bonfire stout

[malc]

hi all

i've taken delivery of my first liquid yeast (white labs irish ale yeast) and was thinking about making this for the bonfire bbq that i usually have, as an extract brew does it look ok or overloaded with the grains? i've got the week off so thinking about getting this going tomorrow.

[bonfire stout
Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Roasted Barley 1350 EBC 0 lbs. 7.0 oz 200 grams 4.9%
Crystal Malt, Dark 300 EBC 0 lbs. 7.0 oz 200 grams 4.9%
Chocolate Malt 1050 EBC 0 lbs. 7.0 oz 200 grams 4.9%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 1 lbs. 1.6 oz 500 grams 12.2%
Dried Malt Extract Dark 60 EBC 6 lbs. 9.8 oz 3000 grams 73.2%

Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.4 oz 10 grams 16.7%
Fuggle Whole 4.9 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.7 oz 20 grams 33.3%
Challenger Whole 7.6 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 50%

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.015
Alcohol Content: 5.2% ABV
Bitterness: 35 EBU
Colour: 276 EBC
*]

[WishboneBrewery]

You could have a bit of Black treacle in there for a bonfire toffee taste Or just prime a few bottles with Treacle as an experiment

[malc]

That's a great idea pdtnc! how much and when would you add it? I've got some in the cupboard, I was going to keg this in a corny and leave for a couple of months

[WishboneBrewery]

You could just prime a few bottles with half a Teaspoon, though that might be easier said than done!
I'm not sure how much I'd put in a brew though, maybe 5% at most at a guess.

[malc]

Would you add early on in the boil or dissolve in a pan of water and add late on? Would I be correct in thinking you could boil the treacle taste away?

[WishboneBrewery]

You'd add about half way through the boil, and you could pre-dissolve if you wanted or just add a little at a time and keep stirring.

[Tony01]

looks like a cracking brew malc! Lovely rich, dark beer.

Hmmm bonfire brew.... sounds like a plan!

[malc]

it's just gone in now, slowed the boil a little at first even though it was added in boiling water, 200g in the end as it just wouldn't stop pouring hope thats enough to taste when it's done.

[malc]

all in the FV now nice and dark, one concern i have though is about using beer engine, when i input the ingredients it gives me an original gravity, i have never managed to get anywhere near this figure, is this because i am doing extract so not using the grains for their fermentable sugars? should i subtract the figures given for the grains to estimate what my original gravity would be? i have ended up with 1.044 for my bonfire stout, does this also mean that my final gravity will differ from bear engine it says i should get 1.015 that would give me 3.8% a little low for what i wanted but still very drinkable any ideas how i could get a lower fg? say 1.010 that would give me nearer 4.5%
or do you think with the treacle in it it will go lower than this figure anyway?

[WishboneBrewery]

You've got about 17% of Crystal malts and 10% of Roasted malts in there, they are going to have a fair amount of non-fermentable sugars which will keep your Final Gravity after fermentation higher. This has the plus side of giving more body to your beer.
With 200g of Treacle your OG should have been about 1060 and a pretty healthy 5.8% ABV (with FG of 1015 give or take, depending on yeast performance etc)

[malc]

that's quite worrying then as i only got 1044 at 20 deg c i'm way off, does adding the DME at a particular time during the boil make a difference?

[WishboneBrewery]

it shouldn't.
I can only think you used too much water??? though if what you have got in the fermenter is the right amount I have no idea?!

[malc]

no me neither i have 23l in the fermenter which is now bubbling along very nicely so i shall just sit back and wait for it to be ready, if it's under then that just means i can drink more of it in any go