The Flying Wombat | Stout Beer Recipes

Stout

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Easter Hot Cross Bun White Stout

Our White stout takes an already strange style... and makes it even stranger! Its blonde and beautiful, full of roasted coffe flavours, vanilla, spice & everything nice... oh yeah and Hot cross buns!!

So... What is it?

A white stout is a beer that challenges traditional expectations by combining the appearance of a light-colored beer, often resembling a pale ale or even a golden lager, with the flavors typically associated with a stout. Unlike a traditional stout, which is typically dark brown to black in color with roasted malt flavors, a white stout achieves its stout-like characteristics through the use of coffee beans, cocoa nibs and even spiced tinctures in the fermentation step, to maintain a lighter color with full body stouty goodness!

What's our like?

Our White stout takes an already strange style... and makes it even stranger! not only is ours a blonde ale infused with all the roasty goodness of a coffee bean based stout, it is also packed full of spices such as vanilla, sultanas, allspice berries, cinnamon, cacao nib extract and of course, REAL hot cross buns thrown into the mash! To top it all off is a late boil addition of lactose to bring everything together with a creamy sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Coming in at a reasonable 4.7% it is a very sessionable hot cross bun in a glass to keep you warm and cozy all Easter weekend long!

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POST BREW ALTERATIONS

In hindsight we would increase our sultana (raisin) addition from 500g (1.1 lb) to 1kg (2.2 lb) to really boost the Hot cross bun character!

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Batch Size & Stats

19L / 5 gal finished beer
25L (6.6 gal) wort
Starting gravity – 1.048
Final gravity 1.013
ABV – 4.7%

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What ingredients?

Water

With sparging

20L (5.2 gal) Strike water at 69°C (156.2°F)
15L (3.9 gal) Sparge water approx. 78°C (172°F)

Without sparging

30L (7.9 gal) strike water approx. 69°C (156.2°F)

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Malts

Total Grain Bill 4.91kg (10.8 4lb)

Pale ale malt – 3.98kg (8.77 lb)
wheat – 490g (1.08 lb)
Rolled Oats - 290g (0.64 lb)
Gladiator malt (dextrin malt)– 150g (0.33 lb)
Rice Hulls - 250g (0.55 lb)

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Adjuncts

Traditional Hot Cross Buns - 450g (1 lb) in Mash
Lactose - 220g (0.48 lb) start of boil
sultanas (raisins) - 500g (1.1 lb) - end of fermentation

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Spice Tincture - soak all spices in cacao nib spirit for a week before adding to fermenter at final gravity

2 vanilla beans
1 cinnamon stick
8 all spice berries
cacao nib spirit 250mL - (to make this toast 500g of cacao nibs at 180°C (356°F) for 5 mins then soak nibs in 700mL of rum or vodka for a week then strain)

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Hops & whirlfloc tablets

Northern Brewer

20g (0.7 oz) - 60 minutes left in the boil

Spalt Spalter

35g (1.23 oz) - 5 minutes left in the boil

Whirlfloc

0.75g (0.025 oz) / 1 tablet – 15 minutes left in the boil

Yeast options & fermentation temperatures

US-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
AUS-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
S-04 – ferment at 18°C (64.4°F) 22g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)

Water Profile

Ca²⁺62
‍^‍Mg²⁺ 9
‍Na⁺15
‍Cl^-98
‍^‍SO₄^2-49
‍^‍HCO₃^- 57

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Step by step process

Step 1 – Milling

Mill grains to medium crush (set mill rollers to a gap of approx. 1.00mm / 0.039 inches (credit card width)
Just keep in mind roller gap settings are not universal so as you brew more batches you will find the ideal crush size for your setup
Alternatively if you don’t have a grain mill you can order your grains crushed from most homebrew stores, both online and in person

Step 2 – Mashing

Mash for 60 minutes at 69°C (156.2°F) with 20L (5.2 gal) of strike water (with sparging - 30L (7.9 gal without sparging)

Set your strike water to a few degrees above the target mash temperature (you can use the calculator in our website for this)
ensure you mix in the grains thoroughly with a mash paddle to prevent dough balls from forming (big spoons, spatulas or whisks will also work)
its easier to mash the grains and prevent dough balls if you add a little grain at a time, mix, add more grain and repeat until all the grains are mixed

if you don’t have a mash tun with heating then ensure after you have finished mixing the grains in to insulate your mash tun (thick neoprene or heavy blankets both work well)

Step 3 (optional) – Sparging

if your setup has the capability to sparge then do so with 15L (3.9 gal) Sparge water approx. 78°C (172°F)
if you are not sparging and using a BIAB (brew in a bag) method then remove grains from mash tun and twist and squeeze the bag to get as much liquid out of the grains as possible
as you start sparging (or straining your BIAB bag) begin raising the temperature of your wort to a boil

Step 4 – Boiling

once your wort begins to boil start a timer for a 60-minute boil and add your bittering hops, 20g (0.7 oz) of Northern Brewer
at 15 minutes left in the boil add 1 whirlfloc tablet (OR granulated whirlfloc 0.7g (0.025 oz)
at 5 minutes left in the boil add 35g (1.23 oz) of Spalt Spatler
after 60 mins of boil turn off your heat source

