First Oatmeal Stout

Classification: stout, oatmeal stout, extract

Source: Patrick E. Humphrey (HUMPHREY.PATRICK@igate.abbott.com), HBD Issue #1721, 5/3/95

Well, last night I made my first oatmeal stout with extract and specialties. This is the first stout I have made of any kind so I didn't know what to expect.

Ingredients:

6# unhopped dark malt extract
1# unhopped dry malt
8 oz chocolate malt
6 oz roasted barley
4 oz black patent malt
8 oz rolled oats
1 tbs CaCO3
2 oz Northern Brewer - 8.2 AAU
2 oz Fuggles - 4.2 AAU
Irish Moss - 30 min
Liquid Irish Ale yeast

Procedure:

I cracked the grains using my food processor in short bursts (worked great!). Transferred them to a mesh strainer and shook to remove dust. I did this outside so as not to contaminate the kitcken. These were then placed with the oats (unground) into a grain bag. I preheated a 10 qt. (12-pack) cooler with boiling water, added the grain bag and 175 deg. water. Water cooled to the target of 160 deg. and steeped for 15 minutes. Things were working beautifully. I boiled the water and added the extract, CaCO3 and the steep liquor. This is where I have the question.

In previous extract/grain batches I have steeped grains, then washed them in some of the unboiled water until the water ran "clear." I started to do this with the black/chocolate malts but obviously with the black grains it wouldn't have run clear. Eventually, the water I was using started to become the consistancy of thin syrup. If I continued to wash them I would have been there for days until the liquid began to thin and probably would have ended up with 10 gallons of wort.