There is nothing like the taste of a robust chocolate stout paired with the warm embrace of a fireplace or your favourite Netflix show to make the long winter nights seem a little shorter.
I recommend brewing this beer in early October and bulk aging it in a glass carboy. Allow at least 3 weeks for bottle carbonation. I like to drink it during the Christmas party season into Valentine’s day.
All Grain Recipe
Batch Size: 19 liters
Boil Size: 24.7 liters
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 22.7 liters
Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) – All Grain
Efficiency: 60.00 %
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 liter | Metro Vancouver Water | Water | 1 | – |
| 4 kg | Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 2 | 66.9 % |
| 454 g | Caramel/Crystal Malt – 60L (60.0 SRM) | Grain | 3 | 7.4 % |
| 454 g | Munich Malt – 10L (10.0 SRM) | Grain | 4 | 7.4 % |
| 318 g | Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 5.2 % |
| 227 g | Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 3.7 % |
| 116 g | Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 1.9 % |
| 454 g | Milk Sugar (Lactose) (Boil 10 min) | Sugar | 8 | 7.4 % |
| 21 g | Magnum [12.90 %] – Boil 60.0 min | Hop | 9 | 31.1 IBUs |
| 11.5 g | Safale US-05 Dry Ale yeast | Yeast | 10 | – |
Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color
Est Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Bitterness: 31.1 IBUs
Est Color: 27.8 SRM
Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.3 %
Mash Profile
Single Infusion: Medium Body with batch Sparge
Sparge Water: 15 liters
Sparge Temperature: 76c
Total Grain Weight: 5.569 kg
Grain Temperature: 22c
Tun Temperature: 22c
Target Mash PH: 5.20
| Water | Step Temp | Step Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 15 liters at 73c | 67c | 60 min |
| Sparge 1 | 5.5 liters at 76c | – | Drain till empty |
| Sparge 2 | 5.5 liters at 76c | – | Drain till empty |
| Sparge 3 | 5.5 liters at 76c | – | Drain till 1.01 sg |
Storage and Carbonation
I recommend transferring from the primary fermenter off the yeast cake into a carboy for bulk aging. I know that two-stage fermentation is an older style of homebrewing and there is a risk of oxidation (wet cardboard off-flavor), but I personally find that higher gravity stouts benefit from one or two months of aging.
Transfer the beer when fermentation is about 80% complete (about 1.025 in this case) but anywhere from 5 to 7 days after brew day should be fine.
Carbonate to 2.3 volumes of CO2
Tasting Notes
Creamy mouthful with chocolate and dark roasted coffee flavours. There is a slight alcohol warming feelings. This is not the kind of beer that you are going to drink more than one or two at a time, but makes for a great beer to share with your friends. Read the BJCP style guide for Sweet Stout 13B here
Nathan is a seasoned homebrewer and winemaker. He writes about local food and drink at Liftylife.ca