First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Try some of these great recipes out, or share your favourite brew with other forumees!
james1988
Piss Artist
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:37 am

First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by james1988 » Sun Sep 03, 2017 3:05 pm

Afternoon All,

I plan on brewing a milk stout next weekend and as it's my first go at it I was wondering if you could critique my recipe for me. The flavour I'm going for is very much a sweet coffee flavour with very little input from the hops; I want this to be about the malt. I've chosen to use the chocolate malt to give it the coffee flavour but I've not gone for dark chocolate malt as I don't want the beer to be overly bitter. I've added the crystal malt for some sweetness and its caramel / toffee character.

Finally, I've chosen to use Phoenix as the hop for this beer. I've only gone for a bittering addition as I don't want the aroma to shine through. I'm considering an addition at around 20 minutes to add at least some flavour from it but that's still up for debate. According to www.britishhops.org it's flavour profile is "Phoenix has excellent fresh flavour characteristics that include pine, floral, chocolate, molasses and slightly spicy"; the pine and floral characteristics concern me.

The recipe for the beer is below any advice would be hugely appreciated,
James

19l Milk Stout

63% Pale Malt
12.6% Dark Crystal
10.5% Lactose (500g)
7.4% Chocolate Malt
6.3% Flaked Barley

Mash at 64c for 60 minutes - I'm purposely mashing low for a lighter bodied beer.

Boil for 1 hour
25g Phoenix at 60 minutes

1 packet of Nottingham yeast

Estimated Og is 1059
Estimated final is 1020

The beer will be force carb'd and served via corny kegs.

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by orlando » Sun Sep 03, 2017 5:06 pm

Why do you want a lighter bodied beer? The point about Stouts is they are all about the malt and really require body. Mashing that low is going to make a much more fermentable wort, finishing lower than you expect, making the beer more alcoholic and probably accentuating the bitterness you are trying to avoid. I would have a dab of black malt in there for the coffee notes.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

sbond10
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2999
Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 6:42 pm
Location: Warrington England usually drunk or being mithered by my 2yr old or wife

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by sbond10 » Sun Sep 03, 2017 5:26 pm

Throwing sum toasted coconut would make it sweeter but then I like coconut

Secla
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 637
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:26 am

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by Secla » Sun Sep 03, 2017 5:38 pm

I put 300g of lactose in my last milk stout and that was about right for me but that's down to taste. Definitely don't bother with a late hop addition the dark malts will probably over power it anyway

james1988
Piss Artist
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:37 am

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by james1988 » Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:26 pm

orlando wrote:
Sun Sep 03, 2017 5:06 pm
Why do you want a lighter bodied beer? The point about Stouts is they are all about the malt and really require body. Mashing that low is going to make a much more fermentable wort, finishing lower than you expect, making the beer more alcoholic and probably accentuating the bitterness you are trying to avoid. I would have a dab of black malt in there for the coffee notes.
The reason I was thinking of a lighter body was that the lactose would add the extra body. Having read your reply and looked at the BJCP Guidelines I'll mash higher and go for a full bodied beer.

I haven't got any black malt in stock at the moment so would you add more chocolate malt in that case?

James

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by orlando » Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:31 am

To be honest this is a taste thing. Add more if you wish but on balance I would be happy with that. I don't like the taste of lactose but that's just me. I might up the FB though.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

james1988
Piss Artist
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:37 am

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by james1988 » Wed Sep 06, 2017 8:51 am

I've amended the recipe so that the amount of lactose has been halved and the quantity of chocolate malt is now 16% of the grain bill so that I get that roast coffee flavour. I'm also mashing at 69c in order to get a fuller bodied beer.

James

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:57 am

My only concern with chocolate at that level is how much astringent bitterness it might impart. If you use pale chocolate or the debittered Carafa 3 that may avoid it. 10% would be my limit but this is a taste thing, why not experiment and see how it turns out?
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

User avatar
Jocky
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2738
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:50 pm
Location: Epsom, Surrey, UK

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by Jocky » Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:27 pm

I would second orlando's comment about being aware of astringent bitterness from roast grain. If you want a smooth milk/sweet stout then you don't want too much roast.

