Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Stout Homebrew - Recipe and Results
We figured, ‘What the heck, why not make something interesting for stout month?’ and here it is. The Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Stout has arrived in a large mouthful and we are excited to share our experience brewing it.
The recipe we used came from the Make Some Beer book created by the owners of the Brooklyn Brew Shop. I won’t share the recipe in its entirety (I didn’t come up with it), but I will give an overview of the ingredients.
But before I do that, I must say that adding ingredients outside the big four (malt, hops, yeast, water) is new to me. I have experimented here and there with citrus peel, but this is the first time I’ve ever used anything beyond that. An interesting experience indeed, and it is exciting to taste each of these new additions and their supplemental flavors.
To make that final product, we used the ingredients below:
Ingredients:
Malt: 2-row, Chocolate, Flaked oats (of course), and Caramel 60.
Hops: East Kent Golding
Additionals: Brown sugar and raisins (applied at flame-out), Cinnamon stick (used during the boil), Safale S-33 Yeast, Maple syrup for bottling.
The process was pretty straightforward. The malt bill was pretty light, but when considering the addition of brown sugar and raisins at the end it seemed appropriate for keeping the sweetness and gravity in check, though I do think it took away from the final body of the beer. Maybe adding some Special B malt would give more body to the beer while also imparting some additional raisin-like flavors to the beer. Something to try next time.
Here’s what we tasted on our…
First Impressions:
First Look: Deep, dark, and beautiful with little head formation.
First Smell: Get the malt sweetness and the cinnamon and brown sugar right away, but it is not overly sweet, just like a freshly baked cookie.
First Taste: The brown sugar is quite strong, likely made stronger with the addition of Maple Syrup for bottling, but I like it—it fits the beers like a tailored suit. The cinnamon and raisin join forces in the end for a smooth finish brought out by the oatmeal.
Verdict:
This one made for a fun brew that gave us the opportunity to experiment with different adjuncts. I love using oatmeal in brewing. It adds a pleasant smoothness, especially in a very sweet stout like this one. It really does have the notes of an oatmeal raisin cookie and the cinnamon is pretty good, though I originally thought it would be overpowering when we tossed it in the boil. It is also worth noting that the projected final ABV is around 5.1%. Overall, I would make this one again, but after tweaking the malt a bit to get more mouthfeel and complexity, which is what I’m looking for when I seek out a stout. But this dessert stout is great for cold winter days, and it was fun to brew something out of our usual comfort zone.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew
Check out the Spent Grain Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe here!!