Batch #8: Oatmeal Stout

This was my first attempt at an oatmeal stout. Since I'm a roasted barley bigot, this one features roasted barley over chocolate malt, without leaving the chocolate out entirely. Even with a large amount of flaked oats, the mash sparged quite smoothly.

Recipe

Grain Bill

6 lbs. Fawcett Maris-Otter
4 oz. Fawcett Dark Crystal
8 oz. Fawcett Chocolate Malt
12 oz. Fawcett Roasted Barley
1 lb. Flaked Oats.

Hops

1 oz. Northern Brewer (7.7% AA) @60 min.

Yeast

Yeast cake from previous batch. Racked into uncleaned carboy, then into open bottling bucket.

Mash

Single infusion mash, 60 minutes at 156-158F.

Vitals

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.018
Calculated IBUs: 24
Carbonation: 12 psi @54F

Timeline

Brew day: November 22, 2002

1:10 pm: Mash in at 156-158F
2:15 pm: Begin sparging.
2:55 pm: Finish sparging, 6.5 gallons collected.
4:05 pm: Rolling boil.
4:35 pm: Add hops.
6:40 pm: Done, fermenter in 68-72F closet.

Transferred to closed secondary November 26. Collected about a cup of thick yeast foam from the top, for the next batch.

Kegged December 11.

Tasting notes

11/26/2002

Harsh, green-beer-with-chocolate-malt taste.

12/23/2002

It's a keeper, even undercarbonated. The fruitiness of the yeast melds well with the roasted malts, giving a burnt dark fruit character to the beer. The chocolate and dark crystal malts are not assertive yet, leaving the roasted barley as the dominant roasted malt. Hop bitterness is also not assertive, leaving the roasted bitterness as the dominant bitterness here. It's a good level for a sweeter stout like this.

1/12/2003

Overall, the beer is roasty and tart, with a smooth chocolaty finish and lingering tart aftertaste. The yeast fruitiness gives light blackberry notes to the roasted malt profile. The oatmeal manifests itself in the mouth-coating texture of the finish.

I don't think I will be using this yeast for future stouts. Its bright, tart, and fruity profile is more amenable to bitters and pale ales. It severely diminishes the dark, smooth roasted character that makes a good stout. The up-front tartness makes this beer taste much thinner than its FG would suggest, and the tartness in the finish destroys the velvety texture contributed by the large amount of oats. This beer is good now, but would be great with a more appropriate yeast.

1/14/2003

The basement (and presumably the beer) has cooled down to 50F. This might explain a dramatic decrease in tartness. The beer is now full-bodied and smooth. The improvement is dramatic, but I still think another yeast would be more appropriate.

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