CS7- Smoked Stout

[Andrew]

This is my effort:

Smoked malt	3 kilograms     50%
Maris Otter	1.75 kilograms     29.2%
Crystal 70L	0.62 kilograms     10.4%
Barley (Roasted)	0.31 kilograms     5.2%
Chocolate	0.31 kilograms     5.2%

NZ Fuggles hops     5%, Pellet	34 grams 60 minutes
Motueka hops     4.5%, Pellet	34 grams 60 minutes
NZ Fuggles hops     5%, Pellet	25 grams 15 minutes
Motueka hops     4.5%, Pellet	25 grams 15 minutes

Original gravity	1.052
Final gravity	1.012
Alcohol (by volume)	5.3%
Bitterness (IBU)	40
Color (SRM)	38.8°L

 US-05 Yeast

 

I've tried this and I wouldn't go at the full bottle as a 'Quaffing beer'. I'd reccommend this after dinner with a couple of mates, blue cheese and some crackers.

[Andrew]

I couldn't hold off and had another of these when friends were over, seems to be conditioned fine and the initial harshness has disapeared. I'd go for this one early may if you can hold off. Isn't overly smoky just kind of salted bacon/ham notes which I,m kind of partial too. That seems to a be a trait of the Weyermans smoked malt.

[Martin Bridges]

My first bottle of this Case Swap. I've not read any of the notes, just pulled a bottle out of the fridge.

 

Lovely coffee aroma with hints of smokiness. Looks like engine oil (in a good way!). Very good balance of smoke - definitely noticeable but not overpowering. Carbonation a little low for me, but not a big deal. Body a little on the low side for a stout - felt more porter-ish to me. That being said, it makes it more drinkable, so I was very happy. Nice stuff, thanks Andrew.

[vdog]

Pours a deep black, very clear though, with a tight compact white head. Aroma is coffee and dark chocolate, with the smoke really only a background note. On the palate it's more of the same - you know the smoke is there but it's definitely not the dominant flavour. Bitterness is pretty well balanced, with a medium body to play against. I liked the level of carbonation, relatively gentle but enough to keep it lively. 

 

I was really looking forward to drinking this one, and it didn't disappoint. I thought the late hops were a bit lost - I guess against the smoke, coffee and chocolate it's not easy for them to stand out though!

 

Cheers Andrew, another cracker from what's been a bloody good case swap so far.

[JackoNZ]

It's getting cold in Wellington tonight so reached for a stout, this one was closest! Very dark brown pour, almost black in the glass. Little smoke on the nose, more coffee like, little roast, nice! Stout aroma, tick! Smoky flavour comes through nicely. I've got a smoked ported in the bottle with 20% smoke in it, that's all about the bacon! This is better, it's got more of the real smoke coming through and less of the bacon which I prefer. 

Fairly low carbonation which works well for the style. I'd definitely like a little more body with this for a stout though. Very drinkable, the smoke, roast and black giving me some really good aftertaste to savour. I do find it gets a bit acrid though as I work my way through the second glass. I reckon you gotta go peat smoked if you really want smoke, then you can use less and get more base malt in there to up the body more and also balance those dark specs out.

Nice work Andrew, ballsy move with 50% smoke, a very nice home brewed beer.

 

[Matt]

Right, this review is a bit old, enjoyed your beer after Stus stout on Friday night with a few boys. Reviewed by a committee of 'conventional' beer drinkers, all were open minded and not afraid to throw a few descriptors out there... Quotes:

 

Inky black

 

Perfectly low carb 

 

Licorice and dark chocolate aroma

 

Bitter chocolate flavour

 

Roasted coffee

 

Smoke clearly present but doesnt linger

 

Quite dry with a fairly light body (though we had just been sampling my 1.020 Am Stout) 

 

Rich but sessionable

 

YUM!

 

Overall impression: A smoothly smokey, dark chocolatey stout of very drinkable proportions

 

I find it interesting putting people to the test not used to thinking about the flavours in beer, I find you get some really honest and sometimes quite accurate feedback. The licorice comment did not come from me and once made aware of it it was clearly there.

 

Cheers for the beer mate, I loved it

[Stu McKinlay]

Inky, with a small but tight head and low carbonation... a good sign for me. Nothing kills a darker beer more for me than too much carbonation. The smoke isn't prominent but it is certainly there... though in saying that, I have become a little immune to smoke in the last few weeks (who'd have thought).  Chocolate and roast dominate. Plenty of balancing sweetness. Perfect carbonation and mouthfeel with a bit of fruitniess on the palate. Definitely a sessionable stout... I could drink it all night.

One of the best chocolate malt profiles I've come across in a while, I think the low carbonation, the clean ferment and the light hop fruit helps.

Cheers! One of my favourites so far.

[Barry]

Gonna dispense with the standard pour, aroma, appearance, palate formula for this one.
This stout is fricken amazing, chocolate roasty malt but very smooth, no harshness anywhere to be seen, with this awesome undercurrent of smoky bacony goodness. Great malt/hop balance let's the rich depth of flavors shine through, an utterly satisfying drop.
Gorgeous.

Edit: Ning vs iPhone - wouldn't let me upload the great empty glass of lacing photo I took :(

[John H]

Me too. Really really good. I enjoyed the complexity of the smoke, but nicely balanced - I could have had a few of these.

 

Thanks for sharing

[Adrian Tayler]

I agree with the other notes on this one, very nice beer although I would have liked a slight bit more carbonation.. but thats being picky.  fantastic beer..

 

.. thanks for the swap !

 

Cheers  \m/

[Bambule]

Deep black,  roast barley and chocolate on the nose with the smoke lurking incognito in the background.  Really enjoying this one as it warms up a bit in the glass.  Each component seems to be discernable, hint of fruity hop flavour, roast malt and chocolate, smooth bitterness, a mild smokiness.

I was almost hoping for more smokiness but I think this is working just fine for me.  I'm going to brew a smoked beer soon and I was unsure of how much smoked is enough, more than I first thought perhaps. (I'm talking Weyermann rauch malt).

Three stouts on this case swap; Martin's, Stu's and this one; and they've been among the best in my humble opinion.

[Andrew]

Cheers for the feedback, Just so your aware I used the Weyermanns Rauch malt in this and this seems to be the characrter you get out of it. Everyone thats uses it; including the breweries around Bamberg were Weyermans are famous for this malt, end up with that smoked ham kind of thing rather than "traditional smokiness". After trying Rex Attitude at the weekend I think you could use a similar recipe to me but sneak in 5% peat smoked distillers malt if you want that kind of character. Or you could smoke your own.

[Tilt]

I've been sure to let this one warm a little before trying to make sure I get the malt flavours up front.

Black as a well diggers backside with a light brown head. Mostly chocolate roastiness aroma with a whif of driftwood campfire.  Clean and crisp with a tad of the hop fruitiness and a fantastic smoky aftertaste - the best part of this beer for me!  This is a beaut beer Andrew, well done and thanks for sharing.  I'd be interested to know what this beer would be like with a fruity English yeast - might have to borrow your recipe and try over winter.  Cheers