Maple Milk Stout

Jasper's Pure Maple Syrup

jaspermaple.com My Brewin' Buddy

So in my last post I mentioned I was roasting some brown malt that I was planning on using in a milk stout that I was going to do using maple syrup and roasted pecans. I brewed up my stout this weekend but I did not use the pecans. I'm still going to do a beer with them I think but the main reason I was planning on doing this stout was to grow up enough yeast to make a Russian Imperial Stout and I didn't know if the fats in the pecans would have the same effect on yeast that excessive amounts of hops can have. If you brew a beer with a lot of hops and try to reuse the yeast the results can be less than ideal because the oils can coat the yeast cell walls inhibiting optimal performance. So I brewed my stout without the nuts but I still think it is going to taste great. The though of blending in a touch of Frangelico at bottling has crossed my mind. Not sure if I'll do it. I'll probably try a small sample and see how it tastes. Here is the recipe I used:

Maple Milk Stout (5.5 gal batch)
Grain
4.25 lb Maris Otter
2 lb American Pale
2 lb Brown Malt (see prev post on how)
1 lb Black Patent
1 lb Honey Malt

2 lb Maple Syrup (Jasper's Maple Syrup from da U.P.)
1 lb Lactose

Hops
E.K. Goldings (31 IBUs) 60 min

Mashed at 155-156F for 60 min
Mashed out at 168F

O.G. 1.069
WlP 001 Cal Ale yeast
fermenting at 67-68F

Making Brown Malt

(click on pic to see it up close and personal)
This picture above is the color when it is done. At least mine was. I read that I should pull it out of the oven when I think it smells right rather then when it looks right. It smelled pretty damn good when I pulled it out.

Untoasted 2-row

Getting Ready To Go In The Oven at 225F

225F for 30 Min to dry it out completely.

Then:
30 Min at 300F
30 Min at 350F
Once you hit 350F make sure you
take the grain out and turn it over every 5-10
min. or so so it doesn't get burned.
This is what I ended up with

I'm sitting at my kitchen table right now drinking a 750ml of Trois Pistoles and enjoying the incredible smell coming from this pumpkin candle my wife bought and the aroma of 2row toasting in my oven at 350 F. I have to say, all of a sudden I am craving autumn and it's rich air and cooler temperatures. I decided to try and make my own brown malt tonight because I am planning on brewing up a stout that is basically going to be a beefed up milk stout with pecans and maple syrup and probably some cinnamon just before bottling. I wanted to use some brown malt in this to add that nice touch of fall. (gotta go turn my grain.....)

Wow, I opened my oven and you'd of thought I was making butterfingers. My whole house smells like a combination of toasted pumpkin seeds, popcorn, butterfinger candy bars, and chocolate. The smell alone is reason enough to toast your own malt. It is starting to turn a nice light brown. I started my toasting it at 225F for 30 minutes just to dry it out completely, the I gave it 30 min at 300F. I've stepped it up to 350F (the temp brown malt was traditionally roasted at albeit over a wood fire and rapidly brought up to temp) and now it is starting to definitely change in color. I've been turning it every 10 min or so now that I am at 350F as not to burn it.

That's what I did to get my brown malt. After reading Randy Mosher's book "Radical Brewing" I saw that he had this chart, which is pretty close to what I did. I just started at lower temps and worked my way up instead of just starting at your desired temp. I must state that I also dry roasted my grains giving it a toastier flavor rather then moistening my grain and then roasting them which would have given it a richer, more caramelized toast.

Min F (C) Color (L) Flavor
20 250 (121) Pale Gold (100) Nutty, not toasty
25 300 (149) Gold (20) Malty, Carmelly, rich, not toasty
30 350 (177) Amber (35) Nutty, Malty, Lightly Toasted
40 375 (191) Deep Amber (65) Nutty, toffee-like, crisp toastiness
30 400 (204) Copper (100) Strong toasted flavor, some nutlike notes
40 400 (204) Deep Copper (125) Roasted, not toasted, like porter or coffee
50 400 (204) Brown (175) Strong Roasted flavor