‍Step 5 – Whirlpooling / cooling

after 60 mins of boil turn off your heat source and begin cooling
once you’ve reached yeast pitching temperature take an original gravity reading of your wort

Step 6 – Yeast Pitching

It is best to make a yeast starter before beginning your brew day (ideally 1 day before) to ensure your yeast are as active and healthy as possible before pitching, but not completely necessary – you could also just rehydrate yeast 30 minutes before pitching.
Wort Aeration (Optional) if you have a paint mixer give your wort a quick blitz before pitching yeast to help add more dissolved oxygen into the wort to help the yeast have a healthier kick start into fermentation
Now add your tincture of Vanilla extract! (or you can wait till end of fermentation if you prefer)
Pitch yeast in wort a degree or two higher than the target fermentation temperature to help yeast take off more aggressively

To make a yeast starter you can use either:

DME (dry malt extract) at a ratio of approx. 100g per 1L water (3.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) for gravity of approx. 1.040
some unfermented wort kept cold and sanitary from a previous brew day
70g of table sugar per 1L water (2.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) – however, it is best to use malt sugar (wort / DME) whenever possible to reduce the chance of shocking the yeast with a different food source from starter to wort pitching

To rehydrate yeast

Add yeast to approx. 10 times as much room temperature water as the weight of the yeast e.g. 10g yeast in 100 ml water (0.35 oz yeast in 3.5 fluid ounces water)

Step 7 – Fermentation & Fruit and Spice additions!

Allow yeast to ferment over the next week or two (aprox)
If you have a temperature-controlled system keep the fermenter temperature to the recommended fermentation temperature for each yeast strain (stated in the yeast ingredients section above)

After 4 days of fermentation or around 1.015 gravity, we added our sultanas (raisins)
On day 6 of fermentation we added our 250g (0.5 lb) of Arabica coffee beans and spice tincture and if you have temp control then raise the temperature of fermentation by 2 degrees for a diacetyl rest for the next 2 days
2 days after adding the coffee and spice tincture it is time to cold crash (if you can) and bottle / keg!

It's important to note that fermentation times will vary based on your circumstances like temperature, amount of yeast pitched, the healthiness of yeast, the gravity of the wort, pH, etc. so don’t stress be patient and know that these times are just a rough guide
If you have temp control then when there are 2 days left of fermentation raise the temperature by 2 degrees for a diacetyl rest (once gravity reaches roughly 1.014) & gravity is the same 3 days in a row move onto cold crashing! (If you can’t / don’t want to cold crash go straight to kegging/bottling your beer!)

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Step 8 (optional) – Cold crashing

begin cold crashing your fermenter (bring the temperature of your fermenter down to as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible, for 2 days to a week depending on how patient you are
If you don’t have a temp-controlled fermenter, you can cold crash by putting your fermenter in a fridge or temp-controlled chest freezer
After you have finished cold crashing it's time to keg/bottle your beer! If you are bottling your beer from the fermenter uncarbonated, remember to add about 5-7 grams (0.17 - 0.24 oz) of priming sugar to your bottles to carbonate your beer.

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Stout

5 min read

Imperial Christmas Gingerbread Stout

I Like Big BARRELS and I cannot lie, all you other BREWERS can't deny, when that STOUT comes our that itty bitty spout you gotta get it in yo MOUTH!

So... What is it?

Imperial Stouts, originating in 18th-century England, are robust beers known for their intense flavors and high alcohol content. Inspired by a desire for a stronger stout, these brews have a deep history tied to the Russian imperial court. With a dark, rich appearance and opulent malt profiles, Imperial Stouts offer a complex taste of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, and caramel. Boasting an alcohol content surpassing 8% ABV, these ales are revered for their indulgent sipping experience.

What is ours like?

So what better way to get silly for the silly season than with Christmas in a glass! This 10% Imperial Gingerbread Christmas Stout is creamy with a decent heft of body considering its impressive abv! The bitterness definitely sits on the lower side at 32 IBU’s and feels even lower than that due to the high gravity and ABV of the beer (next time I make this id bump the IBU’s up to 50-60). The malt character comes bounding through with bready biscuit, strong espresso, a touch of burnt coffee and sweet caramel toffee notes infused with a touch of sticky date pudding and plums! But the true star of the show is the big ginger note that cuts through the sweetness of the beer, tasting a little more like fresh ginger than gingerbread, but perfectly in balance with the bouquet of spices from the cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Don't leave too many of these out for Santa or he may not be able to drive his sleigh!

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Batch Size & Stats

41.1L / 10.85 gal finished beer
47.9L (12.65 gal) wort
Starting gravity – 1.097 (approx likely a bit higher)
Final gravity 1.022
ABV – 10% (incl. Vodka addition and measuring bias)
IBU - 32
Mash Efficiency 81%
Brewhouse Efficiency 73%

What ingredients?

