Grandfather's Stout Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Grandfather's Stout (8.5 Litres)

This time of year brings out the grandfather in all of us. It’s the time for open fires, armchairs, crosswords, and slippers. But most of all it’s the time of year for stout: a beer as black as the bottoms of your feet after you’ve walked seven miles to school in the rain; as bitter as your thoughts about politicians; and as strong as you are stubborn. It smells better than grandfather, with notes of coffee, chocolate, and aniseed. Robust but with a sweet side behind it all, this stout is one for the generations.

Ingredients

1 x 1.3kg Mr Beer Winter Dark Ale
2 x 250g Mr Beer Unhopped Malt Extract - Smooth
1 x 100g Roasted Malt Grain
1 x 11g Danstar Nottingham Yeast
Dextrose Corn Sugar

Features:

Colour: Black
Body: High
Bitterness: Medium/High
Approx. Alcohol Level: 7.3% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

Step 1 : Mix

The day before: Line a pot (at least 2 litres) with a mesh cleaning cloth (pulled straight from the pack). Place the Roasted Malt Grain in a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag and crack it using a rolling pin. Add the cracked grain and 1 litre of cold water, fit the lid and sit in the fridge overnight. Brew day: Remove from the fridge then gather up the corners of the mesh cloth and lift, allowing the liquid to drain from the grains back into the pot. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat and set the pot in a cold/ice water bath to cool. Clean and sanitise all equipment that will come in contact with the brew. Pour the cooled Roasted Malt infusion into the Fermenting Vessel (FV). Add the contents of the Winter Dark Ale and Smooth Malt Extract to the FV. Fill the FV with cold water to the 8.5 litre mark. Sprinkle the Nottingham yeast then fit the lid (if you have it, use the Krausen Kollar as this brew can produce plenty of foam).

Step 2 : Brew

Place the FV in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment between 18C-22C. Fermentation should take 7 to 14 days. On day 7 check the specific gravity (SG). Check the SG again the following day and so on.

Step 3 : Bottle

The brew is ready once the SG has stabilised over a couple of days, expect about 1010 to 1014. Gently fill clean PET bottles to about 3cm from the top. Add 2 carbonation drops per bottle and secure the caps (only one drop per bottle may be preferred). Store the bottles upright in a location out of direct sunlight at or above 18C.

Step 4 : Enjoy

After at least two weeks, check for sufficient carbonation by squeezing the bottles. Bottles kept unrefrigerated should improve with age. When ready to drink, chill the bottles upright. The chilled beer may be poured into clean glassware, leaving the sediment behind. Expect the alcohol content to be approximately 7.3 %ABV.