Basic milk stout noob question

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Brewed_Force

Brewed_Force

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Sep 24, 2014
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Location
Liverpool, UK
Hi everyone, this is my first post, so please go easy on me !
I have 'ummed and arred' for several years, but now the time is right for me to start on my first brew.
I have decided to start with a milk stout. Why milk stout? you may ask, well when I was a wee lad my mum used to have a bottle of Mackeson on a Friday night and she always allowed me a tiny sip, it was like nectar! So I hope to recreate that taste....
After reading up on the subject on forums such as this one and sampling friends home brew (for research purposes only you understand...) I think a good bet would be to start with a Coopers stout kit (I'm not ready for all that mashing & boiling business just yet) and add lactose for sweetness.
I need some advice: should I add additional malt or not? (I will probably use brew enhancer)
Also, is a brew heater recommended?, I will be putting the FV in my garage which has a 2 inch gap under the up & over door so it's not warm by any stretch.
Any recipes (based on a can kit) will be gratefully received.
Cheers:cheers:
 
You definitely need some extra fermentables 1kg+ either more malt or malt + sugar (or brew enhancer), the lactose will give you the sweetness I tend to use Dark Muscavado Sugar 500gr + Malt 1kg and brew short, that said the Coopers is nowhere near as dry as Guinness.

I use a builders trug with a tropical fish tank heater to create a bain marie (this performs very well where temperatures are only a few degrees short of the requirement), I am not sure how this would perform in a garage where temperatures could get very low.
 
Smileyr8 said:
You definitely need some extra fermentables 1kg+ either more malt or malt + sugar (or brew enhancer), the lactose will give you the sweetness I tend to use Dark Muscavado Sugar 500gr + Malt 1kg and brew short, that said the Coopers is nowhere near as dry as Guinness.

I use a builders trug with a tropical fish tank heater to create a bain marie (this performs very well where temperatures are only a few degrees short of the requirement), I am not sure how this would perform in a garage where temperatures could get very low.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice regarding the extra malt. What effect do the extra fermentables have on the brew, over the stuff supplied in the Coopers kit?
How much lactose should I use, assuming it's a 1 can kit ?
Can't wait to get started........
 
Brewed_Force said:
Thanks for the advice regarding the extra malt. What effect do the extra fermentables have on the brew, over the stuff supplied in the Coopers kit?
How much lactose should I use, assuming it's a 1 can kit ?
Can't wait to get started........
Click to expand...

The extra fermentables will add extra alcohol and body as well as additional flavour (be careful not to over do the the malt as you can upset the balance of the beer, i.e it may be too sweet and require extra hops to re balance).

I can't really comment on the lactose as I have never used it, I have said previously the Coopers does not end up as dry as Guinness, i.e. it has a sweeter finish/taste, I would try searching this forum or asking for advice, or maybe even Googling it.
 
This talks about 0.5kg or 500gr I have no idea if that is a sensible amount, my gut feeling is its a lot of non fermenting sugars but its only a feeling ask on that forum.
 
Smileyr8 said:
You definitely need some extra fermentables 1kg+ either more malt or malt + sugar (or brew enhancer), the lactose will give you the sweetness. I tend to use Dark Muscavado Sugar 500gr + Malt 1kg and brew short, that said the Coopers is nowhere near as dry as Guinness.
Click to expand...

I would heartily recommend this sort of approach. Works for me. There are a huge number of variations on doing the Coopers Stout kit on the Forum - under beer kit reviews. None of these is likely to be lacking a bit of sweetness in the final brew. If you are stuck on adding lactose - I would sincerly suggest leaving it out the first time and adding to a later brew only if the first disappoints.

It rarely does, though. :thumb:
 
Slid said:
I would heartily recommend this sort of approach. Works for me. There are a huge number of variations on doing the Coopers Stout kit on the Forum - under beer kit reviews. None of these is likely to be lacking a bit of sweetness in the final brew. If you are stuck on adding lactose - I would sincerly suggest leaving it out the first time and adding to a later brew only if the first disappoints.

