Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Imperial Pastry Stout: loaded w/ Samoa donuts & conditioned on tons of caramel, coconut, & cacao nibs

Heat 4.5 gallons of water to ~168°F. Dough in the milled grains to reach a mash temperature of 152°F. Hold at 152°F for 60 minutes. Stir gently every 10–15 minutes to ensure even conversion. Maintain mash pH around 5.2–5.4 if possible.

Mash In and Rest

Raise temperature to 168°F for a 10 minute mash out. Vorlauf until wort runs clear, then sparge with ~2 gallons of water at 170°F, collecting roughly 6 gallons of wort in the kettle (adjust volumes for your system losses).

Mash Out & Lauter

Bring wort to a vigorous boil and start a 90 minute boil (longer boil helps dark malty complexity and reduces DMS). At 60 minutes remaining (i.e., 30 minutes into boil), add Magnum hops (1 oz) for bittering. At 15 minutes remaining add East Kent Goldings (0.5 oz) for flavor/aroma, lactose (1 lb), and the caramel/dark candi syrup (1 cup). Add the ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg with 10 minutes left. Add vanilla bean scrapings (reserve the pods) and maple syrup with 5 minutes left to meld but avoid boiling off too much of the delicate maple/vanilla aromatics.

Boil Schedule

At flameout, turn off heat and steep the caramelized sugar (0.5 cup) in the hot wort for 10 minutes, then remove any large solids. Chill the wort quickly to yeast pitch temp (65–68°F).

Boil Finishing

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, top up with water to reach 5.5 gallons if necessary, and aerate thoroughly (oxygenate to ~8–10 ppm or shake). Pitch the yeast (2 packs of high‑attenuating English ale yeast) and add yeast nutrient. Ferment at 66°F for 10–14 days or until primary fermentation activity subsides and gravity is near expected terminal gravity (~1.016–1.020 depending on attenuation).

Primary Fermentation

After primary, rack to a secondary fermenter (optional) or a clean keg for aging. Let rest 5–7 days to clear before adding the large adjunct package for conditioning.

Secondary & Resting

Toast the cacao nibs and coconut: spread nibs and coconut on a sheet pan and toast at 325°F for 8–12 minutes, stirring halfway, until fragrant and lightly browned. Chop the Samoa donuts into ~1/2–1 inch pieces; if using store bought, you can toast them lightly (8 minutes at 325°F) to reduce excess oils and make them easier to sanitize by briefly soaking in 80% neutral spirit (optional) and allowing alcohol to evaporate for an hour.

Prepare Adjuncts

Sanitize a mesh bag or hop bag and add the toasted cacao nibs (10 oz), toasted coconut flakes (12 oz), chopped Samoa donut pieces (6 pcs), and the reserved vanilla bean pods. Place the bag into the secondary fermenter or keg and allow to condition for 10–21 days at 60–65°F. Taste periodically: coconut and caramel notes should build; cacao nibs add roast chocolate bitterness and texture. If more pronounced maple or vanilla is desired, add an additional 2–4 tablespoons of maple syrup or split another vanilla bean after 7–10 days.

Add to Secondary for Conditioning

Lactose was added in the boil to provide sweetness and full mouthfeel; final gravity should remain higher than typical ales (imperial stout target FG around 1.018–1.024).

Lactose & Mouthfeel

After conditioning, remove the adjunct bag and cold crash the beer to 35–40°F for 48–72 hours to help drop out solids and trub.

Cold Crash and Clarify

If bottling, dissolve 5 oz priming sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool and gently mix with the beer, then bottle and cap. Condition at room temperature for 2–3 weeks to carbonate. Target carbonation low (1.6–2.2 volumes CO2) to let flavors shine.

Priming & Carbonation (Bottling)

If kegging, transfer to a keg, purge headspace, and carbonate to 10–12 psi depending on serving temperature to achieve ~1.8–2.2 volumes CO2. Allow 3–7 days to condition under pressure before serving.

Kegging

Serve slightly warm for aroma (50–55°F). Pour gently to leave most of the adjunct sediment behind. Expect rich caramel, coconut, toasted donut and cacao nib notes — very dessert‑like imperial pastry stout.

Serving Suggestion

Maris Otter pale malt (crushed)

Flaked oats

Caramel / Crystal malt 80L

Chocolate malt

Roasted barley

Black patent malt

Caramel syrup (liquid) or dark candi syrup

Lactose (milk sugar)

Magnum (60 min)

East Kent Goldings (flavor/aroma addition)

High‑attenuating English ale yeast (liquid or dry)

Yeast nutrient

Cacao nibs (medium roast, toasted)

Toasted coconut flakes (unsweetened)

Caramelized sugar / burnt sugar (for aroma)

Vanilla beans (split and scraped)

Ground cinnamon

Ground nutmeg

Maple syrup (real)

Samoa-style donut pieces (see note: optional home-made or store-bought donuts chopped)

Brew water (sparge & mash)

Priming sugar (if bottling)

Neil's French Toast Donut Stout

Make Neil's French Toast Donut Stout Recipe in just 36h . Imperial Pastry Stout: loaded w/ Samoa donuts & conditioned on tons of caramel, coconut, & cacao nibs

Neil's French Toast Donut Stout

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

You might also like