Coopers Choc/Vanilla stout

[karlos_1984]

I'm going to brew a stout tomorrow so it's ready for winter. Here's my ingredients:

 

Cooper's Stout can

Cooper's Dark Malt extract 1.5kg (liquid)

100g Cocoa powder

200g choc malt cold steeped overnight

3 X vanilla beans (one for boil, 2 for adding to FV before bottling)

2 X Cooper's kit yeasts rehydrated.

Brew to 19 ltrs.

 

As above I'm currently steeping the choc malt overnight in the fridge. I'll do a 15 minute boil adding 1 vanilla pod at 10 mins.

I'll soak 2 other vanilla pods in vodka to be added to the FV later on, similar to a dry hop.

 

My question is this. Would adding dextrose to bump up the ABV have a negative effect on the flavour and body of this beer?

I was thinking of adding either 200 or 300 g of dextrose but I'm worried it'll thin out the mouthfeel and dilute some of the flavour I'm after. Any advice on this please? Cheers.

[therealthing691]

i am no expert but i think it will thin it if you want it stronger just drop the litres or bump it with malt . I havent made stout but i have made strong dark ale and the only type of sugar i would use is belguim candy sugar/inverted sugar homemade isnt hard to do and it just makes it a little sweeter IMHO hope this helps look up inverting sugar cheers Brian

[Paddybrew]

the coopers toucan stout has a kilo of dextrose and from what ive read on the thread, it doesnt thin it out

[therealthing691]

the coopers toucan stout has a kilo of dextrose and from what ive read on the thread' date=' it doesnt thin it out[/quote']

 

Paddy is right the brew has 1 kg of dextrose.My question is why does it thin Apa's and other beers and not stout.I have never tried in belguim style dark ale for that reason ???? just askin if somebody has the answer cheers Brian

[Hairy]

Dextrose doesn’t ‘thin’ a beer, but it will finish lower than if you used malt. That is, it doesn’t activiely thin a beer.

 

So if you have designed an all malt recipe and then decided to add an additional 500g dextrose, it will increase the OG but the FG should be about the same. So the beer isn’t any thinner.

 

If you replace malt in the recipe with dextrose then it will be thinner than the original recipe without dextrose.

 

It is all about balance in the recipe formulation. Dextrose has a place in extract brewing, especially when making some bigger beers that will finish with a high FG if using all malt.

[Beerlust]

Dextrose doesn’t ‘thin’ a beer' date=' but it will finish lower than if you used malt. That is, it doesn’t activiely thin a beer.

 

So if you have designed an all malt recipe and then decided to add an additional 500g dextrose, it will increase the OG but the FG should be about the same. So the beer isn’t any thinner.

 

If you replace malt in the recipe with dextrose then it will be thinner than the original recipe without dextrose.

 

It is all about balance in the recipe formulation. Dextrose has a place in extract brewing, especially when making some bigger beers that will finish with a high FG if using all malt.[/quote']

+1

 

Beers such as stouts use a good whack of very rich, bold flavoured grains that have a low fermentability, thus also increase the remaining body in the final beer once fully fermented. Using dextrose in brews with such bold flavours, makes it's detection very difficult in the final beer flavour.

 

Beers such as pale ales generally use lighter more delicate malted grains as the backbone for their malt derived flavour, thus using larger quantities of dextrose makes its detection far more obvious in the final beer, often to it's detriment if too much is used.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[therealthing691]

Dextrose doesn’t ‘thin’ a beer' date=' but it will finish lower than if you used malt. That is, it doesn’t activiely thin a beer.

 

So if you have designed an all malt recipe and then decided to add an additional 500g dextrose, it will increase the OG but the FG should be about the same. So the beer isn’t any thinner.

 

If you replace malt in the recipe with dextrose then it will be thinner than the original recipe without dextrose.

 

It is all about balance in the recipe formulation. Dextrose has a place in extract brewing, especially when making some bigger beers that will finish with a high FG if using all malt.[/quote']

+1

 

Beers such as stouts use a good whack of very rich, bold flavoured grains that have a low fermentability, thus also increase the remaining body in the final beer once fully fermented. Using dextrose in brews with such bold flavours, makes it's detection very difficult in the final beer flavour.

 

Beers such as pale ales generally use lighter more delicate malted grains as the backbone for their malt derived flavour, thus using larger quantities of dextrose makes its detection far more obvious in the final beer, often to it's detriment if too much is used.

Lusty.

Cheers,

thanks Hairy and Lusty that explains to me why it is more noticable in a lets say Apa so on cheers thanks

 

[karlos_1984]

I decided against using any dextrose. The OG ended up being 1058. I've chilled and tasted what was in the hydrometer and it's very rich. Should age nicely and still have a fair kick to it

[ChristinaS1]

Just a tip for next time: yeast eat up vanillin during fermentation, so no point adding them to the boil, or any time before fermentation is complete. Best to add them after fermentation is over, around day five. They release their flavour slowly, so don't be in a hurry to bottle.

 

You can also get vanilla flavour from oak, which is much cheaper. Try adding 30gm of *medium* toast (avoid dark toast, which has had the vanilla burnt out of it) Hungarian or American oak cubes (avoid using chips) for 1-2 weeks post fermentation.

 

Your OG sounds a little high. Did you take the reading after you added the cocoa powder? Might be throwing it off a little. Not a big deal though. You could still add a bit of sugar if you wanted too. I often add 200-300gm of sugar to my brews and it doesn't hurt them a bit (I wouldn't use more than 10% though). If you do add some sugar, wait a few days for the yeast to ferment it before adding your last two vanilla beans.

 

Enjoy your brew.

 

Cheers,

 

Christina.

