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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Beer Recipe: Swig's Summer Stout

By Greg 'Swig' Johnson

When most people think summer they usually don't think dark beer, but I do. So today I'm going to talk about my aptly-named Summer Stout. At 4.8% alcohol with a dry and roasty yet silky finish (from the oats), this is a great beer for nights around the fire or for hanging out on the back deck. Sessionable by nature, this stout provides a spectrum of flavors rarely found in traditional summer beers.

I originally brewed 10 gallons of this beer and split the batch in two for experimentation. I wanted five gallons for a straight, dry, oatmeal stout and the other five to be modeled (but not copied) after my absolute favorite Founders beer, Frangelic Stout. To this end, I put 1/4 pound of Frangelica coffee from Ferris Nut & Coffee in a nylon grain sock and left it in the keg for a full four days. The Frangelico is the more delicious version in my opinion, though the unflavored version has its merits too. For the recipe, see below (partial mash and all-grain formulas included).

Partial Mash Formula*

Malts:
  • 5.00# - Briess Light LME
  • 1.00# - Briess Flaked Oats
  • 1.00# - Briess Pale 2-Row
  • 0.45# - Briess Roasted Barely
  • 0.25# - Briess Black Malt
  • 0.25# - Briess Chocolate Malt
Hops:
  • 1.0oz - West Golding Variety (W.G.V.) @ 60min
  • 1.1oz – West Golding Variety (W.G.V.) @ 20min
Yeast:
  • Wyeast 1056: Chico/American Ale Yeast
Optional:
  • 0.25# Frangelica coffee, in keg (use a nylon grain sock)
*The inclusion of oats means that a mash must occur; the extract/specialty-grain method of brewing cannot be utilized. For partial mash instructions, contact Siciliano's and one of our employees will gladly assist you.

All-grain Formula
(calculated for 75% efficiency)

Malts:
  • 7.25# - Briess 2-Row Pale
  • 1.00# - Briess Flaked Oats
  • 0.50# - Briess Roasted Barley
  • 0.25# - Briess Black Malt
  • 0.25# - Briess Chocolate Malt
Mash @ 153*F for 60min, fly sparge at 168 for 90min

Hops:
  • 1.0oz - West Golding Variety (W.G.V.) @ 60min
  • 1.1oz – West Golding Variety (W.G.V.) @ 20min
Yeast:
  • Wyeast 1056: Chico/American Ale Yeast
Optional:
  • 0.25# Frangelica coffee, in keg (use nylon bag)
This stout is truly a summer evening treat and a beer to be enjoyed by many. It also reinforces the old adage: never judge a beer by it's color.


Siciliano's staffer Greg 'Swig' Johnson lives on the west side of Grand Rapids, MI, where no matter the time of year, a good oatmeal stout is always in season. 

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