Stout of the garden...

[fivetide]

As soon as I can lay my hands on some more malt, I'm going to make a stout using tried and tested grain balance and hops from my garden crop. It would come in especially handy at Christmas when it is a tradition for my family to drink stout with port...

Here's the basic recipe, let me know what you think (especially the lack of late hops):

A Stock Stout?
Pale Malt 3.5Kg
Flaked Barley 1Kg
Roasted Barley 500g

WGV 70g, 60 minute boil (approx 40 IBU @ 5%AA)
No aroma hops

Irish Ale White Labs WLP004

1.046 - 1.013 > 4.4%ABV

[Scooby]

I'm not a Stout drinker and have never brewed one, (I'm doing a Porter shortly) although
there should be some bitterness on the tongue I would have thought this style is about
the rich roast flavours of nut and chocolate etc, so late hopping is not needed.
That's Just my inexperienced view though

[mrbenbod]

Stout with Port, I like the sound of that.
What are the ratios (roughly)?
Is there a fancy name for this concoction?

[fivetide]

Yeah! It's call Port and Stout!

You pour a double port (no more) into a pint glass then fill to frothing with dry irish stout.

Ruby and tawny port both work as long as they're decent quality and it's lovely drink as long as you don't overdo the port.

Best on Christmas Eve - the second pint is fabulous.

[mrbenbod]

I'll certainly be introducing that to my rabble at Christmas.
Bet it's a cracking drink to warm the cockles on a cold winters night.
Thanks.

[Garth]

I agree with Scoob, don't bother with the late hops, I would have suggested Nottingham to get it nice and dry if you weren't using WLP-004. It's a good grain bill.

Nice avatar mrbenbod, I have Mr Benn as my ringtone at the moment, people just stare when it goes off.......

[fivetide]

Nottingham eh?

I specially ordered White Labs Irish Ale WLP004 - is that not a good thing?

[Garth]

yeah it's great, the WLP-004 is an excellent stout and porter yeast, definately go with that, I hadn't read your post properly, and if you hadn't said which you were using, the Nottingham would have been the dried choice.

I used the WLP-004 in a porter and several stouts, made a world of difference to any dried, good choice, go for it

[fivetide]

Phew

[Garth]

tell me about it, they ain't cheap

[fivetide]

I'm also hoping it will arrive in time for Saturday morning... ...and that I can get hold of some malt for the same time slot!

It's a stressful business, all this not brewing.

The latest tinkering with the recipe has produced this, by the way:

Pale Malt 3.75Kg
Flaked Barley 800g
Roasted Barley 500g
Wheat Malt 200g

WGV 60g, 60 minute boil (approx 34 IBU @ 5%AA)
No aroma hops

Irish Ale White Labs WLP004

1.049 - 1.014 > 4.6%ABV

[Garth]

the wheat malt is a good addition, my Four Shades Stout has had excellent feedback but the head disappears rather quickly so might need something wheaty in the next one.