Chocolate Stout

[Cartierusm]

I do the same as Chili, not because I want to but because he forces me to.

Now that's out of the way. Corney Kegs are very cheap to come by. You can find them online 4 for about $25 not including shipping. They used to be what soft drink syrup came in before the syrup in a bag as they have now.

[saycheese]

Chili,
you're making me thirsty too!

Carter,
Thanks for the tip on the Corney Kegs-- I will consult with the head brewmaster.

[chilipepper]

Carter, you should hack a corny keg into pieces for me and I'll use them for molds!!

[Cartierusm]

OK Chili, I have one I can do that to, but why that instead of the PVC. There's no benefit and actually the PVC is way easier to manipulate and if you need to make changes it can be done by anyone. Plus trying to cut that with the ends square would be very very hard.

P.S. SC, you are local if you can't find one let me know and I can sell you one of mine.

[saycheese]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

[stuartjc]

would it make you all jealous if I tell you that yesterday I was part of a Russian Imperial Stout brew? To add insult to envy... it's going into a Jack Daniels cask for maturation 

Looking forward to my 5 gallons of JD cask matured Russian Imperial Stout... in December!

[Cheese Head]

Sounds great and yes that does make me very jealous .

[cozcoester]

chilipepper, where would one find nitrogen blend beer gas?  I have co2 tanks filled at a nearby paintball shop but have been wanting to do a nitro tap.  Any ideas of where to start searching?

[Cartierusm]

I'm not chili but...
You can find nitrogren at a lot of places, such as some home brew shops have a drop off where they will have your tank filled, all welding supply places will have it and then there is beverage services that go around picking up and exchanging tanks to local bars and restaurants. Just make sure it's for food use. I've been told that some contains oil in the tank, but I'm not sure the guy knew what he was talking about.

If you buy a tank off ebay or craigslist get the cheapest one, don't get a pretty one because almost all places exchange and you'll never get your shiny new one back, that is to say almost none will fill "your" tank.

[cozcoester]

sweet! thank you cartierusm.  I'm gonna work on this.  I would love to have a nitro tap at home.

[Cartierusm]

NP.

[LadyLiberty]

If you really want the ultimate in homebrewing you should look into using the 5 gallon soda kegs and CO2 setup.  You only need to sanitize one tank rather than 50+ bottles and you can force carbonate.  No sediment and shorter turnaround times.  There is still some maturing you could do if you'd like.  You can bottle from the keg if you want with a counter-pressure filler and not have to worry about sediment. Really is convenient!  If you want to really be authentic with the stout you could get beer gas (nitrogen blend) and get that nice waterfall effect of Guiness.

Damn, that made me thirsty... see what you've done!

We have a kegorator.... I'm glad we bought it!

[stuartjc]

I know with mead that the longer you age, the more pronounced the chocolate flavour is supposed to get.  Not sure how long you can "age" stout.  Glad that it turned out for you though.

A regular stout - 7% and under - is best within 6-12 months of the date of bottling.

A Russian Imperial Stout - 7% and over - can be bottle aged for up to 10-15 years, depending on the ABV.

[chilipepper]

Coz, sorry about not responding...Carter beat me to it.  For Nitrogen beer it is a 70/30 mix of nitrogen and CO2 (beer gas).  Also, be aware that you will need a different tap/faucet for nitrogen dispensing.  Maybe NEED is the wrong word but you will not get the full benefits of the beer gas if you do not have the proper faucet. They sometime refer to it as a creamer faucet.  I've found I get really wierd looks at the welding shops when I ask for beer gas but the liquer distrubutors and such will be a little more in the know!

[saycheese]

Ach!  I can't wait 6-12 months for my beer, although the two more weeks it hung out at room temp to age made the head on the beer stay around a little longer when poured.  The bottles are in our garage fridge now, I don't think any of them will be around in 2 months - never mind 6-12.