"Sugarman" Chocolate Stout Review

Here's a review of the latest homebrew I have been enjoying.

Look:  DEEP brown. Almost black. Very rich color. Brownish head that looks lush but dissipates quickly leaving behind little lacing.

Aroma:  Surprisingly, the overwhelming aroma I get is of coffee. A little bit of roastiness and mocha comes through too.

Taste:  Very sweet to start. A punch of sweetness that mellows out to a roasty character with some bready overtones. Slight bitterness rounds out flavor. Slight bitter chocolate flavor, but without knowing this is a “chocolate” stout, I probably wouldn’t peg it as such. Some coffee notes come through as well. On the not so nice side of things, I can taste some astringency and some fusel alcohol flavors.

Feel:  Has a bit of a bite to it. Not as velvety as a lot of other stouts I have had. Leaves a sharp feeling in the mouth.

Overall I think this was a good first effort. Definitely could be much better. Fermenting at lower temperature would probably be key, but not necessarily easy for me to accomplish in Austin during the summer. I may have to revisit this one when the weather cools off a little bit.

For those interested, here's the recipe:

Recipe Name:         "Sugarman" Chocolate Stout

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale

Malt:	Amount	Gravity Points
1. Pale malt extract (DME) in boil	3.3 lbs.	42
2. Pale malt extract (DME) at knockout	3.3 lbs.	42
3. Crystal 60 malt	0.5 lb.	3
4. Roasted barley	0.5 lb.	4
5. Chocolate malt	0.5 lb.	3

Calculated Original Gravity            1.063
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.044
Measured Original Gravity             1.068

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Nugget (13.3%)	0.75 oz.	60	37
2. Fuggle (4.5%)	1 oz.	30	13

Calculated IBUs          49

Procedure
- Heat 1 gallon of water to 150-160 F, add Crystal 60, roasted barley, and chocolate malt. Steep for 30 minutes (maintaining temperature is not vital in this stage). Remove grain bag and let drain.
- Add 3 gallons of water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and stir in 3.3 lbs. DME
- Return to boil and add 0.75 oz. Nugget hops
- Boil 30 minutes, and then add 1 oz. Fuggle hops
- Boil 15 minutes, and then add 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
- Boil 15 minutes, then add 3.3 lbs. extract, let sit 10 minutes to pasteurize
- Add 1.5 gallons chilled sterilized water
- Chill wort to 75 F in ice water bath
- Add wort to fermenter
- Pitch yeast