Not your average Kilkenny Stout

Not your average Kilkenny Stout

(5.5 gallons/21 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.064   FG = 1.025
IBU = 23  SRM = 40  ABV = 5.1%

This recipe is near and dear to my heart as someone of Irish descent. My inability to drink Guinness Stout was the cause of a great deal of sadness for myself, my friends, and my family when I first changed my diet. This recipe was highly complimented at Club Night at HomebrewCon, and one person described it as “a quintessential dry Irish Stout.” I believe this recipe works for two reasons: 1) Such a layered blend of malts, 2) A high finishing gravity. With a final gravity of 1.025 you may ask, “how is it a dry Irish stout?” These grains always seem to taste on the dry side, so you need the residual sugars to balance the roasts in this beer, otherwise it can feel like drinking liquid ash. Feel free to use other adjuncts like cacao nibs or other flaked ingredients if you want to play around with the mouthfeel and use less maltodextrin.A

Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) pale millet malt 
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) buckwheat malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) chocolate roasted millet malt (140 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) roasted CaraMillet malt (20 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) French roast millet malt (325 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) biscuit rice malt (5 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Goldfinch millet malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) roasted buckwheat
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) flaked quinoa
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) maltodextrin (15 min.)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) rice hulls
1 Tbsp. Termamyl Endo-Alpha Amylase
1 Tbsp. SEBamyl L
5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) East Kent Golding hops (whirlpool)
Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
Yeast nutrient (15 min.)
Mangrove Jack’s M15 (Empire Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham Ale yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Heat 6 gallons (23 L) of strike water to 165 °F (74 °C), add 1 heaping Tbsp. of Termamyl Endo-Alpha Amylase. Mash in grains. The temperature of the mash will drop to about 150 °F (66 °C). Add 1 heaping Tbsp. of SEBamyl L. Rest for 1.5–2 hours, or until mash passes iodine test. You may want to raise mash temperature to 160 °F (71 °C) after an hour. Recirculate and heat mash to 168 °F (76 °C). Sparge with about 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water or enough to collect 6.5 gallons (25.6 L).

Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredients list. With 15 minutes remaining in the boil, mix maltodextrin with warm water before adding directly to boil — enough water to make it aqueous. Also add the Whirlfloc and yeast nutrients. At the end of the boil, turn off the heat and add the Kent Golding hops. Give the wort a long stir to create a whirlpool and let settle for 15 minutes. 

Chill wort to yeast-pitching temperature and transfer to fermenter. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until the gravity falls to 1.030 or below. Rack to secondary. Cold crash after one week, add biofine if you desire and hold until it’s as bright as you like. Bottle or keg as usual. Serve at cellar temperature for best malt expression.

Not your average Kilkenny Stout

(5.5 gallons/21 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.064  FG = 1.025
IBU = 23  SRM = 38  ABV = 5.1%

Ingredients
4.5 lbs. (2 kg) gluten-free syrup (sorghum, brown rice, or tapioca)
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) chocolate roasted millet malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) roasted CaraMillet malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) French roast millet malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) biscuit rice malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Goldfinch millet malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) roasted buckwheat
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) flaked quinoa
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) maltodextrin (15 min.)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) rice hulls
1⁄2 Tbsp. alpha amylase
5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) East Kent Golding hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
Yeast nutrient (15 min.)
Mangrove Jack’s M15 (Empire Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham Ale yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Buy milled grains or mill grains at home (I use the triple blade Ninja blender at home for a few seconds because the grains are so small you need three passes in a mill). Place crushed grains in a muslin bag. Heat 7 gallons (27 L) of water to 135 °F (57 °C), then submerge the grains in the water and add 1⁄2 Tbsp. alpha amylase. Hold at this temperature for 30 minutes, then heat to 150 °F (66 °C). After 30 minutes, begin to heat to boil. Remove grains when the temperature hits 170 °F (77 °C), then stir in the syrup.

Bring to a boil and add hops according to the ingredients list. Follow the post-boil instructions in the all-grain version of this recipe.