Guinness Irish Stout

Drop

Proper SLC Pils

Draft Beer

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Peachy Palmer

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Painkiller

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Raspberry

Pineapple Mojito

Peach Cucumber Mule

Crush the grains (pale malt, crystal/kilned, roasted barley, flaked barley) to a coarse grist. Heat 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of brewing water to about 165°F (74°C) to account for mash temperature drop.

Crush and Heat

Add the crushed grains to a mash tun and pour the heated water over them. Aim for a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Stir to ensure there are no dry pockets and good grain/water contact.

Mash In

Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes to allow conversion of starches to fermentable sugars. Optionally perform a 10-minute mash out at 168°F (76°C) to stop enzymatic activity.

Mash Rest

Sparge the grains with enough water at 170°F (77°C) to collect about 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort in the boil kettle (this accounts for boil-off and trub).

Sparge

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil. Once boiling, add 0.75 oz East Kent Goldings (or Fuggle) hops for bittering. Boil for a total of 60 minutes.

Bring to a Boil

With 10 minutes left in the boil, add the lactose (if using) and 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc to help clear the beer. If you want a light aroma hop addition, add 0.25 oz Saaz or Hallertau with 5 minutes remaining.

Flavor and Aroma Additions

At the end of the 60-minute boil, quickly chill the wort to around 68°F (20°C) using an immersion/plate chiller or ice bath. Transfer the wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind the trub.

Cool the Wort

If using liquid yeast (Wyeast/White Labs), make a starter 24–48 hours before brewing. If using dry yeast, rehydrate according to the manufacturer's instructions or pitch directly if recommended.

Prepare Yeast

Aerate the cooled wort by shaking or using an aeration stone, then pitch the yeast when the wort is around 66–68°F (19–20°C). Seal the fermenter and attach an airlock.

Pitching

Allow fermentation at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for about 7–10 days or until vigorous fermentation has subsided. Specific gravity should drop to around 1.010–1.015 (expected final gravity for a stout may be 1.010–1.018 depending on lactose).

Primary Fermentation

Optional: Rack to a secondary fermenter for 1–2 weeks to clear, though many brewers leave it on the yeast for additional conditioning.

Secondary Conditioning (optional)

Dissolve the priming sugar (3.75 oz dextrose) in 1 cup of boiling water, cool, and add to a sanitized bottling bucket.

Prepare Priming

Transfer the finished beer gently to the bottling bucket to mix with the priming solution, avoiding splashing. Fill and cap sanitized bottles.

Bottle

Allow bottles to carbonate at room temperature (65–72°F / 18–22°C) for 2 weeks. Chill a bottle and taste. For best flavor, condition bottles for 3–4 weeks total before long-term storage or drinking.

Carbonation and Aging

Serve the stout slightly warm compared to lagers, around 50–55°F (10–13°C) in a tulip or pint glass. Pour gently to leave some sediment in the bottle if bottle-conditioned. Expect flavors of roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel (enhanced if lactose was used).

Pale malt (2-row)

Kilned or crystal malt (60L)

Roasted barley

Flaked barley

Lactose (optional, for mouthfeel)

East Kent Goldings (or Fuggle) hops

Saaz or Hallertau (optional aroma)

Irish ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1084 or White Labs WLP004)

Brewing water (adjusted to moderate hardness)

Campden tablet (optional, for chlorine/chloramine removal)

Priming sugar (dextrose) for bottling

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional clarifier)

Chill a rocks glass by filling it with ice and set aside while you mix the cocktail.

Prepare glass

In a cocktail shaker, add vodka (2 oz), fresh lime juice (0.75 oz), simple syrup (0.5 oz), green chartreuse (0.25 oz) and egg white if using (0.5 oz).

Combine ingredients

If using egg white, first dry-shake (no ice) vigorously for 15–20 seconds to emulsify and build foam.

Dry shake

Add 6 ice cubes to the shaker and shake hard for 12–15 seconds until well chilled and slightly frosty on the outside of the shaker.

Wet shake

Discard the ice from the chilled rocks glass and place one large ice cube in the glass.

