Cafe Au Lait Stout **UPDATE**

A coffee cream stout brewed with 1 lb. lactose (milk sugar) and 1 qt. of strong coffee.

Brewer:	John Albert		Email:	-
Beer:	Cafe Au Lait Stout **UPDATE**		Style:	Sweet Stout
Type:	All grain		Size:	5.25 gallons
Color:	124 HCU (~41 SRM)		Bitterness:	25 IBU
OG:	1.059		FG:	1.018
Alcohol:	5.3% v/v (4.1% w/w)
Water:	Regular Chicago tap water (January 2011), boiled for an hour to remove free chlorine. PH 5.2 mash stabilizer was added in the mash.
Grain:	120 oz. American 2-row 12 oz. Carafa II 9 oz. Roasted barley 12 oz. Flaked oats 12.4 oz. British crystal 50-60L 12 oz. Flaked barley
Mash:	70% efficiency
	The first time I brewed this beer, I encountered a very stubborn stuck mash, necessitating recourse to a grain bag for the sparge. What a pain! So if you're going to brew this beer, I would recommend adding 2 lbs (!) of rice hulls to the tun along with the grains. This will require adjustment of the mash water temperatures and quantities, but will result in a smooth and steady runoff. Add 2 pounds of rice hulls to the bottom of the mash tun before mashing in, and soak them with 1 quart of of strike water. Mash in with about 4 gallons of 170°F water and the 11.1 lbs. of grain (1:1.3 grain-water ratio). Stir and stabilize. Hold for 60 minutes. After conversion, add about 2.5 gallons of boiling water to reach mash-out temperature of 170°F. Sparge with 170°F water to obtain 6.5 gallons of wort for boiling.
Boil:	90 minutes	SG 1.048	6.5 gallons
	16 oz. Lactose (milk sugar) add 15 minutes from end of boil
	Boil 30 minutes, then add 1 oz. (28g) Fuggles (4.8% AA) bittering hops. (60 min.) Boil 30 minutes, then add .5 oz. (14g) East Kent Goldings (4.9% AA) flavor hops. (30 min.) Boil 15 minutes, then stir in 1 lb. lactose (milk sugar) and 1/2 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.) Flame out. Whirlpool wort and let it settle, then chill and add to fermenter.
Hops:	1 oz. Fuggles (4.8% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. Kent Goldings (4.9% AA, 30 min.)
Yeast:	Wyeast #1968 London ESB yeast.
Log:	After primary fermentation, add 1 qt. chilled, strong-brewed light roast coffee (full-city roast at the very darkest) to fermenter. Ferment @ 70°F until completion. After primary fermentation, add about 1 qt. very strong-brewed light roast coffee (full-city roast at the very darkest) to fermenter. I used a Sumatran blend, brewed in a French coffee press: Add 4 tablespoons finely-ground light roast Sumatran coffee to a 1 liter press and top off with 95°F water. Stir with a spoon and let stand for 10 minutes, then press the plunger. Let the coffee cool down for about an hour, then gently pour it on top of the beer in the secondary fermenter. Store for 2-3 weeks at 60-70°F.
Carbonation:	Force-carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO2, or batch-prime: Assuming a 5 gallon batch (after siphoning from the fermenter). Dissolve 4.25 oz. of corn sugar in a few cups of boiling water. Let cool, then gently stir into the beer in your bottling vessel. Fill & cap bottles and let stand @ room temperature for 2 weeks, then refrigerate for an additional week before serving.
Tasting:	This beer turned out pretty good. Very rich, dark dark brown in color, not quite black. A full pint supports a 2-finger, slightly coppery tan head. No discernible hop nose. Creamed coffee aromas dominate, with mellow chocolate and toffee notes. Starts off slightly tart, giving way to rich, creamed coffee flavor with muted notes of brownies and slight vanilla. Just a hint of dark fruit, maybe prunes or figs. Medium-bodied mouthfeel. Finishes smooth but dry, with some alcohol evident. Not overly cloying. Head retention is superb, leaving a nice lace in the glass. This certainly makes for a nice after-dinner drink. This might do even better as a slightly bigger, stronger beer.

Recipe posted 03/16/11.