All Grain Recipe: #20 Triple-X Sweet Stout

I'll confess that I'm a big fan of Stouts. Maybe it's because they were among the first complex, craft beers I ever had, and maybe it's because I love coffee and chocolate and all those other flavors that define a good Stout. Or maybe it's because back before I appreciated hops, Stouts were just the kind of malt-forward, mild but interesting experience I was looking for.

Now I'm brewing my own beer and I appreciate all styles of craft beer. I love hops and bitter, extreme beers. I made a Mr. Beer Stout recipe and was really disappointed - it didn't have the flavors or drinkability I expected, and I still haven't finished the batch from over 6 months ago. Do I still like Stouts?

Well, there's more to the style than just 'Stout'. There are dry stouts like Guiness Draught, which tastes like water and stale coffee. Add a little more body and you've got Guiness Extra Stout, which I think is pretty good. Beef it up even more and you've got the Foreign Extra Stout, a Stout brewed at higher gravity specifically for import (I haven't had this). Add oatmeal for a thicker, creamier texture and you get an Oatmeal Stout, of which Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout is far and away my favorite.

Then there's the Imperial Stout, a terrifying monstrosity that approaches or even surpasses 10% ABV and actually has late hopping. These things are thick, alcoholic and must be aged months or even years before they reach their prime.

Oatmeal stouts were my favorite. I say 'were' because I recently had a Milk Stout made by a brewery in Alaska (it might be Kenai River Brewing Co., but don't quote me on that). It was my first Sweet Stout, and it was a revelation. It combined my favorite things in the world: beer, espresso/chocolate and milk. Now, it didn't literally contain chocolate, espresso and milk, but I'll be damned if it didn't taste like having an alcoholic espresso!

In fact, the official BJCP guidelines agree:

A very dark, sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty ale. Often tastes like sweetened espresso.

Damn right.

Sweet Stouts are actually not sweet. They are also called 'Milk Stouts' because of the use of unfermentable lactose (milk sugar). This thickens up the body and gives it a barely perceptible 'milk-like' character, especially in the finish. Lactose isn't sweet. Seriously, try some right out of the bag.

However, a Sweet Stout doesn't have to be made with lactose. It can be sweet or not. It can be astringent and start or smooth and chocolatey. The important thing is that it has a thick body, moderate alcohol, low hop bitterness, no hop flavor, is relatively clean with only a slight fruitiness and is dominated by 'roasty' flavors. Lactose just happens to be the easiest and most traditional way to get the perfect character for this style, and I wouldn't recommend doing it any other way.

If you insist on having a 'sweet' Sweet Stout, try using a yeast with low attenuation like WLP002. I used a more attenuative, less fruity strain, WLP007. If it still isn't sweet enough for you, tough luck - sweet is a relative term when it comes to beer.


Another thing about Milk Stouts: they have a nice creamy head upon pouring, but it disappears almost immediately. This is not a flaw. Bad head retention is a typical trait of commercial examples (rare as they are), no matter how good they are. You'll just have to get over it. Don't go on BeerAdvocate and ding a Milk Stout you just tried because the head was gone in five seconds!

Speaking of commercial examples, the only one I've personally found on store shelves is Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I remember it being quite good, and didn't know it was a Sweet Stout at the time. It isn't to style though, since it is made with chocolate. Some beers I'd like to try are Left Hand Milk Stout, Rogue Double Chocolate Stout (though the high ABV is suspicious) and a couple examples from Terrapin, none of which I have been able to find locally.

The recipe I used came from The Jamil Show episode on Sweet Stout. JZ gives the same recipe in his Brewing Classic Styles, where he calls it Triple-X. The name is an homage to JZ's favorite Sweet Stout, Mackeson's XXX. I can only assume that he modeled his recipe after that beer.

What will jump out at you immediately is the insane amount of Black Patent malt in this recipe. According to JZ, he prefers to use Black malt in sweet stouts and Roasted Barley in his other stouts. I was worried about this at first, especially when I tried a sample at bottling time and found it to be tart and bitter, even astringent, from the large amount of black malt.

Don't worry. Don't change the recipe. It turned out great, the best beer I've ever made. The lactose, thick body and bitter roastiness of the black malt all come together to make something you'd never expect. It is perfect, and I plan to brew this beer over and over again. In fact, this won't just be my house stout: it will be my house beer, period.

Also, the wife loves it.

Anyway, below is my recipe, followed by the 6 gallon original recipe from The Jamil Show and Brewing Classic Styles. The original recipe also includes my notes from the show, which you should definitely read.

My recipe:

Insomnia Stout

Sweet Stout

Type: All Grain	Date: 7/2/2011
Batch Size (fermenter): 12.000 qt
Boil Size: 18.105 qt
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Brew Pot, Full Boil All Grain (5 Gallon)
End of Boil Volume 12.480 qt	Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 10.300 qt	Est Mash Efficiency 64.7 %
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 8.0 oz Milk Sugar (Lactose) [Boil for5 min](0.0 SRM) Extract 11 8.0 % 4 lbs 10.7 oz Pale Ale Malt, US (3.0 SRM) Grain 3 75.0 % 7.5 oz Black (Patent) Malt (560.0 SRM) Grain 4 7.6 % 5.6 oz Crystal/Caramel Malt - 75L (75.0 SRM) Grain 5 5.6 % 3.7 oz Pale Chocolate Malt (225.0 SRM) Grain 6 3.7 % 14.00 g Goldings, East Kent [7.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 26.0 IBUs 1.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) [35.49 ml] Yeast 10 - 1.00 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 4.00 g Calcium Chloride (Boil 90.0 mins) Water Agent 7 - 1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 9 - 0.50 tsp Gelatin (Secondary 1.0 weeks) Fining 12 - 20.466 qt Walnut Creek Water 1 -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.058 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.058 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.020 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.021 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.0 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.9 %
Bitterness: 26.0 IBUs	Calories: 198.0 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 39.5 SRM
Mash Profile
Mash Name: BIAB Single Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 6 lbs 3.6 oz
Sparge Water: 12.122 qt	Grain Temperature: 32.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Tun Temperature: 166.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.20
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 8.344 qt of water at 165.9 F 151.0 F 60 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 20 min 168.0 F 0 min
Sparge Step: Drain mash tun, Batch sparge with 1 steps (12.122qt) of 168.0 F water
Mash Notes:
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Bottle	Volumes of CO2: 2.0
Pressure/Weight: 42.20 g	Carbonation Used: Bottle with 42.20 g Corn Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 64.0 F	Age for: 28.00 days
Fermentation: My Aging Profile	Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes

The original recipe:

Sweet Stout

Sweet Stout

Type: All Grain	Date: 8/13/2007
Batch Size (fermenter): 24.000 qt	Brewer: Jamil Zainasheff
Boil Size: 29.857 qt	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (6+gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (5 Gal)
End of Boil Volume 26.000 qt	Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 24.000 qt	Est Mash Efficiency 63.5 %
Fermentation: My Aging Profile	Taste Rating(out of 50): 0.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 1 lbs Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 7 7.5 % 10 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 75.5 % 1 lbs Black (Patent) Malt (560.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.5 % 12.0 oz Crystal/Caramel Malt - 75L (75.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.7 % 8.0 oz Pale Chocolate Malt (225.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.8 % 42.50 g Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 24.1 IBUs 1.0 pkg Bedford British Ale (White Labs #WLP006) [35.49 ml] Yeast 6 -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.059 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.023 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.6 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.9 %
Bitterness: 24.1 IBUs	Calories: 206.0 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 40.1 SRM
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body	Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs 4.0 oz
Sparge Water: 21.210 qt	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE	Mash PH: 5.20
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 14.700 qt of water at 166.1 F 151.0 F 60 min
Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 21.210 qt water at 168.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Bottle	Volumes of CO2: 1.8
Pressure/Weight: 88.01 g	Carbonation Used: Bottle with 88.01 g Corn Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F	Age for: 28.00 days
Fermentation: My Aging Profile	Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Mild grain, coffee, chocolate aroma. Dark brown to black color. Creamy, large head. Flavor dominated by dark malts, medium-high sweetness, lower bitterness than dry stout. Sweetened by lactose. Low fruity esters. No diacetyl. Low bitterness, enough to balance the sweetness. Creamy, silky texture. Low-medium alcohol, session or dessert beer. Lactose is very slightly sweet and is not fermentable, so it adds to FG, mouth feel and some sweetness. Illegal at some point to label as "Milk Stout" in the US: now or in the past? Possibly because people might confuse it for milk. Right... Some commercial examples are on the drier side, but for competitions it should be on the sweet side. You don't technically need to add lactose to make a sweet stout, but you should. Don't add milk - yuck. Recipe is from Brewing Classic Styles (it seems most of these are). Volume is 24 quarts, rack 22 quarts to the fermentor, finish with 20 quarts of bottled beer. For me, that would be 12-11-10. John is surprised that the recipe uses one pound of lactose - he has been recommending that people use 1/4 pound. JZ says that amount is not even noticeable. Use British Pale Ale malt (because it is biscuit-y and works well in this type of stout, but not necessarily all stouts), mashed at 151 F. MoreBeer sells American Pale Ale malt which is similar. You can also use Maris Otter. Put the lactose in at the end of the boil. Use 1 pound of black malt 525L (for bitter roastiness), 3/4 pound of crystal 80 (for roasted caramel/raisin flavor and residual sweetness), 1/2 pound of pale chocolate 200L (for roasted/coffee/chocolate/toasted/nutty flavor). John asks why he uses black patent instead of roasted barley. JZ says he uses roasted barley for dry stouts and foreign extra stout and black patent for sweet stouts. Darker crystal malt helps to balance out the dark malts (chocolate & black). If there was no lactose, JZ would probably add a lighter, sweeter crystal like crystal 15. Hop with an english hop, preferably kent goldings. 1.5 oz (43 gm) 5% AA pellets for 60 minutes, 29 IBU rager. Adjust based on whether your beer is bigger or smaller. There is some flavor in the low alpha, high quantity even when used as a bittering hop, so it is important to use a proper english hop. Ferment with WLP006 or Wyeast 1099. They have the right character and aren't too attenuative. You may use Safale S-04 dry yeast as well. Use 2 liquid yeast packages or a starter. Ferment at 68 F and carbonate to 1.5-2.0 volumes. Serve slightly warmer, around 50 F. Lower carbonation accentuates the creaminess of a beer. Higher carbonation makes it more dry and sharp; sweet stout should be smooth and creamy. Kegging lets you try your beer at different carbonation levels until it is perfect for your tastes. You may sub splenda if you are lactose intolerant, but you won't get the milk character or the mouth feel of lactose. Dextrin malt or maltodextrin powder should be used if you use splenda. BeerSmith's extract for lactose is 1.035. However, the only way to get the recipe to match anywhere near Jamil's is to use 1.046 for the lactose ppg. JZ's favorite commercial sweet stout is Mackeson's XXX.