Prepare serving glass

Double-strain the cocktail into the rocks glass over the large ice cube using a Hawthorne and fine-mesh strainer to catch any small ice chips and egg white solids. The drink should sit about 3/4 full over the cube.

Strain

Float a very small drop (about 1–2 drops, ~0.02 oz) of absinthe or a couple drops of aromatic bitters on the foam or top of the drink to add aroma. Alternatively, use no float for a cleaner profile.

Finish

Garnish with a lime wheel or twist on the rim or floated on the ice. Serve immediately.

vodka

fresh lime juice

simple syrup (1:1)

green chartreuse

egg white (optional, for texture)

ice (for shaking)

ice (for serving)

lime wheel or lime twist

drop of absinthe or a few drops of aromatic bitters (optional)

Crush the pilsner, Munich, and Carapils malts to a consistent medium-coarse crush. Heat 4.0 gallons of brewing water to strike temperature (around 165°F / 74°C) to achieve a mash temp of 149–152°F (65–67°C) when grains are added.

Crush and heat

Add the crushed grain to the strike water and stir to eliminate dry pockets. Hold the mash at 149–152°F (65–67°C) for 60 minutes to produce a clean, moderately fermentable wort with a balanced body.

Mash

Raise the mash to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes (mash out) to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort runoff.

Mash out

Sparge with enough 170–175°F (77–80°C) water to collect about 6.5–7.0 gallons of pre-boil wort (targeting ~5.25 gallons post-boil).

Prepare water before mashing by dissolving gypsum and calcium chloride into your mash/sparge water to gently enhance hop bitterness and malt expression while keeping the profile appropriate for a Czech-style pils. Use the listed amounts or adjust based on your source water test. Use low-mineral water if possible.

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil and begin the 60-minute timer once boiling commences.

Bring to a rolling boil

Add 0.5 oz Saaz hops with 60 minutes remaining in the boil for a clean, noble-style bitterness.

Bittering addition (60 min)

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add 0.75 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh (or Saaz) and the Irish moss/Whirlfloc. With 5 minutes remaining, add the 0.5 oz Saaz for bright late aroma. This gives a gentle floral/herbal character without overwhelming bitterness.

Whirlpool / late hops (10-15 min)

At the end of the boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort quickly (counterflow/immersion chiller or ice bath) to around 50°F (10–12°C) for lager pitching, or around 60–64°F (15–18°C) if using a fast lager or hybrid method.

Cool wort

Aerate or oxygenate the cooled wort thoroughly to a dissolved oxygen level appropriate for lager yeast (8–10 ppm if using pure O2). Rehydrate or pitch the liquid yeast per manufacturer instructions (or pitch the packet). Add yeast nutrient if using.

Oxygenate and pitch

Ferment at 50–54°F (10–12°C) until active fermentation is finished (typically 7–10 days for a healthy lager yeast). Monitor gravity; expect a starting gravity around 1.046–1.050 and final gravity around 1.010–1.012.

Primary fermentation

When fermentation is nearly complete (within ~2–3 gravity points of final), raise temperature to 60–65°F (15–18°C) for 48 hours to encourage yeast to clean up diacetyl.

Diacetyl rest

After the diacetyl rest, gradually cool to near-freezing (34–38°F / 1–3°C) over several days and lager (cold-condition) for 3–6 weeks to clarify and mellow flavors.

Lagering

Sanitize bottles and equipment. Boil the priming sugar (3.5 oz dextrose in 1 cup water) for 10 minutes, cool, add to bottling bucket, then rack beer onto the priming solution, gently mix to evenly distribute without aeration. Fill and cap bottles.

Bottle conditioning

Condition bottles at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 10–14 days to carbonate, then cold-condition for a few days. For lager-style carbonation (2.4–2.6 volumes CO2) chill and store for an additional week before serving. Alternatively, keg and force carbonate to the same range.

Carbonation and conditioning

Sanitize all fermentation and bottling equipment with a no-rinse sanitizer before use. Maintain good sanitation practices throughout. Clean and store yeast starter equipment if you used one.

