dennisking
Regular.
As requested
Young's harvest stout
- Thread starter dennisking
- Start date
Help Support The Homebrew Forum:
louis macneice
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 35
Hello there - on 24/01/14 I did kit plus a biab mini mash.
Mash ingredients:
500g pale 2 row
250g medium crystal
125g roasted barley
125g chocolate
Mashed in 3.1 lts of water at approx 60 degrees for 60 mins; I kept the stock pot in a warmed oven to help retain heat, checking every so often.
Heated another 3.1. lts of water to sparge my grain bag in once I'd let it drain; heated to 65 degrees. I dumped the bag into the pot left it for ten minutes and then lifted it out and drained it. After that I left bag in a colander to collect the final run off (which was black, oily, sweet and delicious).
I combined the liquid from the original mash, the sparge and the final run off and brought to the boil, adding 25g of bramling cross for 20 mins.
In the meantime in a fermenting bin, I mixed 1kg of dry light malt extract with 3 lts of cold water. Once that was thoroughly combined, I added the 1.5kg tin of Young's Harvest Stout extract.
The boiled, hopped wort (approximately 5lts) was then added to the fermenter through a strainer (it smelt great). The whole lot was topped up to 17lts with cold water. I sealed the fermenter and left to cool to pitching temp.
When the temp was down to around 20 degrees I pitched the Young's kit yeast plus Safeale English Ale S-04. I don't have a hydrometer (I know...) so I left to ferment for two weeks. After one week I dry hopped with 25g of bramling cross. After two weeks racked to secondary on some blackberries and sloes left over from festive spirit making.
Prior to going into the secondary it tasted pretty good; lots of bitter roast malt flavour but with some sweetness in the background. There was also already some berry flavours; whether from the kit or the hops I don't know, but they were definitely there.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
Mash ingredients:
500g pale 2 row
250g medium crystal
125g roasted barley
125g chocolate
Mashed in 3.1 lts of water at approx 60 degrees for 60 mins; I kept the stock pot in a warmed oven to help retain heat, checking every so often.
Heated another 3.1. lts of water to sparge my grain bag in once I'd let it drain; heated to 65 degrees. I dumped the bag into the pot left it for ten minutes and then lifted it out and drained it. After that I left bag in a colander to collect the final run off (which was black, oily, sweet and delicious).
I combined the liquid from the original mash, the sparge and the final run off and brought to the boil, adding 25g of bramling cross for 20 mins.
In the meantime in a fermenting bin, I mixed 1kg of dry light malt extract with 3 lts of cold water. Once that was thoroughly combined, I added the 1.5kg tin of Young's Harvest Stout extract.
The boiled, hopped wort (approximately 5lts) was then added to the fermenter through a strainer (it smelt great). The whole lot was topped up to 17lts with cold water. I sealed the fermenter and left to cool to pitching temp.
When the temp was down to around 20 degrees I pitched the Young's kit yeast plus Safeale English Ale S-04. I don't have a hydrometer (I know...) so I left to ferment for two weeks. After one week I dry hopped with 25g of bramling cross. After two weeks racked to secondary on some blackberries and sloes left over from festive spirit making.
Prior to going into the secondary it tasted pretty good; lots of bitter roast malt flavour but with some sweetness in the background. There was also already some berry flavours; whether from the kit or the hops I don't know, but they were definitely there.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
louis macneice
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 35
20/02/14 bottled 29 500 ml bottles.
'Lost' a pint and a bit transferring off the fruit into the bottling bucket; when I say lost I mean it ended up going through a sieve into a pint glass which I then drank.
Batch primed with approx 90 grms brown sugar.
What I tasted was very nice; retained the roasted flavours and the 'oily' mouth feel but had a whole lot more fruit flavours.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
'Lost' a pint and a bit transferring off the fruit into the bottling bucket; when I say lost I mean it ended up going through a sieve into a pint glass which I then drank.
Batch primed with approx 90 grms brown sugar.
What I tasted was very nice; retained the roasted flavours and the 'oily' mouth feel but had a whole lot more fruit flavours.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
louis macneice
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 35
Tasted on Sunday...it is delicious, hugely fruity but with a good underlying bitter roasted flavour. It feels really full in the mouth; I drank it from a large wine glass and sipped/slurped it which seemed to suit the bigness of the brew. It is not, repeat not a session beer
Colour wise it is a proper impenetrable black with a good dark tan head and the aroma is berries and something almost vinous. Overall I'm really impressed and looking forward to seeing how it develops.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
Colour wise it is a proper impenetrable black with a good dark tan head and the aroma is berries and something almost vinous. Overall I'm really impressed and looking forward to seeing how it develops.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
louis macneice
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 35
Three weeks on and the huge hit of berries has diminished; this probably isn't a bad thing since a friend described the freshly bottled stout, as being able to be 'one of your five a day'! There is still quite a lot of black fruit flavours in there but they are better balanced with the roast malt bitterness.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
Aha! Good to read your tasting notes, sounds wonderful. Maybe I will be tempted to do some kit plus mini mash brews to augment my AGs. Can you tell a kit was involved, do you think? Did it take a while for the kit taste to dissipate?
louis macneice
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 35
At first it was all dark fruit flavours, almost 'Ribenaish' (if that is a word?). Apparently the Young's Stout kit has a berry flavour, which is why I choose it, so at that stage hard to tell what's kit and what's not.
