Been spending a little time building this recipe...It'll be awhile before I finalize and tackle, so any thoughts, advice and feedback appreciated! http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/r ... milk-stout
Steeping grains only, just following the advice from http://www.brewersfriend.com/faq/#recipes18 It's quite possible I don't understand how to properly use this feature :lol:
Ah OK. Must admit I didn't know that steeping works on a completely different efficiency basis, but I've just gone and read up on it. Steeping grains = much lower enzyme content and therefore much lower conversion efficiency. Makes sense - sometimes I struggle to get my head around the subtle quirks of extract brewing... Recipe looks good. Good enough to eat in fact. Can't advise about the hazelnut extract as I've never used it.
The 25% estimate is just a guideline. If you enter zero efficiency, you can be darn sure you will get at least that as the OG, but probably more. You'll never hit 100%, or even 80% stepping, but 25% is a good place to start! +1 for brewing extract batches with steeping grains, makes a huge difference. Glad the FAQ is getting use!
Seems like a lot of lactose and specialty grains. Are you going for pretty sweet on this one? It does seem like a full ounce of hazel extract will be a lot in this beer but i don't have much experience using extracts in beer in general so I am not too sure.
Pretty much every 5 gallon milk stout recipe I've seen uses about a pound of lactose, so I think it's pretty standard. It won't impart as much sweetness as it will body and mouthfeel, which is the main reason I'm going to use it. And since it's not fermentable, it won't count toward the final ABV. The stout I have bottle conditioning at the moment used just about the same amount of steeping grains, and it's really good. I doubt there's really any amount (within reason) that could be considered "too much." As for the steps from SG to AG, the use of steeping grains is pretty much the first step away from straight extract brewing, so its a far leap still. But like Larry said, it makes an incredible difference, one I recognized right away after my first SG extract batch. I'm still trying to figger out where mini-mash and BIAB fits in and what the similarities are... Maybe Larry can touch on this a bit?
I think what I was trying to say is that steeping grains and BIAB seem very similar, though I don't think I've ever seen anyone come right out and say they're nearly the same... I'm a lil corn-fused on this issue myself. :?
Brew in a bag is all grain. The only difference is the complete grain bill and the complete water volume are in the brew kettle, and a proper mash takes place. The grain is in a pot sized bag, and after the mash, the bag is removes and strained, leaving behind the sweet wort. This process requires less equipment, and though the efficiency may suffer some, Its a great way to go all grain w/ less investment. Steeping grains are used for flavor and color, but no conversion takes place. The frementables are from the extract. Partial Mash is a hybrid of the two as a small mash w/enzyme conversion takes place, yet the bulk of the fermentable still come from the extract.
Yeah, BIAB is an extreme version of steeping, but more properly it is called mashing at that point. Instead of 1-2 pounds, you are doing more like 10! I agree, the point of steeping grains in an extract batch is for flavor and color, not sugar (since the sugar is being handled by the extract). You do get a little bonus sugar from the steeping process if you do it right, but it is lower efficiency than a mash since it is usually a shorter time and less controlled. In BIAB, there is no extract, so the grains play both roles, hence it is a true mash. BIAB is an awesome way to step into all grain brewing, as is partial mash a good way to start getting more of your fermentable sugars from grain. About your beer recipe, I sometimes would steep dark grains for only 5 minutes (at the end of the steeping phase), to shoot for a smoother flavor profile. I am not an expert on dark beers though.
Sluggo, well that all does make sense. I hope your brew turns out great... it does look pretty tasty.
On deck to brew this beer on Saturday, finally. Yeast starter is up and running as of about an hour ago. :mrgreen:
Saturday brew day: My ramshackle, yet Bieber-approved brewstand: Two $20 faux Metro Shelves from Home Depot, combined and modified to hold a dismantled turkey fryer propane burner with some slotted angle steel reinforcement around the top. A little high, but provides great gravity flow for the counterflow chiller.
