Not all Irish Stout is like Guinness Draught. While it is certainly a classic, it’s also fairly different than other stouts from Ireland. Most have more complexity to them than the simple pale malt, flaked barley, roasted barley recipe of Guinness. This recipe is more representative of some of the other versions.
Style: Irish Stout (Classic BJCP Style)
Description: More in the style of some of the stouts from Cork or Carlow than those from Dublin.
Batch Size: 6.5 gallons (25 L) OG: 1.046 FG: 1.013 Efficiency: 75% ABV: 4.4% IBU: 33 SRM: 39
Ingredients:
7.25 lb (2.3 kg) UK Pale Ale malt Mash
1.75 lb (794 g) UK Flaked Barley Mash
6 oz (170 g) Carapils Mash
12 oz (340 g) UK Crystal 80 Vorlauf
12 oz (340 g) UK Roasted Barley Vorlauf
6 oz (170 g) Debittered black malt Vorlauf
1.3 oz (37 g) UK challenger 8.5% pellets @ 60
Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast
Water treatment: RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons
1 tsp CaCl2 in mash
Mash technique: Infusion, mashout, dark grains added at vorlauf
Mash rests: 154°F (68°C) 70 minutes 168°F (76°C) 15 minutes
Kettle volume: 8 gallons (30 L) Boil length: 75 minutes
Final volume: 6.5 gallons (25 L)
Fermentation temp: 64°F (18°C)
Sensory description: A clean coffee-like roast flavor with moderate bitterness. The flavors are clean and distinct, but don’t taste excessively roasted or aggressively bitter. The crystal malt gives it a bit of residual sweetness that helps smooth the finish as well but the roasted barley does lend dryness to the aftertaste. Formulation notes: Because it uses crystal malt and black malt, this beer differs from Guinness. It’s also less bitter, which adds to the drinkability.
Variations: Try a little English chocolate malt for even more complexity. Push the beer up to the 6–6.5% range to make an extra stout. If you want more of roast bite, use regular black malt, not the debittered type.
