Oatmeal Stout
intro
Velvety, roasty homemade oatmeal stout with dark chocolate and coffee notes, smoothed by flaked oats, perfect for cool autumn sipping with friends.
Ingredients
Steps
Mash the grain bill
Heat 3 liters (12.7 cups) of filtered water in a large 8L stockpot over medium heat until it reaches 67°C (152°F). Add all crushed grains (Maris Otter, flaked oats, roasted barley, chocolate malt) sealed in a fine-mesh brew bag. Hold the temperature steady at 65–68°C (149–154°F) for 60 minutes, adjusting stovetop heat as needed, and stirring the grain bag every 10 minutes to prevent dry clumps.
Sparge to collect wort
After the 60-minute mash, lift the grain bag out of the pot and suspend it over the opening to drain freely for 2 minutes. Slowly pour 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) of 77°C (170°F) filtered water over the top of the grain bag to rinse residual sugars from the grains, then discard the spent grains. Retain all the dark amber sweet liquid (called wort) in the stockpot.
Boil wort with hops
Turn stovetop heat to medium-high to bring the collected wort to a gentle rolling boil, then set a timer for 60 minutes. Add 7 grams (0.25 oz) of East Kent Goldings hops immediately when the boil starts, then add the remaining 7 grams (0.25 oz) of hops during the final 10 minutes of the boil. Keep the pot partially covered to prevent messy boilovers, adjusting heat to maintain a steady but not violent boil.
Rapidly cool wort
When the 60-minute boil finishes, turn off the heat immediately. Seal the pot with a tight lid and transfer it to a clean kitchen sink filled with cold water and ice packs to create an ice bath. Stir the wort gently every 5 minutes, replacing ice as needed, until the wort temperature drops to 21°C (70°F), which takes approximately 20 minutes. Avoid lifting the lid unnecessarily to prevent airborne bacteria contamination.
Pitch yeast to ferment
Thoroughly sanitize a 3.8L (1-gallon) glass fermentation jug, airlock, and rubber stopper with food-grade no-rinse brewer sanitizer. Pour the cooled wort into the jug, topping up with small amounts of cool filtered water if needed to reach the 3.8L fill mark. Sprinkle the full 11-gram packet of British ale yeast across the wort surface, seal the jug with the stopper and airlock (fill the airlock halfway with sanitizer), then store the jug in a dark, temperature-stable space held at 18–21°C (65–70°F) for 14 days to ferment.
Bottle and carbonate stout
After 14 days of fermentation, sanitize 8 swing-top 473ml (16oz) glass bottles and an auto-siphon. Dissolve 28 grams (2 tablespoons) of corn priming sugar in 60ml (1/4 cup) of boiling water, cool to room temperature, and stir evenly into the fermented stout to trigger natural carbonation. Siphon the stout into bottles, leaving 2.5cm (1 inch) of headspace below each cap, seal tightly, and store at room temperature (20–22°C/68–72°F) for 7 days to carbonate, then chill bottles for 3 days at 4°C (39°F) before serving.
Tips
2.Keep mash temperature steady between 65–68°C (149–154°F); temperatures above 70°C (158°F) create unfermentable sugars that make the stout overly thick and cloyingly sweet.
3.Resist opening fermentation jugs or bottles before conditioning is complete; early exposure to oxygen will cause stale flavors and reduce carbonation.
First time brewing beer at home and this recipe did NOT disappoint! I was nervous about the medium difficulty rating but the steps were super straightforward, even for a total newbie. That creamy, roasty oat flavor? *Chef’s kiss* Brought a growler to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and everyone was begging for the recipe. SO good.
Quick question before I start this weekend—can I substitute rolled oats for the steel-cut oats the recipe calls for? I have a giant bag of rolled oats in my pantry from meal prep and don’t wanna make a special trip to the store if I don’t have to!
OMG this is a total game changer for my homebrew setup. I’ve made a dozen stouts before but none have that smooth, velvety finish this one gets from the oats. My wife who swears she “hates dark beer” drank two pints of this at our last family dinner and asked when I’m making another batch. 10/10.
Took a chance on this for my partner’s birthday since he’s obsessed with craft stouts, and it turned out way better than the $15 bomber we usually buy from the local brewery. The only heads up I’ll give is to block off the full 2 hours of active prep— I tried to multitask making dinner while mashing and almost burned the grain! Still turned out amazing though.
Wait, the total time says 24 days—has anyone tried rushing the conditioning a little? I’m hosting a game night in 2 weeks and really wanna serve this, but that would cut it 10 days short. Worried it’ll taste off if I crack it early.
I messed up the first batch because I misread the fermentation temp range—kept it too warm in my garage and it got that weird fruity off-flavor. Tried again following the temp guide exactly and holy cow, this is better than the oatmeal stout they serve at my favorite pub downtown. Worth the second attempt for sure.
Do I need any fancy specialized equipment to make this? I have a basic 5 gallon brew pot and some food grade buckets but don’t have a fancy mash tun or wort chiller yet. Don’t wanna drop a bunch of cash on gear if I can make do with what I have.
Made this last month and just cracked the first bottle last night. That smooth, chocolatey, almost coffee-like flavor? Insane. Brought a six pack to my buddy’s cookout and everyone was raving, even the guys who only drink light beer said they were shocked how much they liked it. Will be adding this to my regular brew rotation for sure.
Has anyone tried adding a vanilla bean to this during conditioning? I love vanilla stouts and feel like that would pair so perfectly with the creamy oat base, but don’t wanna ruin a whole batch if it’s a bad call.
I was worried the medium difficulty would be too much for me as someone who’s only ever made kit beer before, but the instructions were so clear and easy to follow! The 24 day wait was torture but so worth it when I took the first sip. Reminds me exactly of the oatmeal stout I had on a trip to Portland a few years back.
Can I scale this recipe down to make a 1 gallon test batch first? I live in a tiny apartment and don’t have space for a full 5 gallon setup right now, but really wanna try this before I commit to a bigger batch.
Game changer. I’ve been brewing for 6 years and this is easily the best stout recipe I’ve ever tried. The ratio of roasted barley to flaked oats is perfect—no harsh burnt taste, just that smooth, creamy mouthfeel that makes oatmeal stouts my favorite. Already sent the link to my whole homebrew club.
Wait, is there a way to make a non-alcoholic version of this? My partner and I are cutting back on alcohol this month but we both love rich, creamy stouts, and I’ve been messing around with NA homebrews lately. Would love to adapt this recipe if it works!