Vanilla Stout

Thanks Craigerr. I should have mentioned i increased everything by 15% except the lactose and cocoa and boiled fo5 30 minutes before starting the the 60 min hop schedule. Got an O.G of 1.079 and an FG of 1.026. I soaked the vanilla in bourbon instead of vodka.

Thanks again.
 
What temperature did you mash at?
 
Yep, a higher mash should give you more body, allowing you to bring down the lactose. You can't really remove it and call it a milk stout though.

I don't see anything obvious, so I think it's just going to be the grind of doing multiple batches, adjusting down the ingredients that give you the sweetness, such as the crystal and lactose. Does the chocolate extract give you sweetness? And while the vanilla isn't adding any sweetness, for most people it triggers memories of vanilla mixed with sweet foods, so that may also be worth decreasing.

Is there too much roast flavour for your definition of sessionable? If there is, then look at things like subbing flaked barley for the roast barley, bringing down the amount of chocolate malt, or use a pale chocolate. And your idea of decreasing or removing the cocoa. The role of the cocoa is probably already covered with the malts you're using.

It'd be great if you only changed one thing at a time, so you can be sure of the effect, but that would be me being completely hypocritical, as the grind of making small change after small change is hard work that I struggle to do.
 
Yep, a higher mash should give you more body, allowing you to bring down the lactose. You can't really remove it and call it a milk stout though.

I don't see anything obvious, so I think it's just going to be the grind of doing multiple batches, adjusting down the ingredients that give you the sweetness, such as the crystal and lactose. Does the chocolate extract give you sweetness? And while the vanilla isn't adding any sweetness, for most people it triggers memories of vanilla mixed with sweet foods, so that may also be worth decreasing.

Is there too much roast flavour for your definition of sessionable? If there is, then look at things like subbing flaked barley for the roast barley, bringing down the amount of chocolate malt, or use a pale chocolate. And your idea of decreasing or removing the cocoa. The role of the cocoa is probably already covered with the malts you're using.

It'd be great if you only changed one thing at a time, so you can be sure of the effect, but that would be me being completely hypocritical, as the grind of making small change after small change is hard work that I struggle to do.

Thanks for all the ideas and comments. I think you are right in trying one thing at a time. It could be the extract. I may try adding none to my next batch. I can drink a 6% beer all night but it can’t be sweet. Perhaps I find an entirely different stout recipe. Lol
 
Yeah, a dry milk stout isn't completely a contradiction, but it's not that common.

There's always the dry Irish stout to have a look at. Maybe just as a comparison to see what you could change from your recipe. Or it may be something you brew to see if that's more your thing.
 
So, if it were me I'd probably start by cutting the lactose and maybe even the c60 to 12 oz. I'd also cut the vanilla to either 2 or 3 beans. (probably 2) - while vanilla is not sweet, like Mark said it fools folks senses into tasting sweetness.

If it were still too sweet then I'd cut the lactose back again on the 3rd batch.
 

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