Batch #2: Irish Stout

This is an older version of the Northern Brewer Irish Dry Stout all-grain kit. As stouts go, it doesn't get any simpler than this. A great stout for purists, it uses only roasted barley for its blackness. Caramel and chocolate malts need not apply!

Recipe

Grain Bill

Hops

2 oz. East Kent Goldings leaf hops (5%AA) @60 min.

Yeast

Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale smack pack, with a 2.5 qt starter

Mash

Single infusion mash, 60 minutes @ 150F

Vitals

Timeline

Brew day: September 1st, 2002

Racked to secondary September 8, SG 1.018

Bottled Oct 3, yielding two 22-oz cases and five extra 12-oz bottles.

Tasting notes

10/21/2002

Good, one-dimensional dry stout. The roasted barley dominates the flavor, and the hops keep the underlying malt from being perceived as sweet. The flaked barley gives a smooth, creamy mouthfeel, and even a bit of a "cascade" if you pour it roughly enough. The carbonation level is just a touch too low.

This one deserves to be served on draft, perhaps in a lower-gravity incarnation, like 1.040-1.045.

The beer tastes a little too acidic at cellar temperatures. Perhaps this is due to the roasted barley and soft water. Another experiment for next time would be adding chalk to the mash, to lower the acidity. This might make the result a bit smoother.


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