Good stout recipe?

[adm]

Can anyone recommend a good, straightforward stout recipe? I'm looking for something closer to the Guinness end of the spectrum - but I don't really want mess around with keeping and souring beer from an earlier batch.

I've got a mixed gas bottle and reg now, so I want to brew a new batch to see how it all works and whether I get a head close to the thick creamy Irish stout heads that last to the bottom of the glass. How much of the head retention is due to the recipe as opposed to the gas system?

[Garth]

Alasdair, here you go, I have quite a few stout recipes as I probably make them more than any other beer style, here's three of them, they're tried and tested, and they always come out brilliant, maybe it's my soft water. I have a few others if you want them.

[adm]

Thanks Garth,

Those look like exactly what I needed. I might try the Guinness clone recipe first.

What would be a good substitution hop for Bullion?

[Garth]

What would be a good substitution hop for Bullion?

Promash recommends either Northern Brewer or Galena,

Northern Brewer is very similar to Northdown which I use a lot in stouts, any good bittering hop should do, the higher A/A the better then you use less.

[nobby]

I have done a Guiness clone with the same malts as Garth and Northern Brewer hops and it worked out fine. Just adjust the pale malt up a bit if your efficency is a bit low. Does it really matter which hops you use in a Guiness Clone??

[adm]

Has anyone ever done a Cascade Stout?

I've got quite a lot of Cascade (US & NZ), plenty of Goldings, some leftover Susan (which might be a good candidate), Perle, Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin....

I suppose it doesn't make much difference really with no late hopping.

[Garth]

here you go, a very popular recipe from AussieBrewer, I've done it twice now and and no complaints..........pm me if you want it reduced as this was for a large batch.

[Stonechat]

Garth,
the recipe for Four Shades of Stout looks good and I have a lot of Cascade to use up, but have none of the German Carafa malt. Would Caramalt as supplied by Barley Bottom be a reasonable substitute?

[Garth]

I'm not quite sure Stonechat,

the stuff in the recipe is Carafa III, it is the darkest of the three at 1200 EBC, it is like Roast Barley but has no husks therefore giving a very smooth taste

if you haven't got any just omit it, the recipe is from AussieHomebrewer, one of their members is on here Craphaus, I believe he originally did a 3 Shades of Stout recipe without any Carafa III.

It's a very good recipe, the Cascade still comes through even though there is only one addition at the very beginning, I wonder what it would taste like with an amount steeped at the end of the boil.

[Stonechat]

Thanks, I'll try it without and will also split the Cascade 60/40 or 70/30 on a start of boil/end of boil steep for 30minutes basis. Could well be next week's brew

[adm]

I think I'll give that a go. That or Garth's Guinness clone.

Decisions, decisions...

[Stringy Bob]

Looking to do a stout this weekend as my 2nd AG. I've put this together as an alternative to the Four Shades of Stout, based on what I have in stock.


Ingredient Colour Weight Ratio
Chocolate Malt 1050 EBC 325 grams 5.7%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 380 grams 6.7%
Flaked Barley 0 EBC 620 grams 10.8%
Pale Malt 5 EBC 4130 grams 72.2%
Roasted Barley 1350 EBC 260 grams 4.6%




Hop Variety Type Alpha Time Weight Ratio
Boadicea Whole 5.6 % 60 mins 62 grams 100%



Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.05039210526316
Final Gravity: 1.015
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Total Liquor: 34 Litres
Mash Liquor: 11.4 Litres
Bitterness: 35 EBU
Colour: 232 EBC

Any comments would be greatly appreciated

[tomU]

looks good from where I'm sat. That looks like a lot of flaked barley, but I think I've read that Guinness uses a lot too.

Original Gravity: 1.05039210526316

Do you have a hydrometer that measures 14 decimal places?

[Stringy Bob]

No, but I'll just round it up to 1.0503921052632

[PaulStat]

I can vouch for the FSOS, lovely stuff

Except I used Boadicea hops instead