Wilko's Dark Velvet Stout

[Slid]

:lol:

Well I started this on Friday evening and used

1 x velvet stout tin
1 x Geordie Winter Warmer tin
500g Dark DME
1k of Light Spraymalt
50g organic cacao powder
200g of Crushed Chocolate Malt cold steeped

Used velvet stout yeast and also a packet of safale s-04

Starting SG was 1068

Cant wait to see how this turns out :thumb:

This sounds excellent to me. Should be great for the festive season, if it lasts that long :lol:.

 

[bquiggerz]

The oils in coco powder may cause head retention issues, but it does sound tasty

 

[Ben-Harrison]

The oils in coco powder may cause head retention issues, but it does sound tasty

Thanks for the heads up on this, noob question - would the 500g DME and 1k Light brew enhance help overcome this or is it just that the oils from coco powder will over rule them?

Thanks

By the way the first 2 days this thing went mental with regards to foamy krausen splurging through the airlock, i had to sellotape a large sandwich bag around the top of the airlock and put a pinprick in it which stopped the krausen over flowing as i didn't haven any spare hose to make a blow off valve but it did look kind a funny having a fully inflated sandwich bag stuck on top of the fermenter!

:)

 

[Ben-Harrison]

So checked the SG reading and after 11 days it was down to 1018 from original SG of 1068.

Currently sat at 6.3% if it has stopped there, after tasting the trial jar all I can say is wowweee woooowarrrr! It reminds me a lot of Thornbridge Brewery chocolate Porter.

 

[DamageCase]

I want to make a powerful "Extra stout" would it be too bitter if I simply doubled up the kit, maybe adding 500 grams of medium DME to give a bit of extra sweet malt to keep some of the bitterness at bay?

 

[Slid]

I want to make a powerful "Extra stout" would it be too bitter if I simply doubled up the kit, maybe adding 500 grams of medium DME to give a bit of extra sweet malt to keep some of the bitterness at bay?

I have done a Coopers Stout with a Wilko Stout at 27L using 1kg of table sugar with really good results. So I doubt doubling up the Wilko kits at 23-25L will be a problem. 500g of extra fermentables sounds a fair shout too.

:

 

[upthepool]

Just seen that this is on offer at wilko at �£8 so have ordered one. Also ordered the Wilko Gervin ale Yeast which I was thinking of using instead of the kit yeast.

This will be my 5th brew only, so am still very much at the learning stage.

I am thinking of using;

1kg Youngs Beer Enhancer
0.5kg Brewing Sugar
1/2 tin black treacle
150g steeped Roasted Barley
150g steeped Dark crystal or Chocolate Malt (can't decide which).

Have any of you more experienced people have any thoughts on the ingerdients, especially are the flavours likely to clash?

Looking at the Brewers Friend calculator the SG of this should be somewhere around 1046, so depending how it ferments out should get an abv of somewhere between 4.5 and 5%.

Thanks

 

[Bevvied]

Hiya ..'pool'.. I'm inexperienced with partial mashes and whatnot so can't help you with what you plan, but this what I am doing on the weekend when I get a FV free.

x2 Wilko Stout Cans
500G Dark Spray Malt
x2 Holland & Barrett Malt Extract (an experiment really)
250G Chocolate Malt (60mins mash)
Like you, yeast will most likely be Wilko special, possibly even 1 and a half sachets, possibly a teaspoon of yeast nutrient too.
When it comes to bottling, and I rack to bottling vessel, I am gonna lob in a bottle of port too.
Thinking of a 24L brew (+ port)

I'm after a reet meaty, fall over stout for Chrimbo, just need to research a bit more regarding fermentables etc.

Best of luck with yours mate.

 

[MyQul]

Just seen that this is on offer at wilko at ����£8 so have ordered one. Also ordered the Wilko Gervin ale Yeast which I was thinking of using instead of the kit yeast.

This will be my 5th brew only, so am still very much at the learning stage.

I am thinking of using;

1kg Youngs Beer Enhancer
0.5kg Brewing Sugar
1/2 tin black treacle
150g steeped Roasted Barley
150g steeped Dark crystal or Chocolate Malt (can't decide which).

Have any of you more experienced people have any thoughts on the ingerdients, especially are the flavours likely to clash?

