Could this be considered an Amber Stout??

[Quack Brewer]

Hi,

I'm currently working on a half-Toucan batch and seeking some opinions.  Currently in the fermenter at day 9.

This is what I have done so far:

To 10 Litres only:

Thomas Coopers Secret Recipe Amber Ale (1.7kg extract)

Coopers Dry Malt Extract  500mg

Dextrose 200grams

Honey 300grams.

I didn't use bittering hops because I figured that it would be bitter due to an effective toucan recipe.

Pitched with the kit yeast on 3.12.2020 as I didn't have any Safale.  Temperature has been stable at 18 Degrees.

OG: 1088

Gravity today 1026 - by calculations should hit 1021 at it lowest.     (currently at 8.14% ABV). This is going to be a thick and chewy beer it seems.

Just sampled the hydrometer sample and poured it into a glass.  Very muddy - looks a bit like an amber stout (if there is such a thing).

Tastes quite nice, some bitterness.

Looking to dry hop in around 5 days then cold crash to bottle just before Christmas.  I'm not in a rush with this one so should be in fermenter for around 3-4 weeks.

I have the following hops (ample quanities)

Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Hersbruker, Amarillo, Hallertau.  I also have some Saaz teabags.

 

The conservative side of me is thinkin to just go with the Cascade, but I'm thinking of adding some Amarillo.

Any thoughts?

 

 

[Shamus O'Sean]

7 hours ago, Quack Brewer said:

looks a bit like an amber stout (if there is such a thing)

I am not sure that there is.  Yours will be approaching the bitterness of a Stout. However, it will not have the roasted element.  It will still be a nice and heavy beer.

With respect to dry hop additions probably stick with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and/or Amarillo.  Hersbruker and Hallertau may not have the oomph to rise above the flavoursome darker malt in this brew.  Me, I would go 15g each of the theee C's.

Let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.  Plenty on here are curious about the "toucan" effect in the craft fermenter with the stronger kit brews.

[Quack Brewer]

8 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

I am not sure that there is.  Yours will be approaching the bitterness of a Stout. However, it will not have the roasted element.  It will still be a nice and heavy beer.

With respect to dry hop additions probably stick with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and/or Amarillo.  Hersbruker and Hallertau may not have the oomph to rise above the flavoursome darker malt in this brew.  Me, I would go 15g each of the theee C's.

Let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.  Plenty on here are curious about the "toucan" effect in the craft fermenter with the stronger kit brews.

Thank Shamus you for your perspective, I'll definitely take your advice on the Hops - very helpful.

I was kind of forced to get the Craft beer fermenters (x2) because my larger fermenters don't fit in my fridge - it's all good though as although I will need to be a bit more organised it will provide some extra ideas for experimentation. 

[Marty_G]

No such thing as an Amber Stout. But in true craft brewing style you have thrown out the guidelines and made your own style.  Or maybe depending on the colour just call it a  porter or a brown ale.   

[Thirsty Jim]

MartyG is right in the modern sense but the history is interesting.  This is from the Wikipedia entry  -

" The first known use of the word stout for beer was in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscripts, the sense being that a "stout beer" was a strong beer, not a dark beer.  The name porter was first used in 1721 to describe a dark brown beer that had been made with roasted malts. Because of the huge popularity of porters, brewers made them in a variety of strengths. The stronger beers, typically 7% or 8% alcohol by volume (ABV), were called "stout porters", so the history and development of stout and porter are intertwined, and the term stout has become firmly associated with dark beer, rather than just strong beer. "

The rest of the article is worth a read -   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout

[jamiek86]

piggy backing on this has anyone here brewed a porter style beer with lager yeast? against the name I believe tooheys old dark ale uses lager yeast and is nice

[Shamus O'Sean]

45 minutes ago, jamiek86 said:

piggy backing on this has anyone here brewed a porter style beer with lager yeast? against the name I believe tooheys old dark ale uses lager yeast and is nice

A couple of the dark Coopers recipes done with lager yeasts:

• Mister Sinister
• Black Pils
• Bock in Black
• Periscope Baltic Porter
• Tsar's Tar

I got these by filtering the Coopers Recipe Spreadsheet on lager yeasts and sorting by EBC.

I did Bock in Black a long time ago.  I remember it was good.

[Bribie G]

1 hour ago, jamiek86 said:

piggy backing on this has anyone here brewed a porter style beer with lager yeast? against the name I believe tooheys old dark ale uses lager yeast and is nice

Tooheys Old is still an ale, as were most NSW beers served over the bar until the 1970s.

 

[jamiek86]

53 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

A couple of the dark Coopers recipes done with lager yeasts:

• Mister Sinister
• Black Pils
• Bock in Black
• Periscope Baltic Porter
• Tsar's Tar

I got these by filtering the Coopers Recipe Spreadsheet on lager yeasts and sorting by EBC.

I did Bock in Black a long time ago.  I remember it was good.

thanks for those ill be sure to try a few once I get this keg system going

[jamiek86]

49 minutes ago, Bribie G said:

Tooheys Old is still an ale, as were most NSW beers served over the bar until the 1970s.

 

ok are you sure of this? I read somewhere it was so smooth because it was brewed as a lager its not as heavy or roasty as an ale 

 

[Bribie G]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooheys_Old