Last night I brewed the Irie Stout for the third time. The first time I brewed this beer I was really pleased with the turn out, but it still was lacking in some roastiness.The second time I brewed it, I changed the recipe a little to be compliant with the National Organic Homebrew Competition, making it 100% organic. I was happy with the turn out, but it still was a bit too sweet and lacked some body. The reviews came back from the contest decent, but it needed some tweaks.This time around I wanted to use more roasted malts and some more spices and additions to give it a bit more complexity. Both Ted @ tedbrews and the judges mentioned the lack of body, so in addition to adding some carapils, I also added some wheat malt to the boil. I also bought the Wyeast Imperial Stout yeast, which is only available for a short time, which is unfortunate if it gives the Irie the push it needs.
I also used a product for the first time in this beer, but thought it would give it some nice flavors and complexity, as well as boost the gravity. I used Lyle's Black Treacle. This is a refined sugar similar to molasses that imparts a strong molasses flavor as well as some licorice flavors. I used .5 lbs, about half the can. The flavor is really tasty, and it seems like it will fit the beer perfectly. I also used 2 grams of paradise seeds because I think there was some spiciness missing the last time around. This beer was really good the first two times, and the reviews from friends were overwhelmingly positive, so I don't want to tweak it too much, but the anal brewer in me knows it could be more and hopefully these changes will work. The OG last night was 1.092, which is a nice start, the combo of the roasted malts and the treacle made it very black. Another change is that I'm going to add rinds from a Clementine in the secondary, as opposed to the orange marmalade I used in the boil last time around. I really want the orange to come through, and didn't feel like it did as much as I wanted with the marmalade. Stay tuned.
This week I want to review some Double IPAs, Hopslam among them, and also a trio of stouts from Dark Horse Brewing Company I was able to pick up.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer
5 comments:
I've never tried it before, but an idea for getting a little spice in this would be to try blending yeasts. Maybe use that Wyeast that you used, along with some, but not a lot, of a Belgian yeast or a Trappist. Those are good attenuators, tolerant of high alcohol, and naturally add some spice even when none is used in the recipe.
Maybe something to try in a small batch in case it turns out poorly.
Good thoughts Kevin, I've toyed with the idea of using a Belgian yeast strain, but didn't want it to get too fruity. We'll see how the Imp. Yeast turns out, but given that its a limited release, I might need to find another high gravity yeast.
Good Evening guys. We have been toying with coming up with our own recipe. What advise do you have as far as to coming up with a recipe.
Can't wait to hear how this turns out. It reminds me of a beer I got in a trade once... Stone Coast Jamaican Style Stout. That was one tasty beer. I'd love to have another one although I hear it is retired and won't be brewed anymore. Bummer, hope yours is good! DA
Looking forward to hearing how this one turns out - sounds interesting and good.
And I'm curious to see your reaction to the Dark Horse stouts...I don't normally have access to them, but I tried their cream stout ("Too") and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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