Pilsner malt (2-row pilsner or German Pils)

Munich malt (light)

Carapils / dextrin malt

Brewing water (low mineral, adjusted for soft profile)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate)

Calcium chloride

Saaz hops (whole or pellet) - bittering

Hallertau Mittelfrüh or Saaz - flavor/aroma

Saaz - late aroma / whirlpool

Liquid lager yeast (Saflager W-34/70 or Wyeast 2124) or Pilsner strain

Yeast nutrient (optional)

Priming sugar (corn sugar / dextrose) for bottling

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (kettle fining)

Sanitizer (no-rinse)

Sanitize all fermentation equipment, airlocks, siphons, caps, and any utensils that will contact wort or beer using a no-rinse sanitizer per manufacturer directions. Rinse only if the sanitizer instructs. Keep sanitized items covered until use.

Sanitation

Measure ~6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of good-tasting water. If your water has chlorine/chloramine, treat with a Campden tablet (crushed) — add one tablet per 20 gallons, or follow tablet instructions. Heat the strike water to about 164°F (73°C) to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) when grains are added.

Water preparation

Place crushed pale malt (9 lbs), caramel/crystal malt (0.5 lb), and optional Munich malt (0.5 lb) into the mash tun. Pour strike water to achieve a mash thickness of about 1.25–1.5 qts per pound (for 10 lb of grain, ~3.1–3.75 qts). Stir thoroughly to eliminate dry pockets. Hold mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Maintain temperature within ±3°F (±1.5°C).

After 60 minutes, raise mash temperature to ~168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes (mash out) to stop enzymatic activity. Begin recirculating first runnings until they run clear, then collect wort into the kettle. Sparge with additional ~3 gallons (11.4 L) of water at 168°F (76°C) to collect approximately 6 gallons of wort in the boil kettle (account for evaporation).

Mash out and lautering

Bring wort to a rolling boil. Start 60-minute timer when boil begins. Add bittering hops (1 oz Magnum) at the start of the 60-minute boil. With 15 minutes remaining, add Irish moss or Whirlfloc (1 tsp). With 15 minutes remaining, add flavor hops (0.5–1.0 oz, depending on desired profile). Add aroma hops (1 oz) with 0–5 minutes left in the boil (at flameout or last 5 minutes) for bright hop aroma. Stir gently to combine.

Boil with hops additions

At flameout, turn off heat and chill wort quickly to yeast pitching temperature (around 68°F / 20°C) using an immersion or plate chiller. If you don’t have a chiller, place kettle in an ice bath and swirl. Minimize time exposed to air to avoid infection.

Chill wort

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving trub behind in the kettle. Top up with additional boiled/cooled water to reach 5 gallons if necessary, and check temperature is 66–68°F (19–20°C). Aerate the wort vigorously by shaking the sealed fermenter, pouring between two sanitized containers, or using an oxygenation stone for 60–90 seconds at 5–7 psi of oxygen.

Transfer and aerate

Rehydrate or prepare yeast per manufacturer instructions. Pitch the ale yeast (one pack) into the aerated wort when temperature is 66–68°F (19–20°C). Seal fermenter and attach sanitized airlock.

Pitch yeast

Ferment at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for about 7–10 days, or until vigorous fermentation subsides (specific gravity drops significantly). Check gravity with a sanitized hydrometer; expect final gravity around 1.010–1.014 depending on recipe.

Optionally rack to a secondary fermenter to clarify for another 1–2 weeks at slightly cooler temperature (60–65°F / 15–18°C). This can help reduce diacetyl and improve clarity. Alternatively, leave in primary for 2–3 weeks total for maturation.

Secondary (optional) and conditioning

If kegging: sanitize keg and associated lines. Transfer beer to the keg, seal, and chill to serving temperature (38–45°F / 3–7°C). Force carbonate with CO2 — set to 12–14 psi for 24–48 hours, or use the shake-and-settle method to rapidly carbonate (short bursts of higher pressure while shaking). Adjust pressure to serving pressure for your draft setup (typically 10–14 psi depending on beer and line length). If bottling and serving via draft-style dispenser, dissolve priming sugar (0.25 lb corn sugar) in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and add to beer before bottling; condition at 68°F (20°C) for 2 weeks, then chill and serve under pressure.

