open a New Belgium 1554 and it tastes the same! So if you like 1554, you'll like this brew. In my opinion, it's a fail... and so is 1554.
The brew
Right after pitching the yeast.
Still too much trub for my tastes. Will add a finer screen to the strainer next time.
Krausen at day 2
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