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Here is the recipe for the best stout I have ever made and being a stout man I've made a few...

Ingredients:
3kg ESB stout kit
200g crystal grain
300g wheat malt
250g lactose
20g Goldings

Method:
Mash grain in about 1.5L of water for 60min at approx 65*
Strain liquid into a pot and sparge with another 2L of water at approx 70*
(this is a basic mash and I wouldn't be too concerned about extraction efficiency etc. It would be fine with a 20min steep - all I was after was a bit of the fresh grain flavour and better head retention from the wheat malt)
Boil the liquid for 15min with the 20g of goldings. Dump kit into the pot at the end of the boil to disolve the kit and then add to the fermenter along with the lactose and fill to 20L.
Carbonate only lightly.
The ESB stout kit is an exceptional kit on its own, but these changes made it even smoother.
The minimash could be changed with the addition of some chocolate or black patent malt if you prefer more of that roasted/burnt coffee flavour.
Cheers
BK

Sounds good.

Personally I like a bit of Choc grain in my stouts. Also watch the black patent malt - a little bit goes a looonnng way.

Cheers,
Greg

Yep a bit of choc grain would probably be quite nice, but I've overdone it in the past and haven't quite recovered.
I just realised I made a bit of a mistake in the recipe. Fill to 18L not 20L as I said. We can't have weak-arse stout...

BK

This could be a stupid question, but is it a milk stout because it has lactose in it

Yep. Lactose makes it a milk stout.

hey guys,

I've had a look round for the answer to this, but can't find it. I'll be making a stout next brew, and the plan is to leave / forget about it till winter (yeah right!) before drinking.

I want to make a yeast starter and I was going to use a Coopers Stout, but noticed there doesn't seem to be a lot of sediment. Do you guys use coopers stout for the yeast, or is it better to use the pale or sparkling?

Any thoughts would be great.

cheers
Ian

I recall reading (I think on the Coopers Forum) that the yeast was the same for Pale, Sparkling, Vintage & Stout Ales. The also suggested using Pale for cultures as the lower Alc will give you more viable yeasties.

Cheers,
Greg

many thanks greg,

I might have a hunt round the coopers site too.

cheers
Ian

gregb wrote:I recall reading (I think on the Coopers Forum) that the yeast was the same for Pale, Sparkling, Vintage & Stout Ales. The also suggested using Pale for cultures as the lower Alc will give you more viable yeasties.

Cheers,
Greg

i'm considering trying some lactose in my next stout. I'm curious what the flavour is, does it just make it sweeter :p or does it actually impart a milky/creamy flavour/texture??

rubber.piggy, to tell the truth I can't notice any particular flavour from the lactose apart from a little more residual sweetness. It does give the beer a bit more body and hence a creamier mouthfeel, especially if you don't carbonate the beer as much as a normal beer. In case you haven't guessed, I really like the stuff in stouts.

I had a english milk stout and it didn't seem to have any more body or creamier tast it was just quite sweet.Prefer the bitterness of guinness myself

thanks guys, that's exactly why I asked. I could go for some creamyness in my stouts, but sweetness is to be avoided.

gregb wrote:I recall reading (I think on the Coopers Forum) that the yeast was the same for Pale, Sparkling, Vintage & Stout Ales. The also suggested using Pale for cultures as the lower Alc will give you more viable yeasties.

Cheers,
Greg

Well I decided to keep the stout bottle with the dregs and add a sparkling ale to it ... took a day or so but it's alive now!

So hoping to get a nice quick start on the ferment. Putting it down today.

cheers
Ian

I'm making up a dragon stout now (Geoff's). Wondering if anyone here has made it (or similar) and did you use / not use hops. The recipe doesn't call for hops.

Just interested if anyone's been able to compare with/without on this one?

cheers
Ian

I would be very interested if you could post your recipe

Mr H wrote:I would be very interested if you could post your recipe

Hi Mr H,

if you're looking for my stout recipe, it's Geoff's No.94 on the website, but here tis for convenience:

****************************************
1 can Cooper's Stout
500 g light dried malt extract
1 kg dark dried malt extract
500 g Billingtons Muscovado dark unrefined sugar
Yeast from Cooper's Sparkling Ale

BREWING NOTES The brew was made using a dark unrefined sugar (as opposed to supermarket variety “raw” sugar) with a view to achieving a stout something akin to Jamaica's legendary Dragon Stout.

TASTING NOTES Had a go of it out of the fermenter. Bloody beautiful. Needed to restrain myself from drawing off glass after glass of it while bottling. Well that didn't last long … A sensational stout, much like its Caribbean progeneter.
*************************************

I'll leave it for winter, but can't wait to taste it.
cheers
Ian

Chaps,

Just to clear up any confusion, Coopers uses the same yeast for its Pale Ale, Sparkling Ale, Dark Ale, Best Extra Stout and Old Stout.

I'm not sure about the Mild Ale.

The Vintage Ale uses different yeasts each year, and not necessarily ale yeast, either.

Cheers,

Oliver

thinking about getting the esb stout kit, whats the original and final gravities of this when filled to 18L does anyone know? or at least the alc. %?
cheers

-Phill

DarkFaerytale,

I suppose you do know it's spelt "Kilkenny"

yeah but i have a picture of Kenny from southpark holding i sign that says "don't kill Kenny" on my bottles

-Phill