Carbonation and draft serving

Serve chilled from keg at 38–45°F (3–7°C) using appropriate draft lines and faucet. Pour at a 45° angle, then straighten glass and top off to create a half-inch to one-inch head depending on style preference. Keep keg refrigerated and dispense within 4–6 weeks for best freshness.

Serving

If beer tastes oxidized, reduce splashing during transfers. If under-attenuated, check yeast viability and fermentation temperature. For clearer beer, cold-crash keg/fermenter at near-freezing for 48 hours before packaging. Adjust hop varieties and amounts to desired bitterness and aroma.

Notes and troubleshooting

Pale malt (2-row) - crushed

Caramel/crystal malt (20L)

Munich malt (optional for depth)

Liquid or dry ale yeast (e.g., SafAle US-05 or Wyeast 1056)

Hops – bittering (e.g., Magnum, 12% AA)

Hops – flavor/aroma (e.g., Cascade or Centennial, 6–8% AA)

Hops – late/aroma (same variety as above)

Corn sugar / priming sugar (for bottling) — if kegging to draft, used only if force carbonating is not available

Campden tablet (optional, for chlorine removal)

Water (good tasting, low chlorine) — total strike + sparge + topup

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, for clarity)

Sanitizer (no-rinse, e.g., Star San)

Warm the 60 ml lukewarm water (around 38–43°C) in a small cup. Stir in 1 tsp of the granulated sugar taken from the measured sugar and sprinkle the 10 g active dry yeast over the surface. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.

Bloom yeast

Gently warm 3 tbs whole milk (do not scald) and add the 50 g softened butter to melt slightly; let cool to lukewarm (about the same temperature as the yeast).

Warm milk and melt butter

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, whisk together 500 g bread flour, remaining granulated sugar (about 59 g), 1 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice.

Combine dry ingredients

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the foamy yeast mixture, melted butter with warmed milk, and 2 beaten large eggs. Using the dough hook on low (or a wooden spoon), mix to combine until a shaggy dough forms.

Add wet ingredients

Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes in a stand mixer on medium or by hand on a lightly floured surface until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. If too sticky, add up to 1–2 tbs additional flour; if too dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time.

Knead

Flatten the dough lightly, sprinkle in 200 g mixed dried fruit and 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest. Fold and knead gently until fruit is evenly distributed (about 2–3 minutes). Avoid overworking to keep fruit intact.

Add fruit and zest

Shape dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and leave in a warm draft-free spot for 1–1.25 hours or until doubled in size.

First rise

Punch down the risen dough to deflate. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces (about 90–100 g each). Shape each piece into a tight smooth ball by tucking edges under and rolling on the work surface.

Divide and shape

Arrange the buns in a greased 23x33 cm (9x13 in) baking pan or in two round pans, spacing them so they just touch. Cover loosely and let rise for 40–50 minutes until nearly doubled and the buns are risen to the top of the pan.

Second rise

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) about 20 minutes into the second rise so it reaches temperature when ready to bake.

Preheat oven

Gently brush the risen buns with 2 tbs milk to encourage browning.

Brush before baking

Mix 60 g plain flour with 3 tbs water to form a thick, pipeable paste. Adjust with a few drops more water if too stiff; it should hold shape when piped but be squeezable.

Make cross paste

Transfer the paste to a small piping bag or a plastic bag with the tip snipped. Pipe a cross (a line across and a perpendicular line) over each bun. If you prefer, pipe vertical lines then a single horizontal line across each row to form crosses.

Pipe crosses

Bake in the preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake a further 8–12 minutes until the buns are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Total bake time about 23–27 minutes; check after 20 minutes to avoid overbaking.

Bake

While the buns bake, warm 2 tbs apricot jam with 1 tsp water in a small saucepan or microwave until loose and stir to combine, then strain if needed for smoothness. Alternatively warm honey with the water.

Prepare glaze

As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the hot tops generously with the warm glaze to give a shiny, slightly sticky finish. Allow buns to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.