Since then it has got more 'stouty'; that is there was a lot more roasted malt bitterness (more very dark chocolate than coffee)...and it was none the worse for it, forcing the fruit flavours back a bit.
However the last couple I've had have been different again. Now it still has the fruit and the stout going on but it has become more vinous; there is a definite wine edge to it. Perhaps this is unsurprising since both the sloes and the blackberries were steeped in British sherry (not sherry at all but you know the sort of thing I mean) to preserve them after their use in the spirits.
So what I've got at the moment is a sipping stout with a hint of the barley wines/imperials about it but without the huge abv...all of which I'm quite liking. The only down side is I won't be able to another one until after next Christmas.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
louis macneice
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2014
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 35
Due to lack of space, equipment, time, money, experience and any other excuse I can think of I only do all grain for 1 gallon batches. My other brewing is pretty much all kits plus mini mashes (Coopers IPA, English Bitter, Australian Pale Ale, Youngâs Stout, Pilsner...). I really like the results which are generally good after 4 weeks in the bottle but do improve quite noticeably when left longer.
The only straight kits I've done and either have or would do again are Festival Razorback, Brewferm Abbey and the Brewferm raspberry. I suspect the bottom line is I like the fiddling about of all grain but can't currently be arsed to go beyond my pots and pans and the cooker.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
I'm doing mostly AG but just done a 3 gallon partial mash and it was quick and easy in comparison. I have a similar attitude to you when it comes to time and equipment.
I will carry on doing AG, I like the results and I like the beers you can drink fresh, very young. But I will do PMs because they are simpler in the kitchen, and the results are excellent. You can make any AG recipe, just replace some base malt with extract, and do a mini mash. Would this not suit you?
I use DME rather than LME, it seems to be less evident in the finished product, and you can weigh out any quantity.
Also could you not do 2 gallon AG brews? 2.5 gallon even?
I will try a kit plus mini mash, what do you recommend? I like most things. British, American and Belgian ales at least.
Cheers. I like the sound of that stout. And the saison.
I will carry on doing AG, I like the results and I like the beers you can drink fresh, very young. But I will do PMs because they are simpler in the kitchen, and the results are excellent. You can make any AG recipe, just replace some base malt with extract, and do a mini mash. Would this not suit you?
I use DME rather than LME, it seems to be less evident in the finished product, and you can weigh out any quantity.
Also could you not do 2 gallon AG brews? 2.5 gallon even?
I will try a kit plus mini mash, what do you recommend? I like most things. British, American and Belgian ales at least.
Cheers. I like the sound of that stout. And the saison.
Smileyr8
Impressive Member
Anyone thought of adding prune juice as an addition to stout?
Crystal_Ball
Senior Member
Has anyone tried this one just straight out the can as per instructions?
If not could any suggest a simple change I could make to this one if it needs improving? Bear in mind in new to this hobby!
If not could any suggest a simple change I could make to this one if it needs improving? Bear in mind in new to this hobby!
Just put this on today. The kit only brews to 30 pints. Very straightforward. Used cheap supermarket water (first time I haven't used untreated tap water).
Will give updates as it goes.
Will give updates as it goes.
2 weeks in the FV, then bottled with normal sugar.
After one week, I cracked a bottle. Vile. I poured it away.
Had a crafty one last night after 3 weeks conditioning, and it was very much better. I am feeling very optimistic that this will be a very good beer in a months time.
After one week, I cracked a bottle. Vile. I poured it away.
Had a crafty one last night after 3 weeks conditioning, and it was very much better. I am feeling very optimistic that this will be a very good beer in a months time.
GlentoranMark
Landlord.
- Joined
- May 14, 2009
- Messages
- 1,037
- Reaction score
- 291
Done this as per instructions on the tin, added 1KG brewing sugar and topped up to 35 pints (recipe says 30 but it's a 4.8% brew, hoping to get it down to just over 4.0%). OG was 1.042.
This is a long brew, around 2 weeks in the bucket.
I'm a beginner also.
I'll review when it's finished.
This is a long brew, around 2 weeks in the bucket.
I'm a beginner also.
I'll review when it's finished.
GlentoranMark
Landlord.
- Joined
- May 14, 2009
- Messages
- 1,037
- Reaction score
- 291
Cracked open my first bottle last night and I'm quite impressed, I'm really improving as a newbie and it's starting to show.
OG. was 1.042 and FG was 1.008 which I calculate as 4.6%. As I mentioned above I added extra water but it still ended stronger than I intended and had quite a kick.
It's rich a dark colour, nice flavours that will only improve with age. I'd like to compare it to the Coopers Stout which everyone is raving about so I'll hold back a bottle or 2 and brew that in the coming weeks.
OG. was 1.042 and FG was 1.008 which I calculate as 4.6%. As I mentioned above I added extra water but it still ended stronger than I intended and had quite a kick.
It's rich a dark colour, nice flavours that will only improve with age. I'd like to compare it to the Coopers Stout which everyone is raving about so I'll hold back a bottle or 2 and brew that in the coming weeks.
