Breakfast Amber Stout Recipe

1. Crush and Heat

Crush the grains (pale malt, chocolate malt, Munich, crystal) coarsely. Heat strike water to 165°F (74°C) to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) when grains are added.

2. Combine the crushed grains and flaked oats in the mash tun. Mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes, stirring and ensuring there are no dry clumps. Maintain temperature ±2°F.

3. Perform a mash-out by raising temperature to 170°F (77°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity.

4. Use about 1.25–1.5 qts of water per pound of grain for the mash (adjusted in the recipe above). If using water salts (gypsum and calcium chloride), add them to strike water to adjust sulfate/chloride balance toward slightly malt-forward with a touch of sulfate for hop crispness.

5. After mash-out, vorlauf (recirculate) until runnings are clear, then collect wort into the kettle. Sparge with ~2 gallons of water at 170°F (77°C) until you collect your target pre-boil volume (about 6.5–7.0 gallons for a 5 gallon batch allowing boil-off).

6. Boil Schedule

Bring wort to a rolling boil and start a 60-minute timer. Add Northern Brewer bittering hops at 60 minutes remaining. With 15 minutes left, add Fuggle hops and the lactose. With 5 minutes left, add East Kent Goldings hops. Keep a gentle boil to avoid excessive hop scorch.

7. During the last 10 minutes of the boil, add maple syrup (do not boil vigorously after adding too long — add around 6–8 minutes remaining to sanitize but limit caramelization). Add the split vanilla bean (scraped seeds and pod) with 2–3 minutes left to sanitize the pod and release aromatics.

8. Turn off heat at end of boil and cool wort quickly using an immersion chiller or equivalent to 68°F (20°C) as rapidly as possible to reduce infection risk.

9. Prepare cold brew coffee concentrate ahead of time (roughly 1:4 coffee to water ratio steeped 12–18 hours) and chill. After the wort is chilled to fermentation temperature (around 66–68°F / 19–20°C), add the cold brew concentrate to the fermenter. This recipe calls for approximately 12 fl oz of concentrate for a pronounced but not overpowering coffee character; adjust to taste.

10. If you prefer, split the vanilla addition: add half at the end of boil (sanitized) and add the remainder during secondary fermentation to preserve fresher vanilla aroma.

11. Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized primary fermenter, leaving behind trub. Top up with water if necessary to reach 5 gallons. Aerate the wort by shaking, splashing, or using sterile oxygen for 60–90 seconds.

12. Pitch the yeast (rehydrated or direct-pitch per manufacturer's instructions) at about 66–68°F (19–20°C). Add yeast nutrient if using.

13. Ferment at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for 5–7 days until vigorous fermentation slows, then allow to finish at slightly cooler temperature (64–66°F / 18–19°C) for another 5–7 days. Total primary fermentation ~10–14 days.

14. If you want clearer beer and brighter coffee/vanilla character, transfer to secondary fermenter after primary activity slows, rack onto any remaining vanilla bean halves (if reserved) and add remaining cold brew (if holding back some). Age 7–14 days.

15. When fermentation is complete (stable gravity over 3 days), prepare priming sugar by boiling 3.5 oz dextrose in 1 pint of water for 5 minutes. Cool the solution and add to a sanitized bottling bucket.

16. Rack beer gently into the bottling bucket to mix with priming solution, avoiding excessive oxygen. Bottle into sanitized bottles and cap.

17. Condition bottles at room temperature (68–72°F / 20–22°C) for 2 weeks, then chill and sample. Carbonation should be moderate (amber stout style).