New Stout brew
- Thread starter crilly
- Start date
Help Support The Homebrew Forum:
user 23602
Landlord.
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2019
- Messages
- 745
- Reaction score
- 283
Lactose is usually a good thing. I also tend to brew short on stouts, less water.
The "creaminess" comes essentially from the much smaller bubbles that dispensing Guinness using Nitrogen and not CO2 brings.
I always got great results by doubling up stout kits (e.g. a can of Coopers and a can from Wilko) and adding 1kg of sugar. Can't replicate the head, though, not without a Nitrogen based dispensing system.
I always got great results by doubling up stout kits (e.g. a can of Coopers and a can from Wilko) and adding 1kg of sugar. Can't replicate the head, though, not without a Nitrogen based dispensing system.
From experience, doubling cans is ok but not the E=mc2 of it. Neither is the head btw as old stout was quite heavy and it's the bitterness combined with the malty flavour that should be winning you over, the head is just a bonus and a taper on that rather heavy taste. Unless that is you over sugared your stout to taste like gnats p... I just brewed a Coopers Irish stout.
By comparison to their normal stout, the Irish stout is a pos compared to the original. There's very little body to it at all. But that's just my personal taste, go for it if it floats your boat. But I think you will find of the extract kits that doubling up can often lead to disappointment. Better off with the extra dark DME + brewing sugar to the 750g sugar + 500 E DME - which again is debatable depending on what you want from it. For me, head retention is ok but the taste of it is everything. Some people see with their eyes and think things are delicious, some with their palate. I veer to the latter. Keep it going btw
By comparison to their normal stout, the Irish stout is a pos compared to the original. There's very little body to it at all. But that's just my personal taste, go for it if it floats your boat. But I think you will find of the extract kits that doubling up can often lead to disappointment. Better off with the extra dark DME + brewing sugar to the 750g sugar + 500 E DME - which again is debatable depending on what you want from it. For me, head retention is ok but the taste of it is everything. Some people see with their eyes and think things are delicious, some with their palate. I veer to the latter. Keep it going btw
And FYI, for me, after testing the various dark DME's to extra dark DME's out there. For stouts and porters, it has to be the extra dark all the way for that va va voooom. I am actually tempted to try the dark DME's on dark bitters tbh. The medium works great but I am wondering =) Apparently the creamiest stout kit out there is the St Peter's one. I've not tried that yet as my experience with more expensive kits has often led to disappointment. Good luck.
Last edited:
AMyd666
Regular.
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2018
- Messages
- 373
- Reaction score
- 203
Good feedback for consideration, thanks 
I've checked out adding hops on the forum, but it's so variable. If I order the 100g of East Kent Holdings, then how should I apply it to my stout (see attached pic) and how much?
Always appreciate the wealth of knowledge on this site!
I've checked out adding hops on the forum, but it's so variable. If I order the 100g of East Kent Holdings, then how should I apply it to my stout (see attached pic) and how much?
Always appreciate the wealth of knowledge on this site!
Attachments
user 23602
Landlord.
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2019
- Messages
- 745
- Reaction score
- 283
Personally, I'd just dry hop 7-10 days after initial fermentation but I would have gone for Columbus hops. Have you gone with Extra Dark Malt Spray? And what size batch are you thinking?
user 23602
Landlord.
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2019
- Messages
- 745
- Reaction score
- 283
Personally, I would go for Extra Dark Malt Spray. Might be worth considering just going for 18L instead of 20L to increase the density a bit, will help more with the body. Also I just found that when I used East Kent, it was too earthy and floral, reminded me of soil and lavender lol. But Columbus has just worked nicely in the Stouts I've done, on my 4th one now.
Please also bear in mind that I myself am new to all this, so I'm sure people will disagree. So don't take my word for it.
Please also bear in mind that I myself am new to all this, so I'm sure people will disagree. So don't take my word for it.
aamcle
Landlord.
Look up Ditches guide, basically brew short!!
Aamcle
Aamcle
Gulpitdarn
Regular.
Definitely use some Extra Dark DME but... it is a bit more expensive. Wilkos sell the Cheapest DME but only Light and Medium, why not use either of these with a little added cold steeped Chocolate or Roast malt. Or, you could try adding some Malto-dextrine to give some body and mouthfeel.
Oneflewover
Landlord.
Ditch's guide is hilarious! He is on a mission to create the perfect kit stout with minimum effort and ends up drinking straight from the FV. Very entertaining read!
Arcs, from time to time, me yeah every time 
Gulpitdarn
Regular.
Guilty as charged m'lud.
Most of my Coopers Stouts were dispensed from a PB. When the pressure was topped up I got the creamy head. Those that were bottled were nowhere near as good.
I also brewed short (18/19litres) and used dark DME, although in a stout I am suprprised to read that there is an identifiable difference between amber/medium, dark or extra dark DME since the roastiness these provide is not significant when compared to the dark malts in the basic recipe itself. In a standard pale ale however...
And why are people dry hopping stouts? Am I missing something about the style?
I also brewed short (18/19litres) and used dark DME, although in a stout I am suprprised to read that there is an identifiable difference between amber/medium, dark or extra dark DME since the roastiness these provide is not significant when compared to the dark malts in the basic recipe itself. In a standard pale ale however...
And why are people dry hopping stouts? Am I missing something about the style?
Pirate_Pete
Landlord.
No idea why anyone would put hops in a stout. It's the maltiness that gives the flavour.
I get a head on my bottled stout. But it's not white. It's brownish. As others have said it's the nitrogen used with Guinness that gives it the white head.
coopers stout
coopers dark ale
250 grams Choc Malt steeped and boiled for 10 minutes
Sometimes some dextrose of varying amounts.
I'm not sure I'll be making this one again though. After three years of making it I want to try something else. The Choc malt gives it too much of a coffee flavour for my liking.
However the Coopers Imperial Russian Stout I made doesn't have a head. At least the one bottle I tried after six months didn't.
Similar threads
