Oatmeal Stout

Classification: stout, oatmeal stout, extract

Source: Patrick Stirling (pms@sfsun.West.Sun.COM) Issue #572, 1/29/91

I really liked this beer! Dark and smooth with a creamy mouth feel. No specific oatmeal flavor, but lots of body. Light brown head. The only problem I had was that after about 3 months in the bottle it developed a distinct off flavor. Could be from the ice, or maybe it got oxygenated during bottling.

Ingredients:

8 pounds, amber malt extract
1/2 pound, black patent malt
1/2 pound, roast barley
1/2 pound, chocolate malt
1 pound, steel cut oats
2 ounces, Eroica hops (boil)
1 ounce, Fuggles hops (finish)
Whitbread ale yeast

Procedure:

Crack all grains (except oats), add to 2 gallons cold water, add oats, bring to boil. Remove grains with strainer when boil is reached. Add malt extract and boiling hops. Boil 60 minutes. Add finishing hops and boil another minute or so. Remove from heat, let steep 15 minutes. Put 4-6 inches of ice in bottom of plastic fermenter and strain wort into fermenter. Sparge. Bring volume to 5-1/4 gallons and mix. The temperature should now be below 80 degrees. Rack to 6 gallon glass carboy and pitch yeast. Bottle when fermentation is done (about 2-3 weeks).

Specifics:

Primary Ferment: 2--3 weeks