Water

With sparging

90 minutes, 60L (15.85 gal) strike water 69°C (156.2°F) mash

16L (4.2 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)

Without sparging

90 minutes, 70L (18.5 gal) strike water 69°C (156.2°F) mash

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Water Chemistry (Salts) - (optional)

Mash water

Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) - 6.1g (0.22 oz)
Epsom Salt (MgSO4) - 4.9g (0.1.7 oz)
Slaked Lime (Ca(OH)2) - 3g (0.1 oz)

Sparge water

Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) - 1.63g (0.057 oz)
Epsom Salt (MgSO4) - 1.31g (0.046 oz)
Slaked Lime (Ca(OH)2) - 0.8g (0.028 oz)
Phosphoric Acid (85%) – 2.2ml (0.0744 oz)

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Malts

Total Grain Bill 20.12kg (44.35 lb) + 1.7kg (3.75 lb) rice hulls

Total Fermentables - 21.12kg (46.6 lb)

Pale Malt – 10.07kg (22.2 lb) - 50.1%
Dark Munich - 3.01kg (6.63 lb) - 15%
Rolled Oats - 1.61kg (3.55 lb) - 8%
Wheat malt – 1.61kg (3.55 lb) - 8%
Dark Chocolate malt 1.41kg (3.1 lb) - 7%
Medium Crystal Malt - 1.41kg (3.1 lb) - 7%
Roasted Barley - 1kg (2.2 lb) - 5%

Rice Hulls – 1.7kg (3.75 lb)

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Adjuncts

Extra Dark Belgium Candi Syrup - 1kg (2.2 lb)

Extra Flavouring Additions

For these additions split all ingredients in half, and in 2 separate jars soak the spices to make a tincture, ideally to soak for 5 days before brewday

Use half the tincture after flameout on brewday, use the other half in the fermenter near final gravity (id recommend straining out the spices for the fermenter addition)

400 ml Vodka (40% abv)
Ginger Root (dry and kibbled) - 120g
All Spice (bought whole then roughly crushed) - 16 berries
Cinnamon stick (bought whole then roughly crushed) - 2 sticks
Nutmeg (bought whole then roughly crushed) - 2 tsp
Vanilla Beans (whole then cut in half and seeds scraped out) - 4 beans
Cloves (bought whole then roughly crushed) - 4 cloves

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Hops & whirlfloc tablets

Northern Brewer

52.7g (1.86 oz) - 90 minutes left in the boil
50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Fuggles

50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Whirlfloc

1.5g (0.052 oz) / 2 tablets – 15 minutes left in the boil

Yeast options & fermentation temperatures

Lalbrew Nottingham Ale yeast – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
US-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
AUS-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
S-04 – ferment at 18°C (64.4°F) 22g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)

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Step by step process

Step 0 - Prep spices! (pre brew-day step)

For these additions, split all ingredients in half, and lightly crush whole ingredients with a mortar and pestle, and slice the vanilla beans in half and scrape out the insides to help the flavour be released.

Then place all ingredients evenly into 2 separate jars with the vodka to make a tincture, ideally to soak for 5 days before brewday

Use half the tincture after flameout on brewday, use the other half in the fermenter near final gravity (id recommend straining out the spices for the fermenter addition)

Step 1 – Milling

Mill grains to medium crush (set mill rollers to a gap of approx. 1.00mm / 0.039 inches (credit card width)
Just keep in mind roller gap settings are not universal so as you brew more batches you will find the ideal crush size for your setup
Alternatively if you don’t have a grain mill you can order your grains crushed from most homebrew stores, both online and in person

Step 2 – Mashing

Mash for 90 minutes at 69°C (156.2°F)

Set your strike water to a few degrees above the target mash temperature

ensure you mix in the grains thoroughly with a mash paddle to prevent dough balls from forming (big spoons, spatulas or whisks will also work)

its easier to mash the grains and prevent dough balls if you add a little grain at a time, mix, add more grain, and repeat until all the grains are mixed

if you don’t have a mash tun with heating then ensure after you have finished mixing the grains in to insulate your mash tun (thick neoprene or heavy blankets both work well)

‍

Step 3 (optional) – Sparging

if your setup has the capability to sparge then do so with 16L (4.2 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)
if you are not sparging and using a BIAB (brew in a bag) method then remove grains from mash tun and twist and squeeze the bag to get as much liquid out of the grains as possible
as you start sparging (or straining your BIAB bag) begin raising the temperature of your wort to a boil

Step 4 – Boiling

(Optional) - for this beer we wanted to bump up the starting gravity, so we boiled the wort for an extra half hour BEFORE we added our 90min bittering hops when the “real” boil began!
At the beginning of the boil add your belgian Candi Syrup

once your wort begins to boil start a timer for a 90-minute boil and add your bittering hops, 52.7g (1.86 oz) of Northern Brewer
at 15 minutes left in the boil add 2 whirlfloc tablets (OR granulated whirlfloc 1.5g (0.053 oz)) and 50g (1.76 oz) each of Northern Brewer & Fuggles

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Step 5 – Whirlpooling / cooling

once wort has been boiling for 60 minutes in total turn off your heat source and begin chilling wort down to yeast pitching temperature
Right after flameout strain out the spices from 1 tincture jar and add it to the boil kettle, then add the tincture liquid directly to the fermenter
once you’ve reached yeast pitching temperature take an original gravity reading of your wort

