Breakfast stout

[Retired trucker 2014]

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1025206/sweet-milk-chocolate-stout
A friend and I are hosting a breakfast in September and he had a suggestion to serve a sweet stout with sweet buns . This is what I have come up with and would like some feed back before it goes to the kettle.

 

[Nosybear]

I'd lose the DME and the Chateau roasted barley - beers are rarely improved by throwing the kitchen sink at the malt bill and those two aren't adding anything to your other malts. The spices are interesting - it will be fun to hear how that turns out. As to the lactose, you could mash higher, leave more dextrines in the wort and give the impression of sweetness without the non-fermentable sugar - that's my approach to "sweet" beer. The amylases in your saliva break the dextrines down to sugars, hence the sweet taste. As to the water, slaked lime serves to take alkalinity out of the water (forms calcium carbonate precipitate) but then you're adding alkalinity back with the baking soda. I see you're already mashing high: I'm anticipating a milk chocolate flavor... Should be good!

 

[Mark Farrall]

I'd keep the DME and lactose as emergency repair options. Lactose at packaging if you feel you want more mouth feel/sweetness. DME if you don't hit your numbers in the mash. I'd also think about some oats or flaked barley to give a bit more body as it's a sweet stout, though the wheat is probably doing enough there.

And the roasted barley, personally I'd have it, but that's my own hang up. As it looks like you're capping the other two highly roasted malts, the roasted barley seems to be working against that decision. If it's just for colour you'll have got plenty from the chocolate and the black.

 

[Craigerrr]

Man! That is dark as night! Not a bad thing. You are getting some good advice from some experienced folks. I get the lactose thought though, like a milk stout, makes sense. Nosy and Mark, do you think some flaked oats, or flaked wheat should be involved in this malt bill? I am interested in developing a "Breakfast Stout " myself, so very interested to see how this one plays out, and turns out.

 

[Nosybear]

Man! That is dark as night! Not a bad thing. You are getting some good advice from some experienced folks. I get the lactose thought though, like a milk stout, makes sense. Nosy and Mark, do you think some flaked oats, or flaked wheat should be involved in this malt bill? I am interested in developing a "Breakfast Stout " myself, so very interested to see how this one plays out, and turns out.

Oats sounds right, use them to replace the gravity from losing the DME. Will give it a nice mouthfeel.

 

[oipivo]

Agreed about the oats. Also, if you can get your hands on pale chocolate malt it provides a much smoother and more realistic chocolate flavor in my experience. I tried making my breakfast stout without it a couple times and it was significantly worse. Something to consider at least.

 

[GFHomebrew]

That's looking pretty tasty as is right now.
If throw the cocoa powder in at ten with your Lactose.
I agree on the Oats I roasted mine nice and biscuity on My latest stout and I sure love the results. I've got over 13% all up roasted malts in mine so I think your pretty reserved with your pale choc malt.

I'd mix it but in regards to the roast malts I've got 350g Carafa special 2 100g roasted Barley 350g pale choc in mine and all mashed in 60mins and it's the smoothest stout I've done.
Look forward to what you get in the glass
I think as long as you treat your yeast right ok i think it'll be well received.

Not quite a breakfast stout but it's nice and chocolaty https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1021086/bonkers-tout

 

[Craigerrr]

I found that a cocoa powder late boil addition left a chalky feel to the batch that I kegged and shared with freinds and family last Christmas. Having said that I bottled half of the batch and the chalkiness is no longer there. No science to back that up, but that was my experience with cocoa powder. Only time I have ever used it so, take it for what it is worth.

 

[Group W]

I like the recipe and comments above. The water treatment is a bit confusing though. Not sure about the slack lime, but adding lactic acid and baking soda together in the mash is a contradiction. Some recipe calculators come up with that result, but it’s not advised. Not sure what your original water chemistry is, but most likely you only need some baking soda to get to a mash ph of about 5.5 given all the high acid dark malt. Cheers!