:D Oatmeal- is it preferable to roast the oatmeal or use the preroasted oatmeal? I’m going to start looking at doing an oatmeal stout , and in the past I have roasted the oatmeal in the oven, but I have also used preroasted in recipes before. Has anybody Noticed a diffence between the methods.
I once entered an oatmeal stout into NHC and was told the beer didn’t taste like an oatmeal cookie and I should toast the oats first. (When I entered a beer that tasted exactly like an oatmeal cookie–using spices–the judges told me it tasted too much like an oatmeal cookie.)
FWIW, I always toast my oats. It does add a slight nuttiness that I like.
I used pre-toasted oats (can’t remember the brand) once in my stout and honestly couldn’t tell the difference from batches where I used plain old (untoasted) Quaker Oats. I do want to get much better at toasting my own oats so I’ll hopefully get more of the flavor.
This is really interesting. I never thought of toasting oats before. I’ve always just added them straight to the mash.
Jamil says you’ll get some creaminess from untoasted oats, but no flavor, and judges tend to look for the nutty flavor you get from toasting. I toasted oats once and liked it, but haven’t tried untoasted. I have used untoasted oats in a wit and there was definately no oat flavor.
Warning - toast and let them cool or you’ll screw up your mash temperature.
i have not use oats at all but have been thinking of it. i thought i read somewhere that after toasting or roasting etc, you should let the grain sit for several weeks?
Sometime you just can’t win, it’s hard to predict what some judges look for in certain styles. I’m trying to get BJCP certified and hopefully get better understanding of what judge are most commonly looking for in the different styles.
I’d agree with that. As for what judges want, I’m frequently surprised. I’ve had some really off-the-wall judges comments.
In How to Brew, Palmer suggests storing home toasted malt in a paper bag for 2 weeks before use to “allow time for the harsher aromatics to escape.”
I think he’s talking more about toasting barley malt though. My own personal experience suggests that it’s not an issue with home toasted flaked oats.
I think Palmer’s advice is good for darker ‘roasted’ grains. The black malt I make I let sit for 3-4 weeks in a paper bag before I use or transfer to ziplocks. It makes a difference. I haven’t noticed a difference on my lighter ‘toasted’ grains.
In what percentage? Try 20% oats. You can certainly taste them. Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats. Yup.
I’ve never used over 10%, and I’ve only ever done cereal mashes with oat groats. I’ve never used the “instant” kind or flakes. At 10% groats I get a slickness not present in my “regular” stouts.
I should be starting the Oatmeal Stout soon, and I’ll let you know what my findings and methods are with the Oatmeal I use.