" Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

[Rocketcrab]

Mine was in the FV for ten days then bottled. Tasted two after only four days in the bottle - and it was already fantastic. Dry, roasty, toasty with a licorice background - and I don't care much for licorice but it really works well here. My compliments, Mr. Ditch sir - a very simple yet very good recipe. I will be making more of this, and I usually don't repeat recipes. Great stuff!

[Ditch]

While I'm not a bottle fan myself, Rob; One thing I would say is don't ever go chilling ye bottles.

The room where I make and store my stuff is like a walk in freezer, in this weather. Bloody beer loses all flavour when it's cold

Come to think about it; I really should make myself a box to put my BK's in. Thermostat it to keep the beer at closer to a 'room temperature'. I hate cold beer, and yet here I am drinking it all bloody winter!

I long for the beautiful blend of flavours you're enjoying there. I haven't experienced that since the freeze came.

[Timo]

How does the Coopers stout compare to the Coopers Irish stout, anyone tried both with this method?

I started a Irish stout yesterday and made a small mistake of adding too much water and this morning it looks like its trying to escape from the FV.

[Simon7]

It's all down to personal taste Timo, some prefer the Irish Stout, I prefer the standard one.

When I'm brewing a stout or a dark ale I only fill the FV to about 16 litres and then after the initial head starts to die down I top it up with boiled then cooled water to the desired volume (I brew most kits to 20 litres)

EDIT: Are you using something to cover that FV after you've taken the photo? A lid or a towel or something?

[Timo]

I guess when I've made this I need to try the other one someday. I do like dry Irish style stouts like Porterhouse plain which is one of my faves.

I have a standard plastic lid which I place over the top but I don't snap it down I just leave it loose so air can escape. When the pic was taken I did have the lid off for about an hour which I often do to open ferment for a bit but a always replace when I leave.

[Ditch]

Timo; What ye showing there is what I call " The Brain ". Coopers Stout does that. Throws up a head like something out of science fiction. Don't be surprised if is blows right over the top and pours down the outside of the FV too.

People go to various lengths to save themselves - or their homes - from all this. I don't care, personally. Because I make mine in a concrete floored room. Old fashioned, water proof sort of concrete. And I have a mop.

The 'Irish Stout' ? As Simon says; Matter of personal taste. Though, I've tried it, expecting great things, and found it nothing to write home about at all. I like my own stuff, done the way this thread's all about.

That said; Better go and get a few on presently .....

[Timo]

Yeah it does look a bit like a brain with all weird folds and creases in it. The FV is sat in a large grey water proof tub so if blows over it's not a problem but next time I will be more careful on the amount of water I add. I don't know if it's a coopers thing or their yeast but it smells great while fermenting and so did the euro larger that I just did.

[Rocketcrab]

While I'm not a bottle fan myself, Rob; One thing I would say is don't ever go chilling ye bottles.

The room where I make and store my stuff is like a walk in freezer, in this weather. Bloody beer loses all flavour when it's cold

Come to think about it; I really should make myself a box to put my BK's in. Thermostat it to keep the beer at closer to a 'room temperature'. I hate cold beer, and yet here I am drinking it all bloody winter!

I long for the beautiful blend of flavours you're enjoying there. I haven't experienced that since the freeze came.

I dare anyone to come up with anything positve about cold weather! Here on the US east coast, we're freezing our fritters off.

[Geezah]

Re: Bannanna flavours...
I got them at the end of the keg of my last APA too.
It definately is something with the weight of the beer sitting on the trub causing some form of reaction / release of gasses creating the flavour cause I have had it now with Coopers stout (normal and irish) and now APA (6 weeks in the keg), but never in the bottles which age longer than the kegged beer.

[Ditch]

Re: Bannanna flavours...

Geezah; That one rather woke me up. Took a split second to realise what ye were on about. One minute we're talking about stout .....

But, ye getting this with all sorts? And ye reckon it's to do with it sitting on the " Trub "? What's that? Crap at the bottom of the keg? How do ye get rid of all of that? Or are ye leaving it in the FV for six weeks?! Surely not!

Listen; Don't ye reckon this discussion is going to get lost and wasted in here? People out there may be getting Banana Beer, be it Coopers based or what ever. Hardly going to be looking here for their answers.

Why not, for example, bang out a new thread on this board ~ " Banana Tasting Beer ", or something. Link back / Quote / mention the post numbers here, where it's discussed. That way I reckon we can get a discussion of this very real and recognised / recognisable phenomena and keep a focus on it.

Frankly? I'd be far more interested in reading about / discussing this banana taste in beers, as an issue in itself. I feel this thread has out grown its usefulness and become a monster.

Hell; I only wanted to put to bed how I make my gear. That was explained pages ago. Let's not lose / waste any more decent discussion about kit brewing experiences in this Frankenstein thread.

Honestly; I feel this one could use tidying up and locking. Or just plain f**king off altogether. We can't evolve in a vacuum

[hong]

Ditch, just out of curiosity is there any reason why you used medium spray malt rather than a darker one? I noticed that you can get different types and i thought that the dark or extra dark for this being a stout would of been used. Like i said, its purely curiosity, sorry if you think i am trying to be clever!

[Ditch]

Hong; Why in gods name would anyone think ye were 'trying to be clever' in asking a perfectly valid question?

Fact is; I have been using " Dark " dry malt in my stuff, of late. That's because my supplier is only offering Dark in the 3 Kg bags I presently require.

What do I think of it? Fine. In as much that the beer in front of me as I type is as 'fine' as the ones I had last night.

But, this is Not what I'd call " Ditch's Stout " and invite ye in here to try with me. It's too cold, see? Room I store my BK's in is stone cold. So is this beer. And cold kills the flavours in this brew.

See what I'm getting at here? I can't comment on a different shade of malt, because the environmental factors have already skewed the model.

Bastard, isn't it?

[Spud395]

Why dont you throw a few sods of that turf you got out the back on that stove you got Ditch.
No wonder its lasting you so long

Only joking, most people keep their coats on in my house when it's cold out.
I do hate cold beer though!

[Beard]

Regarding the Coopers Stout vs Cooper Irish Stout decision, I've made both fairly recently and in my humble opinion the Coopers Stout produced a slightly more 'dark chocolate' taste to the final product, versus Coopers Irish Stout which produced a slightly more 'liquorice' taste. The difference was quite subtle, but tasting one bottle next to the other it was definitely there. Both brews were made with exactly the same equipment and other ingredients. To be honest though, I suspect your choice of DME makes far more of a difference to the final taste than whether you use Coopers Stout or Coopers Irish Stout. All other things being equal, I'd just take the cheaper Coopers Stout. Unless you really like liquorice!

[Ditch]

Turf ran out just the other week, Spud. Damn good, when ye consider I went for living like a lord, this year. Stove was lit, 24 / 7, since November! Now I'm using 40Kg of Union Nuggets a week, I believe it is? Roll on the times when I can put up with not having it lit again

That aside though; It's this back room where I store my gear that's like the Baltic. Simply no room, in here, to put a BK. So, I'm constantly slipping out there for a drop of 'Arctic Ale' to bring back in here and numb my mouth with. Might as well be pub Guinness