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.