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Recipe: Magnanimous Base Stout
Mike Lukacina, founder and brewer at Magnanimous in Tampa, shares this iteration of the ever-evolving stout they brew especially for aging in whiskey barrels.
Photo: Courtesy Magnanimous
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For more on the Magnanimous approach to brewing for barrels, see Lukacina’s Brewer's Perspective. And for many more insights into how modern brewers are designing big beers especially for barrel-aging, see Bound for the Barrel.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 36°P (1.159)
FG: 16°P (1.065)
IBUs: 40
ABV: 12.2%
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For more on the Magnanimous approach to brewing for barrels, see Lukacina’s Brewer's Perspective. And for many more insights into how modern brewers are designing big beers especially for barrel-aging, see Bound for the Barrel.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 36°P (1.159)
FG: 16°P (1.065)
IBUs: 40
ABV: 12.2%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
11.6 lb (5.3 kg) pale two-row
4.4 lb (2 kg) oat malt
1.5 lb (680 g) each Simpsons DRC and Medium Crystal
10.5 oz (298 g) each chocolate malt, pale chocolate, roasted barley, and Weyermann Carafa Special II
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
4.1 lb (1.9 kg) pale liquid malt extract at start of boil
2.8 lb (1.3 kg) brewer’s crystals at start of boil
1.8 oz (51 g) Columbus at 60 minutes [40 IBUs]
YEAST
Fermentis SafAle US-05 or other Chico strain
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge only minimally; stop running off into the kettle once the gravity starts to drop. Top up as needed to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. (You can also add more sugars, if needed, to hit gravity.) Boil for 60–180 mins, adding sugars and hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to about 68°F (20°C), aerate the wort, and pitch a big, healthy yeast starter. Ferment at 72°F (22°C) until the beer is about 50 percent fermented (~1.110), then raise to 75°F (24°C) or finish at ambient temperatures. Once fermentation is complete, rack to bourbon or rye barrels (or a glass or stainless fermentor with whiskey-soaked oak cubes) and age 1–3 years.
BREWER’S NOTES
Mash: On our system, we start to recirculate ASAP after mashing in, and we also start the run-off ASAP, or else the mash compresses and gets stuck. That also affects the color of our beer. As long as you get conversion, do what works best on your system.
Hops: For our 60-minute bittering addition, we usually use up some open bags to hit the target. Those hops won’t make or break the beer—we just want some IBUs. We also don’t want too much bitterness to interfere with the roast character.