Step 6 – Yeast Pitching

It is best to make a yeast starter before beginning your brew day (ideally 1 day before) to ensure your yeast are as active and healthy as possible before pitching, but not completely necessary – you could also just rehydrate yeast 30 minutes before pitching.
Wort Aeration (Optional) if you have a paint mixer give your wort a quick blitz before pitching yeast to help add more dissolved oxygen into the wort to help the yeast have a healthier kick start into fermentation
Now add your tincture of Vanilla extract! (or you can wait till end of fermentation if you prefer)
Pitch yeast in wort a degree or two higher than the target fermentation temperature to help yeast take off more aggressively

To make a yeast starter you can use either:

DME (dry malt extract) at a ratio of approx. 100g per 1L water (3.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) for gravity of approx. 1.040
some unfermented wort kept cold and sanitary from a previous brew day
70g of table sugar per 1L water (2.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) – however, it is best to use malt sugar (wort / DME) whenever possible to reduce the chance of shocking the yeast with a different food source from starter to wort pitching

To rehydrate yeast

Add yeast to approx. 10 times as much room temperature water as the weight of the yeast e.g. 10g yeast in 100 ml water (0.35 oz yeast in 3.5 fluid ounces water)

Step 7 – Fermentation

Allow yeast to ferment over the next two weeks (approx.)
If you have a temperature-controlled system keep the fermenter temperature to the recommended fermentation temperature for each yeast strain (stated in the yeast ingredients section above)
Monitor the fermentation activity over the first 7-10 days by the bubbling of the blow-off tube/airlock of your fermenter, as the bubbling slows down (roughly around day 10-12) take a gravity reading. When the gravity reaches around 1.024 raise the temperature of your fermenter by 1-2 degrees for 2 days for a diacetyl rest (if you don’t have temperature control don’t worry about this step, it's not the end of the world!)
At this point strain out your last jar of tincture and add the LIQUID only to your fermenter
On day 2 of the diacetyl rest (once gravity reaches roughly 1.018) & gravity is the same 3 days in a row move onto cold crashing! (If you can’t / don’t want to cold crash go straight to kegging/bottling your beer!)

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Step 8 (optional) – Cold crashing

begin cold crashing your fermenter (bring the temperature of your fermenter down to as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible, for 2 days to a week depending on how patient you are
If you don’t have a temp-controlled fermenter, you can cold crash by putting your fermenter in a fridge or temp-controlled chest freezer
After you have finished cold crashing it's time to keg/bottle your beer! If you are bottling your beer from the fermenter uncarbonated, remember to add about 5-7 grams (0.17 - 0.24 oz) of priming sugar to your bottles to carbonate your beer.

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Stout

5 min read

Chocolate Stout with real cacao nibs

Once you go BLACK you never go BACK! heres our big, bad choccy stout, made with a whole bunch of rum soaked cacao nibs! if you love beer and chocolate, this is a match made in heaven

So... What is it?

The Chocolate stout is a rich beer that combines the robustness of stout with luscious chocolate. Its roots date back to the 18th century, gaining popularity in England. This decadent brew features a velvety texture, dark color, and a delightful aroma blending roasted malt notes with hints of cocoa and espresso. The flavor offers a harmonious mix of bittersweet chocolate, roasted malts, and subtle caramel undertones, creating a satisfying complexity for beer enthusiasts seeking a luxurious treat.

What's ours like?

Ours is packed full of chocolate like you wouldn't believe! on the nose its all dark choc and fresh baked dark bread. The palate its far less bitter and astringent than what you would usually get in a stout that uses heavily roasted malts and leans more into dark chocolate rather than espresso or cold drip coffee. Coming in at a moderate 5.7% its easy drinking for a dark beer, but if we couldve changed a couple thing with this brewday we would add more chocolate malt, Oats and increase the mash temp to 69°C (156°F) to give a little more body and mouthfeel!

Batch Size & Stats

38L (2 19L corny kegs) / 10 gal finished beer
49L (13.2 gal) wort
For a smaller 19L (5 gal) batch size simply half the ingredients of this recipe
Starting gravity – 1.066
Final gravity 1.015
ABV – 5.7% (before rum addition) – 7.2% (after rum addition)
You can use this website to calculate final ABV after rum addition Vinocalc

What ingredients?

Water

With sparging

30L (7.9 gal) strike water for a 67°C (152°F) 60 min mash (you can use our calculator to measure ideal temp for strike)
30L (7.9 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)

Without sparging

57L (15 gal) strike water for a 67°C (152°F) 60 min mash (you can use our calculator to measure ideal temp for strike)

Post brew edits / potential changes thoughts: perhaps mash at 69°C (156°F) to give more body

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Malts:

Light Munich – 8.625kg (19 lb)
Big O (oat malt) – 1.575kg (3.47 lb)
Golden Naked Oats – 840g (1.85 lb)
Medium Crystal Malt – 480g (1.05 lb)
Dark Chocolate – 480g (1.05 lb)

Post brew edits / potential changes thoughts: for more body and darker colour

increase dark chocolate to 624g (1.38 lb)
add wheat malt 840g (1.85 lb)‍

Hops & whirlfloc tablets

Northern Brewer

20g (0.7 oz) - 60 minutes left in the boil
50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Fuggles