Looking at the Brewers Friend calculator the SG of this should be somewhere around 1046, so depending how it ferments out should get an abv of somewhere between 4.5 and 5%.

Thanks

I'd go for the Choccy rather than the crystal as the crystal would push the brew in the direction of a Porter rather than a stout - unless of course you want it more porter-ey (is that even a word? ) - and it would end up more like a robust porter

 

[upthepool]

Hiya ..'pool'.. I'm inexperienced with partial mashes and whatnot so can't help you with what you plan, but this what I am doing on the weekend when I get a FV free.

x2 Wilko Stout Cans
500G Dark Spray Malt
x2 Holland & Barrett Malt Extract (an experiment really)
250G Chocolate Malt (60mins mash)
Like you, yeast will most likely be Wilko special, possibly even 1 and a half sachets, possibly a teaspoon of yeast nutrient too.
When it comes to bottling, and I rack to bottling vessel, I am gonna lob in a bottle of port too.
Thinking of a 24L brew (+ port)

I'm after a reet meaty, fall over stout for Chrimbo, just need to research a bit more regarding fermentables etc.

Best of luck with yours mate.

Blimey - 2 x 1.5kg cans, 0.5kg DME and 2 x malt extract + a bottle of port.
That'll be knock yer head off strong.
Good luck and would appreciate it if you let us know how it goes.

If I get around 4.5% on mine I will be happy. Mine will be started when I bottle the mild I have in the fv at the moment

 

[upthepool]

I'd go for the Choccy rather than the crystal as the crystal would push the brew in the direction of a Porter rather than a stout - unless of course you want it more porter-ey (is that even a word? ) - and it would end up more like a robust porter

Brilliant, just the sort of information I was looking for. Thanks a lot. I have read that for stouts you should be looking at roasted barley & chocolate, so might well go for that.

Cheers again.

 

[Bevvied]

Now we are talking, Mild! The reviews are good for Youngs Mild, so I'm gonna get one of them on the go in a month or so.
My Stout plan is for a surprise brew. I've probably left it too late to condition in time for Chrimbo, but what the hell, I'll give it a go.
I got the idea with the port awhile ago, a fella told me he brewed his own stout and added port. Not long ago I popped a port into a Guinness in a boozer. I loved it! Proper rich. A couple would be enough, but that's the idea.

 

[Bevvied]

Well, I did go with the below on Saturday, beware if anyone thinks of something similar! By Sunday morning, fermentation best described as volcanic. It's now Tuesday morning and has slowed down enough so that I'm no longer worried I'd concocted an explosive device in the cellar, but it's still going like the clappers.
The FV is sat in a water bath at 20C, used both kit yeasts.
OG 1064

x2 Wilko Stout Cans
500G Dark Spray Malt
Approx 250G Brewing Sugar (bag was open so lobbed it in)
x2 Holland & Barrett Malt Extract (an experiment really)
250G Chocolate Malt (60mins mash)

 

[upthepool]

Well, I did go with the below on Saturday, beware if anyone thinks of something similar! By Sunday morning, fermentation best described as volcanic. It's now Tuesday morning and has slowed down enough so that I'm no longer worried I'd concocted an explosive device in the cellar, but it's still going like the clappers.
The FV is sat in a water bath at 20C, used both kit yeasts.
OG 1064

x2 Wilko Stout Cans
500G Dark Spray Malt
Approx 250G Brewing Sugar (bag was open so lobbed it in)
x2 Holland & Barrett Malt Extract (an experiment really)
250G Chocolate Malt (60mins mash)[/QUOTE

My mild is still in the fv so haven't started this one yet.

Interesting though as I've also decided to use 2x Holland and Barrett malt extract, but only one tin of wilko stout, 750g brewing sugar, half tin of black treacle and 150g chocolate malt and 150g roasted barley steeped for half an hour.

Hoping to get this going in the next few days.

Going by the abv calculator these ingredients should give me a SG of about 1046.

Keep us informed how it goes.

