Recipe Advice Thread

[denimglen]

Thought it might be handy to have a thread for some of the more advanced brewers to give some advice on recipes.

Let's see how it goes eh...

[jt]

I've gone high, I usually like a bit of bite in a darkie.

Having said that though, I could head toward the more balanced Aussie Cascade type of stout which was what got me tinkering with a stout in the first place.

Maybe you're right and I could back of the 60 minute and add something at the end

cheers, jt

[Mark]

I added some motueka at flame out to a brown, fermented with WLP005. I can't taste it at all :(

[jt]

Yea, I've put Motueka in late in browns and missed it completely too.

I find it's better at 20 or so to get some flavour through.

I thought that Sauvin and / or cascade would have enough character to overcome the malt

[jt]

I went slightly higher on the dark grains than intended, it's 10% Roast, 10% Choccies, 6% Crystal

Balance is the Bairds Pale that Aidan was specialling on the weekend

Super Alpha to bitter and then a Motueka, Cascade and Sauvin combo at the end.. I used that combo in  dark brown a while back and really liked it.

OG 1039 and 30BU with Thames Valley

[MrC]

Good on ya jt.  Should be interesting.  You should try it side by side with Coopers and Cascade.

[Scarrfie]

Watching this discussion with interest as I have done two stouts in the last two weeks. heck that is a heap of roast JT so I would love to hear how that comes out. We did a stout night at the Beer Appreciation Group (TBAG) at Tahi Bar last week and most were actually a bit of a disappointment. Mine were the only home brews and the only thing better was the Guiness Foreign Extra. Everything else lacked body. I took along my second to last bottle of my first mash from two years ago. A partial mash where i added in to a cooper stout kit. That had 1.5 kg of pale with .75 med crystal, 0.5@ of home dry&wet toast, .25 choc & .2 roast. Was always a great stout and still drinking well.

This one is tasty now and I still have over a dozen ABC's left :-)

[jt]

Sounded like the general thing was I couldn't go less than 10% Roast Mr C.
I wanted to get plenty of Pale Choccie in there too, had a hoppy porter from Matthew in Tawa a while back that had a far whack in there and it was really rich.
Not sure hw much the crysal will temper it ...

[jt]

I've had a couple of hydrometer samples and I'm still quite high, 1015 from 1041 and it's tasting really thick.
The roast and chocolates are good, chocolate is nice and rich, roast isn't biting.
But while it's at 1015, the 6% crystal is just a bit much.

Time for a rousing and a bit of heat I think.

Cheers, jt

[MrC]

Any krausen left or is it done?

[jt]

Not much, a thin cover over maybe half the area. I think it'll be slow going and finsh a bit higher than the 1010 planned.
May have mashed too high, maybe fermented too cool and the yeast has flocced out early, maybe a poor repitch ... Not sure, might go for a dry yeast next time to take a few variables out.

But after not brewing a stout for years, I'm planning to repeat/tweak this soon

[jt]

Went from 1041 to 1013'ish

Plenty of body. Thought the crystal might have been over the top, probably is a bit, Comes through a little sweet at the start. Plenty of chocolate in the middle and slight lingering roastiness.

So I'm glad I went with the 30 IBU, could have handled more. Absolutely no sign of the late hops.

I haven't brewed a stout for years so I'm probably enjoying this more than it's really worth. I'll brew another soon, just got to weigh if I'd change anything

cheers, jt

[jt]

Sorry, this probably belongs in What Are You Brewing by now, but the rest of the story is here so ...
Brewing the tweak this morning.
76% Pale
6% Dark Crystal
10% Chocolates
8% Roast
1040 and a 60 min addition of Pacific Jade for 37BU

Thought the cystal was a bit on the heavy side in the first, just dropping the roast back a little to match it. I liked the choccies, half and half pale and regular so left that the same'ish.

05 this time as I couldn't decide which English Ale to try next.

Just the one hop addition. There was absolutely no sign of the late addition I put in the first, may as well not waste them.

Cheers, jt