American Style Stout

[bmxfrank]

Designing/Brewing an American Style Stout. To me, stouts are roasty, have bitterness from the dark malts, smell like "stout", etc. Typically hops are just in the beginning of boil to balance, maybe a bit toward the end but not in the aroma.

American Style such as Rougue (one of my favorites by the way) have a pleasant hop character to them, aroma included.

I can see the style guideline for IBU's but my question then is how to figure the distribution of IBU's so I have hop character but still have "stout" charecter as well.

Im thinking 15 plato beer with 50 IBU's. Possible 3 additions of 35, BU's, 15 BU's and some aroma. All at the typical 60, 30, 0 schedule.

Am I close?

Frank

[wiredgourmet]

50 sounds a little high for a stout; you'll get some bitterness and bite from the black malt. What % grist do you imagine using? Will you ease it a bit with some chocolate malt or use straight patent or roast? I suppose 50 could work if you go easy on the high-roast, but Americans are used to high hop rates in craft beers, so I am not sure what to say.

My dry stout is >40 IBU and has plenty of bite, although I use straight patent at 7%, which many people would consider high. Works great for me though.

Keep in mind that you need less roast in higher grav worts. Guinness uses 10% for their mighty 9.5P wort. Think about how much water is in that glass. At 15P you would use appr 6-7% to get the same strong roast character in the glass.

[beerking1]

For an American Style Stout, 50 is pretty much in the middle of the range. The BJCP Style Guidelines give 35-75 IBUs. That is for an OG of 12.5-18.75 (which you are also in the middle of).

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1e

The hop varieties are usually NW hops, and the hop aroma should be low to medium.
I would recommend considering a 15 minute addition to bring out a little more flavor and aroma. Maybe back off on the 60 minute to make up for the added 15 minute addition. If you use something like Amarillo or Simcoe, the late additions will come through real nicely.

[drewseslu]

I favor a more mellow method of darkening a stout of this nature. A combination of CaraFa Special Dehusked and Crisp Roast Barley (680L) with some darker crystal malts makes for a chocolately rather than overbearingly roasty (astringent, ashy or burnt) profile that in my experience works better with higher hopping rates.