Thin Stout Recipe For Comment

wvoutdoorsman1976

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What do you think of this 5 gallon Batch:

OG = 1.086, FG = 1.017

2 lbs. De-Bittered Black Malt
2 lbs. Roasted Barley
1 lb. Lactose (Milk Sugar)
.5 lb. Maltodeterin
6 lbs. Cane Sugar
2 oz. Chinook Hops
2 oz. Nugget Hops
1 packet Safbrew BE-256
 
What do you think of this 5 gallon Batch:

OG = 1.086, FG = 1.017

2 lbs. De-Bittered Black Malt
2 lbs. Roasted Barley
1 lb. Lactose (Milk Sugar)
.5 lb. Maltodeterin
6 lbs. Cane Sugar
2 oz. Chinook Hops
2 oz. Nugget Hops
1 packet Safbrew BE-256
Six pounds of cane sugar? I don't know what this recipe is supposed to be but it isn't beer. Replace the cane sugar with DME.
 
I am shooting for something different, trying for a thin stout like beer. Is cane sugar not suitable to ferment? Why is this not considered beer?
 
Cane sugar will ferment. I don't think you'll like the results. It has no nutrients for the yeast, no flavor, no body. It will make alcohol. It has no buffers to control alkalinity. Try it if you want, but don't expect miracles
 
Let us know how it comes out - my hypothesis is a very hot (alcoholic) mead-like drink without the honey flavor. Even the worst Prohibition ales had a can of malt syrup to provide some flavor (and I've tasted that beer - even well-made it's not a good brew).
 
I will let you know. Alcohol content should be about 9.11%. Trying to provide a bit of cover for the hotness with the lactose and the 4lbs. of grain......it's an experiment.
 
So, after discussions/comments from the group and much deliberation I changed the original recipe posted to the below:

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Well, it'll be interesting. I personally don't see anything there that would make a beer I'd want to drink, but it might suit you just fine. ;)
And, yeah, why the rice hulls? They don't serve any purpose at all in a recipe like this.
 
Lots of stuff going on in there.... Why dextrose? Replace it with simple corn sugar, you'll never know the difference and you'll save a few shekels.
 
It’s way too much black/roasted malt- it’ll taste like an ashtray with burnt acrid flavors.

It’s really very odd to use maltodextrine (which gives a thick body and fullness) and then so much simple sugar to thin and dry out the beer.

For a good dark beer, cut the roasted malts to no more than a total of 1.5 pounds (or about 12%- I didn’t do the math) or a bit lower. Get rid of the maltodextrine if you want a thin bodied beer, and reduce the corn or cane sugar to no more than one pound.

Lactose is sugar, but not fermentable so it will provide sweetness and body. I don’t like it in a dry stout, but maybe you would like some sweetness to counteract the strong burnt roasted malts.
 
I caught that as well: Lactose also adds body. As Yooper says, on the one hand you're adding body through maltodextrine and lactose, on the other hand you're thinning it out with simple sugars, including the more expensive dextrose.... My impression is this is a "kitchen sink" recipe, throw everything at it and see what comes out. Again, Yooper hit it on the head - all that black malt is going to make the beer taste at best like a charcoal briquette. So let's get to the fundamental question: What are you trying to make?
 
My impression is this is a "kitchen sink" recipe, throw everything at it and see what comes out.
Yeah, it seems to be all over the place. Hard to tell what you're trying to accomplish. There are a lot of things that are very odd and then there's the Belgian yeast choice for a "stout". To me it looks pretty undrinkable, but maybe not.
My advice would be to pick a lane and simplify everything. If you really want a high-octane, thin-bodied, slightly sweet, dark, roasty beer, look at something like a a Schwartzbier with lots of corn and boost the grist to get the extra ABV you seem to be aiming at...and, sure...throw some super-piney American hops at it if you want. Or think about a Black IPA with a ton of kettle adjunct...that's what it most resembles except for the yeast choice.
At least you have a point of reference rather than just making up a WAG recipe that may be a drain-pour.
 
As opposed to a SWAG, a scientific WAG.
 
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Wow. Several responses. All comments are appreciated.

First, the rice hulls were added to separate the grain in the sock for maximum/uniform water penetration. Lactose addition was an attempt to take the sharpness off the de-bittered black malt. Maltodextrine, well because I had it and it bumped the FG into the range i wanted. I used the corn/cane sugar to adjust alcohol content.

This recipe is/was admittedly an "original".

As far as what I am trying to make - A beer with all of myself and my wife's favorite ingredients. We both like super dark grain flavor (maybe charcoal or ashtray? like), and she likes bitter and overly hoppy flavor. Regardless of the choices it is bubbling away now....we shall see.

I have made other recipes close to this and they have matured and changed flavor up to 1 year in the bottle. The last batch was most delicious after 15 months in the bottle. Obviously i'm not a traditionalist, the last beer I made consisted of the below and was very good....in my opinion.

Ingredients:

G Dingemans Debittered Black Malt - Maillard Malts® 1 lb.
G Crisp Roasted Barley - Maillard Malts® 1 lb.
G Simpsons Chocolate Malt - Maillard Malts® 1 lb.
G Maillard Malts® Flaked Oats 1 lb.
G Maillard Malts® Flaked Barley 1 lb.
G Rice Hulls - Maillard Malts® 1 lb.
E Dark Malt Extract Syrup - Maillard Malts® 6 lbs.
E Munton & Fison (UK) Dark DME 3 lbs.
M Maltodextrine 0.5 lb.
H US Centennial Pellet Hops 1 oz.
H UK Northdown Pellet Hops 1 oz.
I Irish Moss 1 tsp.
Y Safbrew BE-256 1 pkt.
 
^^^That recipe sounds pretty good as long as you like extra roast/burnt flavors. Essentially a big, bold Stout. The other recipe seems much less balanced. But you seem to be after something that's off the path and if you like it, more power to you. :)
 

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