[SimonV1525230250]

I'm going to brew a stout tomorrow so it's ready for winter. Here's my ingredients:

 

Cooper's Stout can

Cooper's Dark Malt extract 1.5kg (liquid)

100g Cocoa powder

200g choc malt cold steeped overnight

3 X vanilla beans (one for boil' date=' 2 for adding to FV before bottling)

2 X Cooper's kit yeasts rehydrated.

Brew to 19 ltrs.

 

As above I'm currently steeping the choc malt overnight in the fridge. I'll do a 15 minute boil adding 1 vanilla pod at 10 mins.

I'll soak 2 other vanilla pods in vodka to be added to the FV later on, similar to a dry hop.

 

My question is this. Would adding dextrose to bump up the ABV have a negative effect on the flavour and body of this beer?

I was thinking of adding either 200 or 300 g of dextrose but I'm worried it'll thin out the mouthfeel and dilute some of the flavour I'm after. Any advice on this please? Cheers.[/quote']

 

How did it turn out?

[karlos_1984]

Not sure yet mate. It's only been in the bottle for just over a week. The sample in the hydrometer at bottling time was bloody nice. Rich chocolate flavour with a hint of vanilla as I added 2 spilt vanilla pods (that had been soaking in vodka) after FG had been reached. I reckon the fermentation got stuck at one point and I have it a good shake and saw a bit more bubbling away afterwards, and the SG reading dropped a few days later. I think it was in the FV for about 3 weeks, plus a few extra days with the vanilla pods. I'll let you know how it turns out when I try one in a couple weeks.

 

BTW Christina, yeah I took OG after adding the cocoa powder. My hydrometer is shit anyway, has always been out by 5 points and now it always tilts to the side of the tube so I'll be replacing it before my next brew.

[SimonV1525230250]

Thanks for the update looking at doing something similar but using light malt extract for a more milk style brew

Just came across an article saying to add coco and vanilla at secondary so I am also thinking about going down this path looking forward to seeing how yours turns out when its got a bit of age on it

 

[GregALE]

I'll soak 2 other vanilla pods in vodka to be added to the FV later on' date=' similar to a dry hop.']

 

 

 

 

Thats a good idea - how did they turn out in the brew.

I was thinking of trying Vanilla Pods soaked in Scotch Whiskey (as I have no vodka)

Has anyone tried this at all - or have any comment on whether it is a good idea or would be a waste of time and compromise the Stout

 

 

 

[karlos_1984]

 

 

Thats a good idea - how did they turn out in the brew.

I was thinking of trying Vanilla Pods soaked in Scotch Whiskey (as I have no vodka)

Has anyone tried this at all - or have any comment on whether it is a good idea or would be a waste of time and compromise the Stout

 

 

 

Not sure how scotch would go. I used vodka as it acts like a sanitiser for the vanilla pods. Still don't know how it's turned out because it's not been in the bottle 2 weeks yet. I could taste a slight hint of vanilla when tasting the sample done at bottling time. More rich chocolate flavours though. I think it will be a cracker stout. I'll prob wait until.next week and taste a stubby to see how it turned out, even though it's quite young.

[karlos_1984]

So, beer has been in the bottle for 2 weeks. I chilled one stubby for 2 days and tried it last night. Wow.

The chocate is nice and rich and the slight hint of vanilla just balances it out nicely. It's very smooth.and the Mrs loved it. Will be amazing in another few weeks time. The carbonation was low but that's fine for a stout. If I had any complaints, it'd only be that it is a little thin in regards to the mouthfeel, and it's a bit young but I think it will benefit with age. Probably my most satisfying brew to date. Give this recipe a crack.

[Meliphicent]

Hello, super newby here
I'm looking to get into home-brew and this recipe sounds like the sort of thing I'd love to make. Are you able to fill in some more details for this recipe? What temperature did you pitch at? What temp did you ferment at? If I make this and get as far as bottling, what temp should I keep the bottles at and how long should I leave it?
Any and all advice appreciated!

[karlos_1984]

This is the recipe and a YouTube video on how to do it. It's basically a copy. I didn't have temp control for this brew and I did it in summer so it's probably effected it slightly but it's still alright.

http://www.cellardweller.net/index.php/en/extract-brewing/extract-recipes/extract-stouts/extract-stouts

 

Now it's ages a bit, the vanilla is not really that noticeable. I'd probably follow Christinas advice and use oak chips instead of vanilla beans. I'll make this again now I have temp control, to see if it's any better. 

If you're just starting out, I'd try the toucan stout recipe on the Cooper's recipe section, it's pretty simple and apparently really good.

[Hermoor]

I just opened my first bottle of PB2's Toucan Stout, only 4 weeks in the bottle but it is fantastic. Definitely give it a go

[Beerlust]

21 hours ago, Hermoor said:

I just opened my first bottle of PB2's Toucan Stout, only 4 weeks in the bottle but it is fantastic. Definitely give it a go

If you think this is good, try any of the Coopers DIY Vintage Ale recipes. Outstanding! (IMHO)

The beauty of the Vintage Ale construct is it allows enough space in the malt character for different hop expressions to impact on the overall flavour of the beer both early & when aged.

It's a style of beer I am very interested in as I feel the Coopers versions (at least) encapsulate a full malt & hop character in unison unlike any other beer style I've personally tried.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Hermoor]

2 hours ago, Beerlust said:

If you think this is good, try any of the Coopers DIY Vintage Ale recipes. Outstanding! (IMHO)

The beauty of the Vintage Ale construct is it allows enough space in the malt character for different hop expressions to impact on the overall flavour of the beer both early & when aged.

It's a style of beer I am very interested in as I feel the Coopers versions (at least) encapsulate a full malt & hop character in unison unlike any other beer style I've personally tried.

Cheers,

Lusty.

Thanks Lusty, I'll put one on my to do list