Personally I've been very happy using about 15% of my grist as a mix of black (7%), crystal (5% 150 ebc) and pale chocolate (3% ~500 ebc). The black malt gives a roast coffee flavour. Within that 15% though I can vary it around a bit, putting in roast barley in place of the black, or subbing out the pale chocolate for some dark crystal. Ultimately I try and keep the same overall level of roast in there.

The other 85% is 78% maris otter and 7% lactose, and I wouldn't go above 7% personally, it will be very thick and sweet already.

You want about 30 IBU of bitterness from a 60 min hop, but it really doesn't matter what you use as you're not going to taste it. I use Magnum, but that's because I usually have some in the freezer. I'd use anything else I had laying around otherwise..
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

User avatar
Barley Water
Under the Table
Posts: 1429
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 8:35 pm
Location: Dallas, Texas

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by Barley Water » Wed Sep 06, 2017 10:36 pm

My daughter likes Milk Stout so I have made it a couple of times (and won a 3rd place in a big contest once). My suggestion is to make it really big by mashing hot and to avoid the astringency, I cold steeped the dark grains. You can control the sweetness by screwing around with the amount of crystal malt you use and also by choosing a more or less attenuative yeast strain. I used the Fuller's strain WLP002 and it worked out well. Off the top of my head, I think my O.G. was about 1.055 and yeah, that stuff was like a meal in a glass. Frankly, I can only drink one pint of a beer like this at a time as it was pretty damn sweet and filling but of course, that is just my subjective opinion. Naturally, this stuff is not for somebody on a diet. Incidentally, this years Christmas beer for me as a traditional bock which is coming out of the primary fermentor this week. :D
Drinking:Saison (in bottles), Belgian Dubbel (in bottles), Oud Bruin (in bottles), Olde Ale (in bottles),
Abbey Triple (in bottles), Munich Helles, Best Bitter (TT Landlord clone), English IPA
Conditioning: Traditional bock bier, CAP
Fermenting: Munich Dunkel
Next up: Bitter (London Pride like), ESB
So many beers to make, so little time (and cold storage space)

james1988
Piss Artist
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:37 am

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by james1988 » Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:19 am

Morning all,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I brewed the beer yesterday as I had a bit of spare time. I've changed to quantities of Crystal and Chocolate malt along with the lactose so I'll post that up later on.

The brew smelled wonderful with the house smelling of hot chocolate / coffee. I've got 18l of the stuff to drink (a litre ended up on the floor) so hopefully I'm not too far off the mark with regards to the malt quantities.

James

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by orlando » Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:41 am

Well done, well not on losing a litre on the floor. I do hope the advice works but even if it doesn't you wil be better informed for next time.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

james1988
Piss Artist
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:37 am

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by james1988 » Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:55 pm

Evening all,

The recipe ended up as follows:
Pale 63%
Chocolate Malt 14%
Crystal 10%
Lactose 8%
Flaked Barley 6%

25g Phoenix hops for 60 mins giving 24.9 IBU

The beer sounds like its going to be quite heavy and bitter (as in burnt bitter) judging by the comments but it's a first stab so I'll know where to improve next time.

James

User avatar
orlando
So far gone I'm on the way back again!
Posts: 7197
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm
Location: North Norfolk: Nearest breweries All Day Brewery, Salle. Panther, Reepham. Yetman's, Holt

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by orlando » Fri Sep 08, 2017 7:40 am

Not necessarily. You have a reasonable amount of balancing sweetness and with a few weeks of maturation any initial harshness might smooth out.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

User avatar
Jocky
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2738
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:50 pm
Location: Epsom, Surrey, UK

Re: First Milk Stout Recipe Critique

Post by Jocky » Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:31 am

Yeah, try it and adjust in future. If it's overpoweringly roasty or astringent from the roast grain then you know to use lower colour versions or less of them next time.

Send me a bottle :)
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

Post Reply