Long delayed - purchased from here a couple of years ago & cans have a 'best before' date of 06/18 - but finally got around to starting my first of two batches of Oatmeal Stout.
As with other Black Rock kits, it's supposed to be 2 cans to make 23L and around 4.5% ABV ( or that's what their website now says...no mention of the ABV on the cans )
I'm making this batch with one can plus around 10L water, together with 1Kg of ( dark ) molasses sugar and a Fuggles hop teabag.
Currently waiting for it to cool down enough to check the starting SG and add the yeast - not using the supplied yeast, I'll be trying Mangrove Jack's M42 New World Strong Ale Yeast instead.
The just-mixed concoction
.....
The second batch, which I'll probably start in a few days, will likely be
One can & 10L water
Either a 1.2Kg bag of Mangrove Jack's Pure LME or - more likely - a can of Briess Porter Malt Extract.
May also chuck in a hop teabag, not sure which one though...maybe Goldings.
Yeast will be what's supplied with the kit ( I'll probably use both sachets )
Comments
Still waiting for it to cool enough to pitch the yeast....it's down to 24C and I'm hoping to get it down to 16-18C
Just checked the SG and it's 1.08
If that ferments down to the claimed 1.014 ( which would be 82% attenuation, about the limit for the M42 yeast ) that would be about 8.5% ABV !
Hmmm.....might have a rethink, stick the brew into a bigger brewbucket ( it's currently in a 15L one ) and add some more water to get the starting SG down to around 1.06 , which would potentially be around 6% ABV.
Transferred it to a larger ( 30L ) brewbucket.
Temperature down to 18C and yeast has now been added, so let's see where it goes from there.
Think I'm going to have to move it to somewhere warmer to see if that kicks it off.
Just have to wait to see if it starts fermenting.
Temperature's up to around 19C and it's started fermenting.
Granted it'll change as it ferments, but it's currently very sweet with a noticeable molasses taste....possibly using 1Kg molasses sugar will prove to have been a bit much, but that's part of the fun of experimenting
Still very sweet & molasses-tasting.
Still got a slight molasses taste but it's not sweet any more.
Fermentation's died right down, so I've given it a good stir.
Hopefully that's about it.
Double-checked using a second hydrometer, just in case.
If it's down again tomorrow I think I'll stick it outside in the shed to crash-stop it.
As a result, I've just finished bottling it....about 15.5L in total ( 31x 500ml bottles )
Yeast was very compacted at the bottom of the brewbucket.
Just have to wait a month or so now before sampling it.