It rarely does, though. :thumb:
Click to expand...

Great advice
 
Yeah, I think I may indeed do just that. I'll see what the basic stout comes out like and then see what needs to be changed (if anything)
One other question, how heavy is a full 22 litre FV ?
My back ain't what it used to be, so I worry about hauling the FV up on to a worktop for the bottling.
 
Well, took the plunge and started my first brew last night. Used Coopers Original Stout with the following added extras:
500g Muntons dark DME
500g Dark Muscovado sugar
500g Lactose

No problems, found it surprisingly easy (so far!) Temp was 22C, gravity was 1.049 (is it me or are hydrometer scales really difficult to see?) FV left in kitchen, sitting on thick piece of polystyrene.
Came down this morning and airlock was gurgling every 3 or 4 seconds so I was quite encouraged. By afternoon, with central heating on, airlock was really popping every second. Temperature is 20/22C on strip thermometer stuck on side of FV.
I found a length of foil-backed laminate floor insulation foam in the garage and put it around FV like a jacket to help keep the cold out during the night.
I've read that this kit can blow out the airlock so I might try and and rig up a blow off tube just in case.
Will report back when I bottle this up in about 2 weeks.
 
Brewed_Force said:
Hi everyone, this is my first post, so please go easy on me !
I have 'ummed and arred' for several years, but now the time is right for me to start on my first brew.
I have decided to start with a milk stout. Why milk stout? you may ask, well when I was a wee lad my mum used to have a bottle of Mackeson on a Friday night and she always allowed me a tiny sip, it was like nectar! So I hope to recreate that taste....
After reading up on the subject on forums such as this one and sampling friends home brew (for research purposes only you understand...) I think a good bet would be to start with a Coopers stout kit (I'm not ready for all that mashing & boiling business just yet) and add lactose for sweetness.
I need some advice: should I add additional malt or not? (I will probably use brew enhancer)
Also, is a brew heater recommended?, I will be putting the FV in my garage which has a 2 inch gap under the up & over door so it's not warm by any stretch.
Any recipes (based on a can kit) will be gratefully received.
Cheers:cheers:
Click to expand...
Just checked SG after 13 days in FV, it's 1.018 which works out at 4.1%abv. Smells and tastes like stout though not very sweet despite 500g lactose in recipe. Very similar to Guinness but not as dry.
Will check gravity again tomorrow and start bottling if reading is same.
Can I expect any further reduction in SG or is it likely it has fermented out now?
 
Brewed_Force said:
Just checked SG after 13 days in FV, it's 1.018 which works out at 4.1%abv. Smells and tastes like stout though not very sweet despite 500g lactose in recipe. Very similar to Guinness but not as dry.
Will check gravity again tomorrow and start bottling if reading is same.
Can I expect any further reduction in SG or is it likely it has fermented out now?
Click to expand...

Checked SG again after 15 days, 1.018. Interestingly, the trial jar contents tasted better than 2 days ago.
Bottled with 150g dark muscovado sugar.
Will leave in kitchen for 2 weeks to condition, then store in garage 'til christmas.
Already thinking about my next brew, maybe a dark mild session ale, any suggestions for a decent kit?
 
Update:
Tried one from the garage yesterday. It is definitely maturing nicely and the sweetness from the lactose is starting to develop. It has plenty of body, reasonable head retention, good carbonation and overall I'm chuffed, this being my first attempt at homebrew.
I can image this will just keep getting better over the coming weeks.
 
my lastbeer was a milk stout as i wanted to do an english one not an irish clone

I used 500 gramms of lactose as my unfermentable and I really dont like what I made, beer is flat little head and just tastes a little dull with little hint of the sweetness i was looking for, I will go back and check my notes but I probably wont be making it again

ah well !!
 

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