Exploring No Sparge Brewing Techniques With An Oatmeal Stout

Mike has been playing with no sparge brewing techniques for fun in his brewery. This week, we sample an Oatmeal Stout brewed without the sparge step.
Mike has been brewing Oatmeal Stouts for a very long time. Unfortunately, it seems that he always needs to tweak the recipe or the process. Most times, it's just for fun to better understand an ingredient or a process, but his time it was both.
This beer had a relied heavily on Midnight Wheat to drive the dark malt character of the beer. Midnight Wheat is a dehusked dark malt intended to deliver smoother roast character.
Mike also explored Imperial Yeast's A10 Darkness as his yeast in this beer as well as he's never used that one before in an Oatmeal Stout.
The real experiment here was to play with modifying his process to use the equipment he has to do a hybrid no sparge process. In traditional no sparge brewing, all the necessary water to make the final beer is in the mash tun and no additional water is added to rinse the grain at the end of the mash. You just run of the full preboil volume and away you go. In Mike's modified version, he mashed in as usual using a 1.5qt/lb liquor ratio. Then he added enough water to the mash with recirculation to dilute the wort and have all the water needed in the tun but post mash.
We give this beer a taste and see if the results were striking.
Tell us about your experiences with no sparge brewing.
CHEERS!
Recipe:
9.6lb/4.35kg Stout Malt
0.75lb/340g Briess Midnight Wheat 550L
0.5lb/226g Crisp Chocolate Malt 400L
1lb/453g Bairds Medium Crystal 50/60L
1lb/453g Torrified Wheat
4.5oz/128g Pale Chocloate 180L
0.75lb/340g Blonde Roasted Oats
1.25lb/567g Flaked Oats, Instant
1oz/28g Cluster 60min
1.5oz/35g Cluster 10min
A10 Darkness
Mash 152F/67C
OG 1.057
#NoSpargeBrewing #HomebrewingStout #MidnightWheat
Check out our blog:
www.brew-dudes.com

[@distlledbrewedreviewed]

I love the video my friend.

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers! -Mike

[@NightmaricGhost]

Good stuff guys 🤘🤙

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks for watching! Cheers! -Mike

[@gerardnatale2387]

I've only been brewing for about a year and have made one oatmeal Stout. It was a recipe kit from MoreBeer. I changed it a bit by adding an extra pound of flaked oats, cocoa nibs and lactose sugar. It came out as a nice sweet stout. I wished that I had some left to drink while watching your video. Thanks guys! Cheers!

[@BrewDudes]

Sounds great. Keep brewing! Cheers! -Mike

[@tman9338]

Really lookin forward to no sparge video!!!

[@BrewDudes]

I need a few more runs to get it down and then I'll shoot some video around it. Cheers! -Mike

[@kinggorf]

My current setup is a two vessel no sparge system. My mash tun is 15 gallons & my kettle (which doubles as a HLT is 10 gallons). Efficiency sucks, but quality of beer is better than ever. Easier to dial in PH, less hot side aeration and more malty tsste to the beers. Don't have to worry about extracting tannins from PH spikes in the sparge. Also it's great to skip the step of the sparge for time savings. I'm not a fan of BIAB for my needs because I don't want to lift a big heavy bag of hot wet drippy grains in my apartment. Two vessels eliminates that need. If I had room for a hoist I'd consider it

[@MarsMountain]

Cheers!

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers to you! -Mike

[@nlorantfy2696]

Just brewed a oatmeal stout on my all in one Robobrew electric RIMS unit. You might enjoy its simplicity and ease of cleaning. It's a way more affordable grainfather. Great video! 👍

[@BrewDudes]

We were just talking about these types of systems at our last recording session. We will see. Cheers! -Mike

[@rickostrander6711]

Great stuff as aways guys! I was able to use a stout last fall to experiment in 2 areas: Overnight Cold Steeping dark grains (per Mary Anne Gruber at Briess) and brewing with Oysters. I've never tried an Oyster Stout that I didn't love and my version did not disappoint. That being said, now I want to screw with the recipe and add Midnight Wheat!

[@rickostrander6711]

Just looked at the title again, this was a No Sparge video? You should name this A.D.D. Stout because you were all over the place on this one! Fun stuff!

[@BrewDudes]

Agreed. Lots going on in this brewing/recipe discussion. Could have discussed it in two videos I guess. Cheers! -Mike

[@chrisz8532]

Another winner vid guys👍. It’s 98*F, 37c here and I’m looking forward to winter and brewing some Stouts and Porters. We’ve got a brew day down in the shed next week, we’ll be brewing a Sierra Nevada style Pale ale and drinking an Irish red ale, made using Bestmalz Red x and some pommie hops. Hopefully it’ll be a lot cooler by then... Brew on!

[@BrewDudes]

Brew on! I'm waiting for a break in the cold weather to brew a couple more batches. Winter here with the hoses below freezing makes for a challenging brew day. Cheers! -Mike

[@markbrown2615]

Because if low temps this winter, I have started keeping my hose inside the house until it’s time to use my immersion chiller because even when it’s in the single digits (F) it takes a long time to cool ~5 1/2 gallons of boiling wort. Live and learn.

