The 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines for 16B Oatmeal Stout are as follows:
“Overall Impression: A very dark, full-bodied, roasty, malty ale with a complementary oatmeal flavor. The sweetness, balance, and oatmeal impression can vary considerably.”
Your goal is to essentially create a stout that sits between Sweet Stout and Dry Stout with a full body and silky mouthfeel stemming primarily from the oatmeal and higher mash temp. It’s honestly peculiar that the guideline calls for an oatmeal flavor because the oats really don’t have a strong noticeable flavor with all the stout flavors present. In my recipe, I use a technique suggested in Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher, and Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff: toast the oats at 300℉ until they lightly brown and begin to smell of oatmeal cookies. The idea is that the flavor and aroma will come through stronger. Many a brewer back this observation up.
Recipe: Oats M’ Goats Oatmeal Stout
Ingredients
For 5.5 gallons (20.8) liters
Grains
- 8.0 oz. Roasted Barley (Crisp) 695.0 SRM
- 8.0 oz. Special B (Dingemans) 147.5 SRM
- 12.0 oz. Chocolate Malt (Briess) 350.0 SRM
- 12.0 oz. Victory Malt (Briess) 28.0 SRM
- 1 lbs Oats, Flaked (Briess) 1.4 SRM
- 6 lbs 12.0 oz. Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) 1.8 SRM
- Total Grain: 10.25 lbs
Hops
- 0.5 oz. Northern Brewer [9.9 %] Pellets Boil 60 min
- 0.5 oz. Northern Brewer [9.9 %] Pellets Boil 30 min
Yeast
Specifications
- Original Gravity: 1.054
- IBU: 35
- SRM: 44.4
- Boil Time: 60 min
- Efficiency: 72%
Directions
- Toast 1lb oats on oven tray at 300℉ until lightly browned and aromatic.
- Mash in — Add 14.81 qt of water at 166.6℉ to achieve step temperature of 156℉ for 45 minutes.
- Mash Out — Add 5.12 qt of water at 207.1℉ to achieve step temperature of 168℉ for 10 minutes.
- Fly sparge with 3.31 gallons of water at 168℉.
- Add water to achieve boil volume of 6.56 gallons.
- Achieve boil and complete hot break.
- Add 60 minute addition .5 oz Northern Brewer pellets.
- Add 30 minute addition .5 oz Northern Brewer pellets.
- Cool wort to 62℉.
- Transfer wort to carboy with valve or siphon leaving behind cold break and kettle trub.
- Oxygenate the wort — pure oxygen method
- Pitch your yeast.
- Allow to ferment 30 days at 68℉.
- Bottle or Keg and enjoy your beer!
Hope you enjoy the recipe! Be sure to subscribe to the mailing list to stay up to date with new recipes, articles, and interviews.
Keep on brewin’
Michael Heuer
The Brewer’s Life