First Time Extract Brew - Abusing Edme Extra Stout Kit.

[Tony Rome]

Hi I've been reading this forum a lot over the past few months and I feel have learned a lot from it, it's certainly giving me food for thought anyways. I only recently started brewing from kit around December and although what I produced was ok it wasn't kick arse.After a fair bit of "interneting" and reading How to Brew by John Palmer http://www.howtobrew.com/, I have decide that I would be fairly comfortable giving an extract brew using speciality grains and hops ago. I love stout a hell of a lot especially the stronger ones. Can anyone give me any advice on the recipe I have cobbled together. I was considering a bit of flexibility on the water,a little reduction for extra kick perhaps. I've even considered adding strong coffee or chocolate but I'm not 100 % comfortable withat just yet I think.I can Keg or bottle condition just not sure yet.
Heres the recipe anyways, any advice would be very welcome.

Autopsy Stout Recipe
4 lbs /1.84 kg Edme Extra Stout
1Kg Beer Kit Enhancer (500g Dextrose/500g Dried Malt Extract)
500g Dark DME
125g Black Malt (UK) Steeped 30 mins
250g Crystal Malt (UK) Steeped 30 mins
250g Chocolate Malt (UK) Steeped 30 mins
30g Fuggles for last 15 mins
2 x Safale T-58
20 litre of mineral water c/o Morrisons
8 – 10 litres of water for boil which will be done on the hob.
Remaining water added to fermenter.

PS Do I have to boil and cool extra water for fermenter even if its mineral water.

Thanks

[Invalid Stout]

I think you are adding far too much black and chocolate malt. It's well over the point at which they'll make your beer worse rather than better. It'll end up nasty, like burnt toast.

[Tony Rome]

I think you are adding far too much black and chocolate malt. It's well over the point at which they'll make your beer worse rather than better. It'll end up nasty, like burnt toast.

Righty-o then,so do you think if I was to scale the chocolate down to 125g and the black down to 100 - 75g then that would be looking better?Is the crystal malt amount ok or do you think I should drop that to about 200 - 150g to get the flavour combo's together a bit more?

I take it from your ID that your a stouty kind of fellow so I appreciate the advice.

Cheers.

[Invalid Stout]

Ironically I've never made a stout yet.

But have a look at some of the recipes on this site and check the ratio of roasted malt to total fermentables. You need surprisingly little of them because they are so intense. You've got something like 20% in your original recipe, not to mention that the kit and the dark DME will already contain a proportion of them.

Of course, if I'm wrong I welcome anyone who, unlike me, actually knows something about brewing stouts to correct me.