First evening brew of May - Snape's Stout

[yashicamat]

Well, decided to get a stout underway as I got the ingredients in for one a little while ago and given that summer is fast approaching, I thought I better get one sorted ASAP before the weather gets too hot!

Got the mash going, went to the pub, had swift few pints then back home again to sort the sparge out. Unfortunately, it is really really slow - maybe all the flaked barley? Not sure, but it's poor. Sparging at 80C which is speeding things up slightly, but it's been sparging for nearly 40 minutes now and I've only collected 15 litres. Could be a long evening . . .

Recipe is:

3091g low colour maris otter
1000g flaked barley
500g roasted barley
140g chocolate malt

68g Northdown 6.0% AA for 60 minutes

Safale S-04 yeast.

Should be interesting. Very loosely based on a Guinness clone, but with some choc malt thrown in for a bit of interest.

Better get back and see how the sparging is going and hopefully my insect zapper is keeping the nocturnal six-leggers under control.

[yashicamat]

23 litres put away to bed about 20 minutes ago. Long evening.

Not sure if I'll repeat the evening brewing lark. It feels good to have squeezed a brew in despite being at work all day and going to the pub too, but I'm knackered and it was hard sorting stuff out in the dark outside. The boiler has been left for tomorrow - can't be bothered mucking about with spent hops at this time of night!

[WishboneBrewery]

Its mad how even a bottling session can take up my day after work, if more than 1 brew is ready to bottle it feels like extending the working day when you don't stop!

Hope the Stout turns out well My next Extract brews going to be a stout

[mac]

I done a Wednesday after work brew a few weeks ago and forgot to empty my mash tun. I put the lid on it when I was clearing up and it was there until Saturday. I've smelled no smell like it. I won't forget again for sure

[yashicamat]

Down to 1017 today - tastes very nice, coffee chocolate taste with a delightful followthrough. Actually doesn't taste sweet at all and has a pleasant bitterness from the roasted barley on the aftertaste.

Question is though (having never brewed a beer like this before, i.e., one with such a large quantitity of roasted and flaked barley) is this finished? Visible signs of fermentation have stopped, but 1017 seems like a massive FG for a 1048ish beer (I say ish because I was too narked on Friday night to take an OG, but my efficiency is usually pretty predictable so it should be in that ballpark).

Thoughts folks?

[yashicamat]

Tested again today - still 1017 so I'm guessing that's it. It tastes very nice though and the residual gravity has left a pleasant substance to the beer. It's in the corny now and being force carbonated. Just drinking the hydrometer sample and it is very nice. Quite close to Guinness actually, but with a slightly more complex flavour, coffee initially and then an almost smokey aftertaste - the roasted perhaps?

Either way, I'm amazed how drinkable this is after 9 days. But no hops really here to speak of . . .

I suspect this one will be gone long before it should be!