50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Whirlfloc tablets

1.5g (0.052 oz) / 2 tablets – 15 minutes left in the boil

Adjuncts

Cocoa Nibs (lightly crushed with either mortar & pestle or food processor and toasted at 180°C (356°F) for 5 mins

500g (1.1 lb) – 5 minutes left in the boil
500g (1.1 lb) – soaked in 700ml of rum for at least a week – “dry hop” fermenter when fermentation is close to finished (e.g. 1.020) around day 7-10

Yeast options & fermentation temperatures

US-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
AUS-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
S-04 – ferment at 18°C (64.4°F) 22g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)

Step by step process

Step 1 – Milling

Mill grains to medium crush (set mill rollers to a gap of approx. 1.00mm / 0.039 inches)
Just keep in mind roller gap settings are not universal so as you brew more batches you will find the ideal crush size for your setup
Alternatively if you don’t have a grain mill you can order your grains crushed from most homebrew stores, both online and in person

Step 2 – Mashing

Mash for 60 minutes at 67°C (152°F)

Set your strike water to a few degrees above the target mash temperature, you can use our calculator to determine what your strike temperature should be

ensure you mix in the grains thoroughly with a mash paddle to prevent dough balls from forming (big spoons, spatulas or whisks will also work)

its easier to mash the grains and prevent dough balls if you add a little grain at a time, mix, add more grain and repeat until all the grains are mixed

if you don’t have a mash tun with heating then ensure after you have finished mixing the grains in to insulate your mash tun (thick neoprene or heavy blankets both work well)

Step 3 (optional) – Sparging

if your setup has the capability to sparge then do so with 30L (7.9 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)
if you are not sparging and using a BIAB (brew in a bag) method then remove grains from mash tun and twist and squeeze the bag to get as much liquid out of the grains as possible
as you start sparging (or straining your BIAB bag) begin raising the temperature of your wort to a boil

Step 4 – Boiling

once your wort begins to boil start a timer for a 60-minute boil and add your bittering hops, 20g (0.7 oz) of Northern Brewer
at 15 minutes left in the boil add 2.5 whirlfloc tablets & remaining hops, 50g (1.76 oz) each of Northern Brewer & Fuggles

Step 5 – Whirlpooling / cooling

once wort has been boiling for 60 minutes in total turn off your heat source and begin chilling wort down to yeast pitching temperature
once you’ve reached yeast pitching temperature take an original gravity reading of your wort

Step 6 – Yeast Pitching

It is best to make a yeast starter before beginning your brew day (ideally 1 day before) to ensure your yeast are as active and healthy as possible before pitching, but not completely necessary – you could also just rehydrate yeast 30 minutes before pitching.
Pitch yeast in wort a degree or two higher than the target fermentation temperature to help yeast take off more aggressively

To make a yeast starter you can use either:

DME (dry malt extract) at a ratio of approx. 100g per 1L water (3.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) for gravity of approx. 1.040
some unfermented wort kept cold and sanitary from a previous brew day
70g of table sugar per 1L water (2.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) – however, it is best to use malt sugar (wort / DME) whenever possible to reduce the chance of shocking the yeast with a different food source from starter to wort pitching

To rehydrate yeast

Add yeast to approx. 10 times as much room temperature water as the weight of the yeast e.g. 10g yeast in 100 ml water (0.35 oz yeast in 3.5 fluid ounces water)

Step 7 – Fermentation

Allow yeast to ferment over the next week to two weeks
If you have a temperature-controlled system keep the fermenter temperature to the recommended fermentation temperature for each yeast strain (stated in the yeast ingredients section above)
Monitor the fermentation activity over the first 7 days by the bubbling of the blow off tube / airlock of your fermenter, as the bubbling slows down (roughly around day 7) take a gravity reading. If its around 1.020 – 1.025 “dry hop” with rum soaked cocoa nibs
When the gravity reaches around 1.018 raise the temperature of your fermenter by 1-2 degrees for 2 days for a diacetyl rest (if you don’t have temperature control don’t worry about this step, its not the end of the world!)
Its important to note that fermentation times will vary based on your circumstances like, temperature, amount of yeast pitched, healthiness of yeast, gravity of wort, pH etc. so don’t stress be patient and know that these times are just a rough guide
Two days after dry hopping take a gravity reading, fermentation should finish at about 1.015, if you haven’t reached this yet wait another day and take another reading, once the gravity is the same 2 days in a row move onto cold crashing! (If you can’t / don’t want to cold crash go straight to kegging/bottling your beer!)

Step 8 (optional) – Cold crashing

begin cold crashing your fermenter (bring the temperature of your fermenter down to as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible, for 2 days to a week depending on how patient you are
If you don’t have a temp-controlled fermenter, you can cold crash by putting your fermenter in a fridge or temp-controlled chest freezer
After you have finished cold crashing it's time to keg/bottle your beer! If you are bottling your beer from the fermenter uncarbonated remember to add about 5-7 grams (0.17 - 0.24 oz) of priming sugar to your bottles to carbonate your beer.

