Bourbon Stout

AMyd666 · Aug 6, 2019

Evening Folks, hope you are all well.

I'd appreciate advice on the following I've bought, with the plan to make a bourbon stout. Not a strong imperial style either.
1 can Coopers Stout
1kg extra dark dme
500g chocolate malt
100g ekg
100g bourbon barrel chips soaked the last 3 weeks in Jim Beam Black.

Was thinking to steep 250g chocolate malt at 70Celsius for 30 mins, then boil for 15 minutes, adding 25g ekg once the boil starts (for a bit of flavour and aroma). Strain into FV and mix with the Coopers. Two weeks fermentation/ clean up, one week "dry hop" with 50g of bourbon chips, then bottle.

I'll taste progress over that week on the bourbon flavour side to determine when to remove the bag. Do I strain the bourbon from the chips or just add some? Would the liquor kill of any conditioning yeast for bottling?

Is this enough ekg to add a subtle hoppiness? Would it clash with the bourbon, oak, vanilla notes I expect from the chips.

Does the brew need lactose to maybe complement the bourbon flavours, or is it fine without?

A lot of questions I realise, but I know there's a wealth of experience here to keep me right!
Thanks in advance acheers.

terrym · Aug 6, 2019

First your recipe doesn't seem to match the subsequent text quantities. Perhaps I've missed something.
Anyway have you brewed a Coopers Stout before? There are two Irish and Original, and both are subtly different. If you haven't, I suggest you at least brew one as it comes to find out what it tastes like before you try additions/modifications.
Next in the absence of any other comments I wondered why you thought it necessary to use 100g of EKG in your stout? Stouts are mostly about dark malt flavours but do have bitterness as well and this is provided in the can.
And I would have also thought that 500g of Chocolate Malt is overdoing it. When I make up the Irish Stout to 19 litres (with other stuff) I use 190g Choc Malt as a steep and find that it is enough.
Cant say anything about bourbon chips, vanilla, or lactose, except I tried lactose years ago and didn't get on with it. Perhap others can help.
Hope you find this useful.

AMyd666 · Aug 7, 2019

Hi Terrym

Thanks for the feedback. The listed quantities is as bought, but not what I planned to use in full. I'll save the leftover hops, malt and chips for another brew. Hopefully that clears up the subsequent brew plan that I wrote.
I bought Coopers Original Stout. Didn't fancy the drier Irish version (from what I've read, it is drier).
I was worried that the bourbon may erase any bitterness from the can and thought to provide a bit extra to overcome that. Plus flavour etc as described previously.
From what I've read ekg is suitable for stouts for bittering/ flavour/ aroma.
The chocolate malt quantity had me stumped but I do recall a thread in the forum that opted for 250g of said malt in a stout.
190g sounds good though. I just wish to add more body and flavour.
Do you cold steep or boil?

Lactose was just a thought, but I'm wary as I overdid it on last year's imperial stout I did. I digress, but I've got seven bottles left of 11% treacly, oversweet stout. 12 months old now. Will leave for a long time yet asad1

terrym · Aug 7, 2019

Both Coopers stouts provide a good base for modification when you know what you are looking for. I prefer the Irish but there isn't much in it tbh. There are two good threads to see what folks do
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/coopers-original-stout-review.17817/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/coopers-irish-stout-review.17818/
My go-to is kit can, kit yeast, 120g dark muscavado sugar, 500g dark DME, 500g Golden syrup, 190g choc malt, 4 shots of strong espresso coffee (not instant), all to about 19 litres .
And when I use grain without a mash I steep it in hot water at about 70*C for about 30 mins, (although there are occasions where a cold water sparge might be used) filter off the liquid, sparge the spent grain with 70*C water then boil the liquid to sterilise for about 15 mins. You don't boil the grain as it might extract unwanted tannins.

AMyd666 · Aug 25, 2019

Afternoon folks. Started this brew. Great fun trying a partial mash for the first time, but decided to boost the abv a wee bit more than planned. (Also burnt the **** out my nylon bag too grr. Ordered a cotton drawstring bag)
1 can Coopers stout
Ikg extra dry spraymalt
500g pale malt, 500g rolled oats, 250g chocolate malt, 250g crystal malt mashed for 60 mins.
7g ekg boiled for 20 mins.
OG = 1060, so will be interesting to see where this ends.
Pitched can yeast and a muntons gold yeast at 23 Celsius (that's the lowest I can get it in this heat today!)

AMyd666 · Oct 17, 2019

Hi All. Half my batch bottled after four weeks in the FV. I then added 50ml of vanilla extract, 15g of bourbon oak chips and 50ml of bourbon to the remaining ~10litres and let it infuse for another fortnight.
The first batch I tasted on weeks six and eight and was thoroughly disappointed. Mild fizz (OK by me, but I wouldn't have minded a head - suppose the oats killed that), good mouth feel, but twangy/ fruity. I did notice a wee bit of the chocolate malt as an aftertaste but it didn't hit me like I wanted. The difference to the second batch is negligible. Thought that'd be more than enough vanilla and just enough oak judging by the multiple forums I researched, but no. Grr

The twang I strongly suspect is due to temperature fluctuation (18 lowest, 26 highest, average long spell around 20 degrees C). I just couldn't get a cooler area. Must invest in a brew fridge!
Second suspicion for the fruitiness; I used a muntons premium gold yeast in addition to the Cooper's yeast. I've used this before in a Stout and it was fruity too, but maybe it was a temperature issue then too.
I really hope that this improves over time (like my saison mentioned in another thread today).
As always, I'd appreciate any thoughts on this and tops for improvement please .
Cheers!

Bourbon Stout

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