Dry Stout - Lots of Flaked Barley

brew_meister_smith · August 16, 2012, 2:28pm

This is definately not going to seem like the most inovative recipe for a Guiness type clone, but I did try pushing the flaked barley to a pretty high level. I found the mash to be a little too thick and harder to manage. As well my pre-boil volume was lower than it should have been. All my calculations were done through Beer Smith, I’m thinking next time bringing the flaked barley down just a little to see if that helps. Head retention was great and the beer turned out fantastic.

46 lt batch - 90 min boil

6.5 kg Marris Otter
2.5 kg Flaked Barley
800g Roast Barley
200g Chocolate Malt

175g East Kent Goldings -aprox 5.7% - (6omin)

At first I thought the Chocolate malt had ruined the whole thing, but after an extra week or so it blended in and rounded off the roast barley very nicely. The bitterness also was a little sharp at first but again softened after time. It seemed higher than the 39IBUs that beer smith calculated.

Next time I might bring the Flaked down from %25 - %20 just for a better mash.

bryanh · August 17, 2012, 9:40pm

That is quite of bit of flaked. You’re at ~25% and typical recipes use 10-20%. Perhaps try 15-20% next time for comparison. The hops are on the high side too but not outrageous. I like a little bit of hop in the middle for a stout. You could use the same quantity but throw 25-30g into the boil at 30 minutes which will both reduce the IBUs a bit and give a little bit of hop flavor too. :cheers:

brew_meister_smith · August 18, 2012, 5:01pm

The 25% was a number I had seen in a few places as the absolute highest range you should go. I will definately bring it down for workability. At the same time I have a giant bag of the stuff that will likely last me several years so I want to use it as much as I can. %15-20 was about what I was thinking. The hopping will come down a bit (maybe to 150g from 175g). I may also drop the choclate malt by 50-100g or so.

I will also likely work in a little basic 2 row to conserve the Maris Otter a bit.

sa_brew · August 22, 2012, 10:30pm

This sounds like a good basic recipe. I would not omit the Maris Otter. It gives richness to the beer. I think the Guinness Extra Stout brewed in Canada is not as full bodied and creamy as the bottles we used to get from Ireland. The only difference has got to be the domestic malt.

10% Flaked is plenty to get that upside down, cascading head. I usually use 10% English crystal to add some sweetness to balance the bitterness. This is in a beer with a fairly low gravity of 1.040-45. I have used 15% Flaked and 5% Crystal, and I liked the 10% Flaked, Crystal, Roast better. The beer kept getting drier and drier as it aged and was too dry after about 1/2 way through the keg with the 15%/5%/10% mix. The beer kept a better balance as it aged with the crystal. I don’t drink a lot of stout, but I like to have one on tap so having one that stays balanced over time is important to me.

brew_meister_smith · August 23, 2012, 4:07pm

Good to know. I find the character of this beer is changing almost daily. Might be changing with the carbonation. Regardless, some days this is the greatest beer I have ever tasted, some days the chocolate malt and sweetness come through a little too much. I have yet to add any crystal to a stout, but may try a little next time.

My main reason for cutting the Marris Otter with some 2-row is because I have 1 bag of it, and it has to last me a while. It is not available anywhere in town so I have to drive all the way to Montreal to get supplies. All my other stocks should last me a couple of years, so I don’t want to make the trip anytime soon.