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Stout

5 min read

Easter Milk Chocolate Stout

Big, black, luxuriously velvety and drenched in milk chocolate! if you could milk the easter bunny and put it in a glass this is it right here!

So... What is it?

The Milk Chocolate Stout is a dark, creamy and rich full-bodied black beer, overflowing with roasted espresso and dark chocolate-like flavours. The sweet silky body is owed not just to the wheat and oats often used in the grain bill, but also lactose which is added to provide unfermentable milk-based sugars. Typically these beers range from 4-6% ABV with a few leaning into the boozy above 7% side of the spectrum, and have a high final gravity, which is why they remain so thick, creamy, and luxurious!

What's our like?

Our Easter-themed version of the big black stout comes in at a hefty 7.2% so sip slowly, don't chug! The mouthfeel is creamy, silky, and luxuriously thick, the bitterness very subdued, and thanks to the huge additions of REAL milk chocolate, cacao nibs, lactose, and vanilla extract this stout exudes massive flavours and aromas of rich dark chocolate, freshly baked pastries, and just enough sweet malty character to keep it all in balance! So enjoy this bad boy in the depths of winter and feel snug as a bug in a rug as the rich boozy choccy milk stout warms you from the inside out!

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Batch Size & Stats

42L / 11 gal finished beer
48L (12.6 gal) wort
Starting gravity – 1.077
Final gravity 1.024
ABV – 7%

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What ingredients?

Water

With sparging

90 minutes, 30L (7.9 gal) strike water 69°C (156.2°F) mash
34L (9 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)

Without sparging

90 minutes, 65L (17.2 gal) strike water 69°C (156.2°F) mash

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Malts

Total Grain Bill 12kg (15.4lb)

Light Munich – 7.2kg (15.9 lb) - 60%
Wheat malt – 1.3kg (2.8 lb) - 10.8%
Rolled Oats - 1.2kg (2.6 lb) - 10%
Eclipse Midnight Wheat - 1kg (2.2 lb) - 8.5%
Medium Crystal Malt - 720g (1.58 lb) - 6%
Dark Chocolate Malt - 580g (1.27 lb) - 5%
Rice Hulls – 1kg (2.2 lb)

Adjuncts (A LOT!)

2.2kg (4.8 lb) of milk chocolate (added last 10 mins of boil)
250g (0.55 lb) Lactose (added last 15 mins of boil)
500g (1.1 lb) cacao nibs oven-toasted at 180°C (356°F) for 7 minutes and added to last 10 mins of boil
500g (1.1 lb) cacao nibs oven-toasted at 180°C (356°F) for 7 minutes and soaked in 700ml of vodka for a week then added to the fermenter at the end of fermentation
60ml (2 oz) Vanilla extract - added to the fermenter at the end of fermentation

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Hops & whirlfloc tablets

Northern Brewer

15g (0.52 oz) - 60 minutes left in the boil

50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Fuggles

50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Whirlfloc

1.5g granulated or 2 tablets – 15 minutes left in the boil

Yeast options & fermentation temperatures

US-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
AUS-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
S-04 – ferment at 18°C (64.4°F) 22g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)

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Step by step process

Step 1 – Milling

Mill grains to medium crush (set mill rollers to a gap of approx. 1.00mm / 0.039 inches (credit card width)
Just keep in mind roller gap settings are not universal so as you brew more batches you will find the ideal crush size for your setup
Alternatively if you don’t have a grain mill you can order your grains crushed from most homebrew stores, both online and in person

Step 2 – Mashing

Mash for 90 minutes at 69°C (156.2°F)

Set your strike water to a few degrees above the target mash temperature (you can use the calculator in our website for this)
ensure you mix in the grains thoroughly with a mash paddle to prevent dough balls from forming (big spoons, spatulas or whisks will also work)
its easier to mash the grains and prevent dough balls if you add a little grain at a time, mix, add more grain and repeat until all the grains are mixed

if you don’t have a mash tun with heating then ensure after you have finished mixing the grains in to insulate your mash tun (thick neoprene or heavy blankets both work well)

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Step 3 (optional) – Sparging

if your setup has the capability to sparge then do so with 35L (9.2 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)
if you are not sparging and using a BIAB (brew in a bag) method then remove grains from mash tun and twist and squeeze the bag to get as much liquid out of the grains as possible
as you start sparging (or straining your BIAB bag) begin raising the temperature of your wort to a boil

Step 4 – Boiling

once your wort begins to boil start a timer for a 60-minute boil and add your bittering hops, 15g (0.52 oz) of Northern Brewer
at 15 minutes left in the boil add 2 whirlfloc tablets (OR granulated whirlfloc 1.5g (0.053 oz)), 250g (0.55 lb) Lactose and 50g (1.76 oz) each of Northern Brewer & Fuggles
at 10 minutes left in the boil add 2.2kg (4.8 lb) of milk chocolate and 500g (1.1 lb) of oven-toasted cacao nibs

Step 5 – Whirlpooling / cooling

once wort has been boiling for 60 minutes in total turn off your heat source and begin chilling wort down to yeast pitching temperature
once you’ve reached yeast pitching temperature take an original gravity reading of your wort

