[Request] Leann Follain

[Paul B]

Would anyone have an idea of how to brew an Irish Extra Stout similar to this? Have been on a stout kick lately and Leann Follain just stands out to me as being amazing.

Any stouts I've done before have been a bit astringent and acidic, though have started adjusting water now so hopefully this will help. If there's any other common methods for stouts though that would help bring out a smoother profile please let me know!

[molc]

Gordon strong does a vorlauf addition of all dark grains to the mash to avoid astrigency. Basically add them after the mash is complete while you recirculate before you lauter.

As for LeAnn follain, I'm planning on bigging up Gordon strongs stout recipe in the future to try to get there. It's crystal 80, debittered black malt, roast barley, carapils and flaked barley with pale malt as the base.

[armedcor]

Yea I'd be all over this if someone had a recipe. It almost tastes like a milk stout to me. Beautiful beer.

[cruiscinlan]

Gordon strong does a vorlauf addition of all dark grains to the mash to avoid astrigency. Basically add them after the mash is complete while you recirculate before you lauter.

How would you manage this on a fairly primitive mash set up using a picnic cooler?

As for LeAnn follain, I'm planning on bigging up Gordon strongs stout recipe in the future to try to get there. It's crystal 80, debittered black malt, roast barley, carapils and flaked barley with pale malt as the base.

Where can you get a debittered black malt?  Or can you make/hack it yourself?

[Bubbles]

Where can you get a debittered black malt?  Or can you make/hack it yourself?

Look for "Carafa Special" available in grades 1, 2 and 3, in increasing order of roastiness. All of the HBSs stock it.

[molc]

Gordon strong does a vorlauf addition of all dark grains to the mash to avoid astrigency. Basically add them after the mash is complete while you recirculate before you lauter.

How would you manage this on a fairly primitive mash set up using a picnic cooler?

You could cold or hot steep the dark grains, then add to the liquor as you begin your boil. Alternatively, you could add them to the mash at the end of mashing, then stir, let settle and start your vorlauf as usual.

[Kevin O'Roundwood]

How would you manage this on a fairly primitive mash set up using a picnic cooler?

Tin foil and a jug?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwwwsd91ZTw

[Qs]

Gordon strong does a vorlauf addition of all dark grains to the mash to avoid astrigency. Basically add them after the mash is complete while you recirculate before you lauter.

How would you manage this on a fairly primitive mash set up using a picnic cooler?

Just throw the dark grains in late. I do it between 10-15 minutes. Then just give it a good stir. I did this for a stout last month and got all the colour I needed. I'll be interested to get a taste and see what difference it makes now.

[Hop Bomb]

I never mash roast barley. I always add it in the sparge. 0.5% is my usual in stouts. I use about 7% chocolate malt & 2% carafa special III. Bunch of crystal too. Not very roasty but who likes drinking burnt coffee right? ...And oats, lots of oats. Mmmm.

[Paul B]

I never mash roast barley. I always add it in the sparge. 0.5% is my usual in stouts. I use about 7% chocolate malt & 2% carafa special III. Bunch of crystal too. Not very roasty but who likes drinking burnt coffee right? ...And oats, lots of oats. Mmmm.

Thanks for that hop bomb. Is that only 0.5% roast barley?? Also, do you treat your water differently when not mashing the roast, i.e. as if you were brewing a pale malty beer?

[Hop Bomb]

Yes thats a half a percent. Its not roasty at all like. Smooth & chocolatey. Wouldnt score well in a comp but it disappears fast from the kegerator. (ive added cracked coffee beans & cocoa nibs to a previous kegged batch but it turned into an ashtray beer - drain pour keg)

Yip thats the job. Just adjust your mash water to hit your ph for malt foward beer.

(btw - this is no way to make a leann follain clone. It was just some info on mashing roasted grains) 

[cruiscinlan]

Yes thats a half a percent. Its not roasty at all like. Smooth & chocolatey. Wouldnt score well in a comp but it disappears fast from the kegerator. (ive added cracked coffee beans & cocoa nibs to a previous kegged batch but it turned into an ashtray beer - drain pour keg)

Yip thats the job. Just adjust your mash water to hit your ph for malt foward beer.

(btw - this is no way to make a leann follain clone. It was just some info on mashing roasted grains)

Cheers for the pointers on that. I'm going to try this tomorrow with a vorlauf and late mash addition as suggested and we see what happens.

Also 700g of lightly toasted oats.

[Partridge9]

I never mash roast barley. I always add it in the sparge. 0.5% is my usual in stouts. I use about 7% chocolate malt & 2% carafa special III. Bunch of crystal too. Not very roasty but who likes drinking burnt coffee right? ...And oats, lots of oats. Mmmm.

So you mash the chocolate and carafra special ? or not ?
I am curious about not mashing roast barley, I appreciate the reason for black IPAs and such but for other beers, a little burnt flavour gives some bite .. no ?

Oats work in so many beers alright !

[Qs]

It depends on your tastes, I've got the stout I mentioned above where I threw the roast barley in for the last 15 minutes (no sparge mash) and it is way smoother and less of that burnt, bitter character. The bitterness coming more clearly from the hops. So it works for sure but you may not always want to lose the burnt character. I think I'll experiment with more roast barley rather than going back. It still has a definite roast character but it could be more.

[Dr Jacoby]

You might be interested in this experiment. I have tried mashing grains and just steeping them. My impression was that the steeped grains gave less flavour. I can't say they made a smoother beer either, but the smoothness of a stout depends a lot on how you treat your water (among other things) in my experience.

I reckon the jury is still out on the mashing v steeping of roasted grains.