Article

Cream/Sweet Stout

OG = 1.035 to 1.066 FG = 1.010 to
1.022 IBUs = 20 to 40 SRM 35+

Cream or milk stouts are English in origin. In response to the popularity of Guinness, the English and Scottish made their own version of stout beer. The addition of milk sugar (lactose) created a sweeter, creamier version than the drier Guinness. The practice of adding milk to beer was thought to soften and create a healthier beer.

Stouts are thought by some to have nourishing qualities. In Australia during the 1800s, “Nurse Stout” was thought to be nourishing for invalids. In Asia, bathing a baby with stout is thought to be good for the baby’s sensitive skin. In Ireland, nursing mothers drink stout to produce milk for their baby.

Cream stout is a substantial drink to have in place of an after-dinner cappuccino or to make a “stout float” with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, maraschino cherries and a sprinkling of chocolate syrup and walnuts.

Commercial Beers To Try

The classic English example is Watney’s Cream Stout; the classic American example is Samuel Adams Cream Stout. Other great commercial versions are Mackeson Stout (once called Mackeson Milk Stout) and St. Peter’s Cream Stout, both from England, and Columbia Cream Stout from Canada.

The aroma should be of mild roasted grains and caramel malt. Fruitiness can range from low to high. Hop bitterness should be low to emphasize the malt sweetness. Hop aroma can be low to non-existent and diacetyl can be medium to none. The color should be brown to black with a creamy beige to light- brown head. Roasted grains and malt are predominant in the flavor, with medium sweetness. Cream stouts should always be full-bodied and creamy. The carbonation is low to moderate.

HOPS, MALT and YEAST

Hops are used just for bittering in the cream stouts from the U.K. In some American versions, a small amount of hops might be used for flavor. Hop varieties can include Target, Challenger, Fuggles and East Kent Goldings.

The base malt should be either English or American two-row pale malt. Specialty grains are chocolate, crystal and small amounts of roasted barley and black malt. Carapils, dextrin malt, flaked barley and wheat malt can also be used. Final gravities are high (up to 1.022), so when making extract batches, malto-dextrin should be added to accomplish this.

A wonderful yeast for this style is London Ale yeast (Wyeast 1028) or London Ale III (Wyeast 1318). London ESB (Wyeast 1968) or English Ale (White Labs WLP002) are also good choices.

Serving Suggestions

Serve in a pint glass at 50° to 55° F with herb-encrusted, horseradish infused oysters topped with buttery cornbread crumb topping on a bed of spinach.

ENGLISH-STYLE CREAM STOUT

(5 gallons, extract with grains)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.016 to 1.017 SRM = 100+ IBUs = 22

Ingredients

13 oz. British chocolate malt
10 oz. British crystal malt (55° Lovibond)
8 oz. torrefied wheat
4 oz. roasted barley
5.5 lbs. Muntons extra light dry malt extract
12 oz. malto dextrin
6.4 AAUs East Kent Goldings (1.25 oz. of 5.1% alpha acid) (bittering)
1 tsp. Irish moss
London Ale yeast (Wyeast 1028) or English Ale (White Labs WLP002)
1-1/4 cup Muntons extra light DME

Step by Step

Bring one gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 minutes at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with one gallon of 168° F water. Add the dry malt, malto-dextrin and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes, then add the Irish moss. Boil for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the stove.

Cool wort for 15 minutes in an ice bath or chill with wort chiller. Strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons. Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Ferment at 68° F for 7 days then rack into secondary (glass carboy). Ferment until target gravity has been reached and beer has cleared (approximately 3 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.
Partial-mash option: Mash 1.25 lbs. British two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 1 gallon water at 150° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 168° F. Then follow the extract recipe, omitting 2 lbs. of Muntons extra light dry malt extract from the boil.

All- grain option: Mash 8 lbs. British two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 2.75 gallons of water at 156° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 5 gallons of water at 168° F. The total boil time is approximately 90 minutes. Add 5.2 AAU of bittering hops for the last 60 minutes of the boil. Add the Irish moss as indicated by the extract recipe.

Issue: February 2001