Milk Stout

Brew Day: 11/18/14

5 gallon extract kit from Northern Brewer.

2.5 gals in the kettle. 

0.5 lb UK Chocolate
0.5 lb Carafa III

Steeped grains at 152 for 20 mins. Raised temp to 170. Rinsed grains with 1 gal of 165 water. Total pre-boil volume of 3.5 gals. 60 min boil. 

3 lb Amber LME - 60 mins
1 lb Lactose (milk sugar) - 60 mins
1 oz Willamette hops 4.7% AA - 60 mins
3 lb Amber LME - 15 mins
1 tsp Irish Moss - 15 mins

Killed the heat. Whirlpooled and set kettle in sink for ice bath. Took 30 mins to cool down to 80. Siphoned out of kettle through double mesh strainer into 6 gal glass carboy. Topped up to with cold water to 5.25 gal. Didn't evaporate as much as I'd intended during the boil, which means I added a bit more cold water than I'd planned. Brought my OG down a bit, but I'd undershot it anyway. Not sure how. Pitched yeast at 70. Wyeast British Ale 1098. Added 1.5 tsp of yeast energizer, since the smack pack didn't expand all the way by the time I was ready to pitch. Attached blowoff tube just in case the extra headroom on the carboy isn't enough. Fermenting at 68.

Forgot to take pictures. But I do have this instagram video from the boil.

The recipe calls for 2 weeks in primary, then 2-4 weeks in secondary, then about 2-3 weeks to bottle condition. Should be drinking it by mid January.

OG: 1.042 (10.2 brix)

est IBU: 19

est FG: 1.019
est SRM: 37

Racked to secondary: 12/09/14

This brew has been rather fickle. First, I undershot my gravity on brewday. Then, I gave it an extra week in the fermenter and it still didn't get down to the est gravity. It bottomed out at 1.023, which coupled with the low OG only puts this beer at 2.49% abv. Session stout anyone?

I decided to split the batch in half and put some coffee in one carboy. I used 2/3 of a French press of the LaCosecha City Limits Line from back home in St. Louis, MO. My buddy Gregory Lowe is a coffee guru and hooked me up with this awesome blend. 

Have you done any coffee additions? Tell me about it in the comments.



Update: 4/09/15

Popped a Coffee Milk Stout open today. Very large head, but it faded very quickly with some residual bubbles around the edge of the glass. I've done some reading about how the steeping temp can affect the head retention. If I can nail down this carbonation, it'll be a great beer. Wondering how it will age with the low abv and the low carbonation. I think the sooner I drink this, the better.

Used some of the Milk Stout to make a roast in the slow-cooker. Toss in some veggies, and let it sit for 5-8 hrs. It made the apartment smell amazing all day. Have you ever cooked with beer? Let me know in the comments.