Step 6 – Yeast Pitching

It is best to make a yeast starter before beginning your brew day (ideally 1 day before) to ensure your yeast are as active and healthy as possible before pitching, but not completely necessary – you could also just rehydrate yeast 30 minutes before pitching.
Wort Aeration (Optional) if you have a paint mixer give your wort a quick blitz before pitching yeast to help add more dissolved oxygen into the wort to help the yeast have a healthier kick start into fermentation
Now add your tincture of Vanilla extract! (or you can wait till end of fermentation if you prefer)
Pitch yeast in wort a degree or two higher than the target fermentation temperature to help yeast take off more aggressively

To make a yeast starter you can use either:

DME (dry malt extract) at a ratio of approx. 100g per 1L water (3.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) for gravity of approx. 1.040
some unfermented wort kept cold and sanitary from a previous brew day
70g of table sugar per 1L water (2.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) – however, it is best to use malt sugar (wort / DME) whenever possible to reduce the chance of shocking the yeast with a different food source from starter to wort pitching

To rehydrate yeast

Add yeast to approx. 10 times as much room temperature water as the weight of the yeast e.g. 10g yeast in 100 ml water (0.35 oz yeast in 3.5 fluid ounces water)

Step 7 – Fermentation

Allow yeast to ferment over the next two weeks (approx.)
If you have a temperature-controlled system keep the fermenter temperature to the recommended fermentation temperature for each yeast strain (stated in the yeast ingredients section above)
Monitor the fermentation activity over the first 7-10 days by the bubbling of the blow-off tube/airlock of your fermenter, as the bubbling slows down (roughly around day 10-12) take a gravity reading. When the gravity reaches around 1.026 raise the temperature of your fermenter by 1-2 degrees for 2 days for a diacetyl rest (if you don’t have temperature control don’t worry about this step, it's not the end of the world!)
At the same time as starting diacetyl rest you can now add the 60ml (2 oz) of Vanilla extract and strain and add the cacao-infused vodka to the fermenter
On day 2 of the diacetyl rest (once gravity reaches roughly 1.024) & gravity is the same 3 days in a row move onto cold crashing! (If you can’t / don’t want to cold crash go straight to kegging/bottling your beer!)

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Step 8 (optional) – Cold crashing

begin cold crashing your fermenter (bring the temperature of your fermenter down to as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible, for 2 days to a week depending on how patient you are
If you don’t have a temp-controlled fermenter, you can cold crash by putting your fermenter in a fridge or temp-controlled chest freezer
After you have finished cold crashing it's time to keg/bottle your beer! If you are bottling your beer from the fermenter uncarbonated, remember to add about 5-7 grams (0.17 - 0.24 oz) of priming sugar to your bottles to carbonate your beer.

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Stout

5 min read

Barrel Aged Oatmeal Stout

I Like Big BARRELS and I cannot lie, all you other BREWERS can't deny, when that STOUT comes our that itty bitty spout you gotta get it in yo MOUTH!

So... What is it?

The Oatmeal Stout is a cousin of the classic Stout, the one major difference being a little obvious, oats! This gives the resulting beer more malty sweetness and a luxurious silky mouthfeel! Now add a barrel to the mix and Bam! you get a Barrel-aged oatmeal stout! Aging the beer for a period of time in a barrel allows the natural tannins and organic compounds in the oak to add additional layers of complexity to the Stout that you can't get in any other way, introducing layers of Vanilla, caramel, spiciness, and even Coconut!

What is ours like?

Here is our attempt at a winter classic! The mouthfeel is creamy, silky, and luxurious, the bitterness mild and in balance, as is the hops profile. The star of the show is the slightly sweet malty nutty character, with delicious flavours of freshly baked bread and espresso coffee-like flavours! Coming in at 6.3% its definitely not low abv but not the 10% target we had in mind! Finally, half this batch was thrown into a 20L Oak barrel that once held irish whiskey, contibuting further flavours of vanilla & oaky sweetness!

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Batch Size & Stats

35L / 9.5 gal finished beer
51L (13.47 gal) wort
Starting gravity – 1.066
Final gravity 1.018
ABV – 6.3%

What ingredients?

Water

With sparging

90 minutes, 30L (7.9 gal) Mash water 69°C (156.2°F) - use our calculator to determine strike water

42L (11 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)

Without sparging

90 minutes, 65L (17.2 gal) strike water 69°C (156.2°F) mash - use our calculator to determine strike water

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Malts

Total Grain Bill 14.2kg (31.3 lb) + 1kg (2.2 lb) rice hulls

Light Munich – 5.74kg (12.65 lb) - (40.4%)
Dark Munich - 1.96kg (4.32 lb) - (13.8%)
Wheat malt – 1.94kg (4.27 lb) - (13.7%)
Rolled Oats - 1.7kg (3.74 lb) - (12%)
Dark Chocolate malt 980g (2.16 lb) + 200g (7 Oz) end of mash for colour - (8.3%)
Medium Crystal Malt - 840g (1.85 lb) - (5.9%)
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Rice Hulls – 1kg (2.2 lb)

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Adjuncts

Vanilla extract - 3 small vanilla beans, sliced down the middle & soaked in a small cup of bourbon