 

[Ravabelli]

Well, I did go with the below on Saturday, beware if anyone thinks of something similar! By Sunday morning, fermentation best described as volcanic. It's now Tuesday morning and has slowed down enough so that I'm no longer worried I'd concocted an explosive device in the cellar, but it's still going like the clappers.
The FV is sat in a water bath at 20C, used both kit yeasts.
OG 1064

x2 Wilko Stout Cans
500G Dark Spray Malt
Approx 250G Brewing Sugar (bag was open so lobbed it in)
x2 Holland & Barrett Malt Extract (an experiment really)
250G Chocolate Malt (60mins mash)

That sounds well promising, I'll invite myself around :) Good luck.:thumb:

 

[upthepool]

Finally got round to putting this on last night.

Used:
The kit + the kit yeast + a yeast sachet that I didn't use for when I did the mild kit I did previously.
2 x H&B 454g Malt Extract
750g Brewing sugar
200g Black Treacle
200g Roasted Barley & 200g Chocolate Malt steeped at 68C-70C for 25 minutes.
Tap water

Pitched the yeast at 24C and put the fv into my cobbled together water bath (an old black bin with an aquarium heater set at 19C). Aim to up the temperature in the water bath by a couple of degrees after a few days.

SG = 1047 so should get around the 5% mark.

Initial taste was sweet with a lot of different flavours. hopefully the flavours will all blend together as the brew proceeds.

Checked up this morning and the brew is "well going". fv lid bulging already so CO2 being produced.

Intend to leave for 2 weeks before taking first gravity reading and then keep checking until I'm sure fermentation is finished.

 

[Bevvied]

Just bottled mine.
It's been at 1012ish for 4 days.
Taste at bottling is nice, oh so slightly bitter, which I like, choc coming through, port coming through. Very Stoutish.
High hopes for this, hopefully it's good for Christmas time. I wanted this to be a one or two bottles type of brew rather than when on the sesh, fingers crossed it'll hit the mark.
Oh yeah, priming was 60G of brewing sugar along with bottle of port in bottling bucket.
Good luck with yours 'pool, unless mine go's downhill, I think I'm onto a winner.

 

[Slid]

Just bottled mine.
It's been at 1012ish for 4 days.
Taste at bottling is nice, oh so slightly bitter, which I like, choc coming through, port coming through. Very Stoutish.
High hopes for this, hopefully it's good for Christmas time. I wanted this to be a one or two bottles type of brew rather than when on the sesh, fingers crossed it'll hit the mark.
Oh yeah, priming was 60G of brewing sugar along with bottle of port in bottling bucket.
Good luck with yours 'pool, unless mine go's downhill, I think I'm onto a winner.

Very interesting stuff, here, Bevvied.

I thought for a while that I was the only one on here who noticed that 2x cheapo Wilko kits would make a great start to a beer.

The Chocolate malt in the Stout will make a difference, to be sure.
For me, Roast Barley is the way to go on darker beers.

Are the Holland and Barrett malt thingys cheap? Can't see the attraction otherwise, myself.

If you want to get good beer, from cheap fermentables and have some patience, then clibit it your man.

 

[Bevvied]

Hi Slid.
The Holland and Barrett things are cheapish I suppose, about £2.60p a lb jar, something like that. From what I gather, H&B often have a sale on, so two jars for £4ish. I popped into Wilkos this morning to grab some more kits whilst cheap (x2 stout and x2 pilsner again) and got chatting homebrew with a fella in there. He swears by the H&B jars. He told me for every single can kit he makes, he uses 500G BKE and two jars. Probably a cheap way of doing it if he buys his BKE in bulk when on sale, likewise his jars.
I've already dipped my toes into AG with a simple SMaSH, clibit inspired, will defo be doing more as well as knocking up a batch to add to kits.

 

[Bevvied]

Hi Slid.
The Holland and Barrett things are cheapish I suppose, about £2.60p a lb jar, something like that. From what I gather, H&B often have a sale on, so two jars for £4ish. I popped into Wilkos this morning to grab some more kits whilst cheap (x2 stout and x2 pilsner again) and got chatting homebrew with a fella in there. He swears by the H&B jars. He told me for every single can kit he makes, he uses 500G BKE and two jars. Probably a cheap way of doing it if he buys his BKE in bulk when on sale, likewise his jars.
I've already dipped my toes into AG with a simple SMaSH, clibit inspired, will defo be doing more as well as knocking up a batch to add to kits.