Smokey Start Stout

Never done a stout and from what I read they can be done with lager yeast. I just happen to have a lot of happy lager yeast from the rauchbeir that is tasting awesome and lagering now. I am going to pull it off the yeast cake and pitch some of the cake for this stout.

Also we are FINALLY getting some spring weather here in Indiana and just in time too since Clare and I are getting married in less than a month. Unfortunately Barack and Michelle can't make it but they sent a nice card at least;

 

Recipe:

• 9 lb 2-row
• 12 oz Roasted Barley (~400L ish)
• 8 oz Crystal 120L
• 8 oz Chocolate malt (pale 200L)
• 2.0 oz Cascade 13.7% @ 60 min
• 0.5 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 min
• 0.5 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Wyeast) @ 10 min
• 10 drops FermcapS before boil
• Yeast cake of wyeast 2633 octoberfest

• OG: 1056 (5.3% ABV est)
• 41.1 IBU
• 33 SRM (probably low)

1st Runnings: 1.5 gallons 23.4%
Sparge 1: 4.0 gallons 16.2%

Sparge 2 (pre-boil): 6.4 gallons 12.5%

Clare wanted to take a picture of me taking the gravity reading with the refractometer, so here it is...

Efficiency is back to 75% (1050 pre-boil), it seems like a good long stir and rest for a few minutes really helps. Getting ready to boil and looking awesome, the color is a nice deep black. 60 minute booil and chil it down before pouring it onto the yeast cake. I would be worried about over-pitching if this wasnt lager yeast but I still may take a bit out of the fermenter.

Ended up not taking any yeast out of the fermenter because I was lazy. The OG ended up at 1060 so the efficiency overall was around 82%. I am going to try to keep consistent and see if I can keep that number or at least settle to something repeatable. Not a big deal here but it is a 6% ABV stout rather than a 5%, I can deal with that.

Rauchbier!

People's Brewing Company here in Lafayette has had a fantastic Rauchbier on tap for a while now and it inspired me to make my own. By the time this is lagered it will be spring and it should make a nice compliment to the cooler nights instead of the bitter cold we have had all winter.

The recipe:

• Grain:
• 5 lb Pale Malt
• 5 lb Smoked Malt (not peat smoked)
• 0.5 lb Caramunich
• 0.25 lb Crystal-120
• 0.125 lb Midnight wheat
• Hops
• 1.7 oz Hallertauer Hersbruker 2.8% @ 60 min
• 0.5 oz Tettnang 6.1% @ 60 min
• 0.5 tsp Irish Moss
• 0.5 tsp Yeast Nutrient
• 10 drops FermcapS
• Starter of Wyeast 2633 Octoberfest (2 L decanted and restarted with 0.8 L or wort)
• Beersmith Specs:
• OG: 1055
• 25.6 IBU
• 14.8 SRM
• 5.5% ABV

The plan was to mash with 3.5 gallons of water at 152 F for 60 minutes and boil for 60 minutes. Preheated with 175 degree water and doughed in at 165 degrees.

First runnings 2.0 gallons at 22.3%. 4.0 gallons total after second runnings at 16%, 6.25 gallons at 12.8%. Pre-boil looks to be spot on assuming 70% efficiency, I guess I just need Clare to help sparge to keep that number up.

Boiling away now, all I can smell is the hops though. I expected to have a lot more smoked smell since it has 5 lbs of smoked malt in it. Hopefully the smoke comes through in the end. Ended up with 5 gallons of 16.0% Brix (1065). I am not sure if the cooler temperatures increased the boil-off or id Clare's stirring is just really really effective but I am going to have to try to be more consistent. It is fermenting at 50 degreees F (10 C) and I will bump it up as the bubbling slows down to try to get it to finish out and clean up. Then lagering in the keg for a few weeks.