Stout without roasted barley?

[nigelnorris]

I wanted to make a stout so I ordered what I thought I needed. Every recipe I've seen seems to include roasted barley, but the delivery is cocked up and I have a surfeit of chocolate malt and dark crystal, but no roasted barley.

Could I just use extra of one of the other ingredients, or is the roasted malt an essential?

[Well, I know I could, but I don't want to experiment really, it will be the first stout I've tried and I'd like it to be as close to traditional as can be reasonably expected].

 

[peebee]

Guinness stated using roast barley because the (hated) British rulers started taxing malt (including roast malt). Roast barley was considered inferior back then, but now?

So no problem going with the chocolate malt. But it will taste different. You might conclude roast malt is definitely superior to roast barley.

 

[MyQul]

You could use black malt if you had it. According to my stout and porter book, it's only traditional in dry stouts as it used to be cheaper than black malt and as Peebee states, taxes wouls have been involed.

Top dog stout receipe in BYOBRA has no black or roasted barley in it. Tbh, when I made it, it tasted more like a porter to me and wasnt roasty enough. So you could make a brown porter instead

 

[nigelnorris]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I'm reading that without roasted barley it's going to taste other than the plain basic stout that I'm aiming for, so I'll nip down the lhbs in the morning.

 

[peebee]

Seems I'm guilty of perpetuating one of those urban myths.

Guinness started using roast barley in place of roast malt (and diluted the pale malt with unmalted barley) much later. Probably to make more profits. I found this: Bristol fashion Guinness and the roast barley question.

Always good to have a sanity check now and then (although I have them all the time and the result is always the same :nono:).

 

[nigelnorris]

Final version. The only roasted barley they had in the shop was a pack past its sell by. Then I got home and noticed it was whole grain so I've had to run it through my coffeee grinder. Bit too fine but better than nothing.

Wait for the Blackout (Dry Stout)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.057 (°P): 14.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 5.75 %
Colour (SRM): 46.0 (EBC): 90.6
Bitterness (IBU): 52.9 (Tinseth)

60.24% United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale
24.1% United Kingdom - Amber
7.23% United Kingdom - Roasted Barley
6.02% United Kingdom - Crystal 90L
2.41% United Kingdom - Chocolate

5 g/L East Kent Goldings (4.6% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 22°C with Nottingham Ale Yeast


Recipe Generated with Brewer's Friend

 

[BeerCat]

Isn't that a lot of Amber Nigel? Not used any yet but thought i had read max 10%? I also used flaked barley in mine, around 20%.

 

[MyQul]

Isn't that a lot of Amber Nigel? Not used any yet but thought i had read max 10%? I also used flaked barley in mine, around 20%.

flaked barely isnt necessary. I'm making a bit's and bobs stouts soon so had a good look at what it brings to the party, as I dont have any and didn't necessarilly want to buy any. It adds head retention and it's own particular grainy flavour

 

[nigelnorris]

Isn't that a lot of Amber Nigel? Not used any yet but thought i had read max 10%? I also used flaked barley in mine, around 20%.

I did consider that but I didn't have enough pale malt and amber is what was in the cupboard. I googled around it and amber seems to be a failry common ingredient in stout, and I didn't see anyone saying limit its use particularly. Soon find out!

 

[strange-steve]

It is quite a high percentage of amber but it might be nice. It adds a pleasant toasty, buiscity flavour which could work well in a stout.

 

[brumbrew]

Seems I'm guilty of perpetuating one of those urban myths.

Guinness started using roast barley in place of roast malt (and diluted the pale malt with unmalted barley) much later. Probably to make more profits. I found this: Bristol fashion Guinness and the roast barley question.

Always good to have a sanity check now and then (although I have them all the time and the result is always the same :nono:).

Very good article. I've used roast barley and I think it's more the colour than anything.

 

[BeerCat]

I did consider that but I didn't have enough pale malt and amber is what was in the cupboard. I googled around it and amber seems to be a failry common ingredient in stout, and I didn't see anyone saying limit its use particularly. Soon find out!

Excellent let us know how it goes. I have a few kilos of it for some reason. Been brewing loads of stout recently. Good luck.