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Hops & whirlfloc tablets

Northern Brewer

20g (0.7 oz) - 60 minutes left in the boil
50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Fuggles

50g (1.76 oz) 15 minutes left in the boil

Whirlfloc

1.5g (0.052 oz) / 2 tablets – 15 minutes left in the boil

Yeast options & fermentation temperatures

US-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
AUS-05 – ferment at 20°C (68°F) 23g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)
S-04 – ferment at 18°C (64.4°F) 22g (0.81 oz) / (2 packets)

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Step by step process

Step 1 – Milling

Mill grains to medium crush (set mill rollers to a gap of approx. 1.00mm / 0.039 inches (credit card width)
Just keep in mind roller gap settings are not universal so as you brew more batches you will find the ideal crush size for your setup
Alternatively if you don’t have a grain mill you can order your grains crushed from most homebrew stores, both online and in person

Step 2 – Mashing

Mash for 90 minutes at 69°C (156.2°F)

Set your strike water to a few degrees above the target mash temperature

ensure you mix in the grains thoroughly with a mash paddle to prevent dough balls from forming (big spoons, spatulas or whisks will also work)

its easier to mash the grains and prevent dough balls if you add a little grain at a time, mix, add more grain, and repeat until all the grains are mixed

if you don’t have a mash tun with heating then ensure after you have finished mixing the grains in to insulate your mash tun (thick neoprene or heavy blankets both work well)

‍

Step 3 (optional) – Sparging

if your setup has the capability to sparge then do so with 42L (11 gal) sparge water at 78°C (172°F)
if you are not sparging and using a BIAB (brew in a bag) method then remove grains from mash tun and twist and squeeze the bag to get as much liquid out of the grains as possible
as you start sparging (or straining your BIAB bag) begin raising the temperature of your wort to a boil

Step 4 – Boiling

(Optional) - for this beer we wanted to bump up the starting gravity after our very efficient mash! so we boiled the wort for an extra hour BEFORE we added our 60min bittering hops when the “real” boil began!

once your wort begins to boil start a timer for a 60-minute boil and add your bittering hops, 20g (0.7 oz) of Northern Brewer
at 15 minutes left in the boil add 2 whirlfloc tablets (OR granulated whirlfloc 1.5g (0.053 oz)) and 50g (1.76 oz) each of Northern Brewer & Fuggles

‍

Step 5 – Whirlpooling / cooling

once wort has been boiling for 60 minutes in total turn off your heat source and begin chilling wort down to yeast pitching temperature
once you’ve reached yeast pitching temperature take an original gravity reading of your wort

Step 6 – Yeast Pitching

It is best to make a yeast starter before beginning your brew day (ideally 1 day before) to ensure your yeast are as active and healthy as possible before pitching, but not completely necessary – you could also just rehydrate yeast 30 minutes before pitching.
Wort Aeration (Optional) if you have a paint mixer give your wort a quick blitz before pitching yeast to help add more dissolved oxygen into the wort to help the yeast have a healthier kick start into fermentation
Now add your tincture of Vanilla extract! (or you can wait till end of fermentation if you prefer)
Pitch yeast in wort a degree or two higher than the target fermentation temperature to help yeast take off more aggressively

To make a yeast starter you can use either:

DME (dry malt extract) at a ratio of approx. 100g per 1L water (3.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) for gravity of approx. 1.040
some unfermented wort kept cold and sanitary from a previous brew day
70g of table sugar per 1L water (2.5 oz per 33 fluid ounces) – however, it is best to use malt sugar (wort / DME) whenever possible to reduce the chance of shocking the yeast with a different food source from starter to wort pitching

To rehydrate yeast

Add yeast to approx. 10 times as much room temperature water as the weight of the yeast e.g. 10g yeast in 100 ml water (0.35 oz yeast in 3.5 fluid ounces water)

Step 7 – Fermentation

Allow yeast to ferment over the next two weeks (approx.)
If you have a temperature-controlled system keep the fermenter temperature to the recommended fermentation temperature for each yeast strain (stated in the yeast ingredients section above)
Monitor the fermentation activity over the first 7-10 days by the bubbling of the blow-off tube/airlock of your fermenter, as the bubbling slows down (roughly around day 10-12) take a gravity reading. When the gravity reaches around 1.020 raise the temperature of your fermenter by 1-2 degrees for 2 days for a diacetyl rest (if you don’t have temperature control don’t worry about this step, it's not the end of the world!)
On day 2 of the diacetyl rest (once gravity reaches roughly 1.018) & gravity is the same 3 days in a row move onto cold crashing! (If you can’t / don’t want to cold crash go straight to kegging/bottling your beer!)

‍

Step 8 (optional) – Cold crashing

begin cold crashing your fermenter (bring the temperature of your fermenter down to as close to 0°C (32°F) as possible, for 2 days to a week depending on how patient you are
If you don’t have a temp-controlled fermenter, you can cold crash by putting your fermenter in a fridge or temp-controlled chest freezer
After you have finished cold crashing it's time to keg/bottle your beer! If you are bottling your beer from the fermenter uncarbonated, remember to add about 5-7 grams (0.17 - 0.24 oz) of priming sugar to your bottles to carbonate your beer.

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