[@d.jensen899]

Last summer I made Marathon Foreign Extra (Tropical) Stout by Josh Weikert. Super stout, my wife and our two big sons killed that 5 gallons in no time. And they are still asking the next brew. I have leaned so much by your channel and by Mr. Weickert's articles and recipies. So keep on.

[@BrewDudes]

We will Brew On! Thanks for the kind words. Cheers! -Mike

[@jonwilliams1158]

That's funny listening to Mike, the passion is contagious 👍. I still have my 3 vessel set up, but a few years ago I had a mesh basket made for my brew kettle and started doing brew in a bag/basket method and have been doing it ever since. I can't tell the difference honestly. Unfortunately I can only get 12 # in my basket due to the plumbing in my pot, which is electric by the way, so for big grain bills, I still use the tun and hlt. I'm all for simplifying if the end result still makes great beer 🍻 keep having fun, just don't mess with momma's stout 😉

[@BrewDudes]

Cool man. This is why I wanted to give this hybrid batch/no sparge try a go. I can sacrifice some efficiency and see if the beers are the same. If it makes for less moving parts and liquid movements on brew day it makes for a smoother and happier experience for me. Cheers! -Mike

[@jonwilliams1158]

@@BrewDudes Sweet! Before I got my brew basket/filter thing, I had tried doing similar to what you tried, using the principal of the blichmann breweasy method, recirculating between the 2 using the brewkettle for mash temp control, still doing full volume though. Then I decided to spring for the filter and eliminate one more vessel. I do recirculate and do a mashout, I had always heard with this method you may need to add a little base malt to hit your efficiency, but unless I overloaded the basket, I've consistently hit or exceeded my efficiency. I'm definitely sold on the single vessel set up for my brewing. Next will be the sealing the kettle for the "no chill" experiment 🙂 Cheer's Mike, keep up the fun 🍻

[@curtpick628]

Okay I'll admit. I'm a stout guy . Right up my alley. Nice change in the grain bill and sounds interesting. I did get a electric all in NOT one system and My Triple Chocolate Milk Stout will be its first test. Nice to be able to brew indoors. Not quite the glamor of old school, but works. I prefer a London yeast in my stouts. Good vid once again gents.

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers man. I have brewed a lot of stouts in my day and I am always still exploring the combos of roasted malts/grains. I am super curious about the all in ones but I am pretty invested time and capital wise in my propane system. Makes winter brewing a bit of a challenge at times but it works out. Cheers! -Mike

[@curtpick628]

@@BrewDudes I hear you on not wanting to give up on the 3 vessel. I too have to much invested in mine to give it up. I just like the idea of brewing inside without having to freeze my gonads off🤣. I will definitely brew on my tried and true when it not so friggin cold. Something to be said about that process that is very enjoyable. Take care Mike. Curt

[@MadZer0]

One of my fav recipes right now is a mild recipe using Irish ale yeast

[@BrewDudes]

Sounds heavenly. Cheers! -Mike

Another nice video. Maybe I should try something other than the roasted barley in my stout, the next time I brew it.

[@BrewDudes]

I think my next round will be a blend of Roasted Barley and Midnight Wheat. I think I still needed a little of the flavor of RB to really round it out. Cheers! -Mike

[@hatherlow]

You need to upgrade to ...wait for it to .........Brew in a Bag .......the OG

[@BrewDudes]

Oh my friend, just wait. In the winter time I tend to brew half sized batches and its all BIAB. I have no desire to fudge around with a 6.5 gallon batch and BIAB. This is why I started experimenting with emulating the BIAB/all in one type brewing process with the equipment I have. More to come. Cheers! -Mike

[@bennettangelo9869]

you probably dont care but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can watch all of the latest movies and series on Instaflixxer. I've been streaming with my brother lately =)

[@damaridamien3367]

@Bennett Angelo yup, I have been using instaflixxer for since november myself :)

[@JimmyJusa]

I just brewed a dry stout with roasted barley, chocolate wheat, and pale chocolate for a club competition. Trying to add a little complexity and avoid going astringent/acrid with just roast barley. Will find out in about 3 weeks how my plan works out

[@BrewDudes]

Sounds nice. Hope it turns out. Cheers! -Mike

[@jefferymiller6997]

I like your videos, practical, easy -to-understand, but yet also techinical! Question though, could you brew a scotch ale? I would like to see what you come up with. Like your Brown ale quest, I'm brewing scotch ales with malt variations, changing only one for each brew, searching for the flavor I want, keeping all water chemistry, mash profiles, hops, and yeast the same. Keep making your great videos. Jeff in Wisconsin.

[@BrewDudes]

I was just thinking of Scotch Ale on the ride home today. I will start to play and see when I can squeeze that in. Cheers! -Mike

[@jefferymiller6997]

@@BrewDudes Thanks Mike!

[@scottbenson4818]

Cheers to stouts guys. I typically have a variant on tap most always. Right now it’s a milk stout. I typically always do batch sparge, which sounds similar to how you are doing your no sparge. I went to it a while ago after testing like you are doing. It saves a good piece of time and I have not found any noticeable difference in my beers at all. I also have been using midnight wheat in my last several batches. I think it started at hbc 19 where they gave out sample pound bags and also where I met you two dudes. It had a smoothness I liked in my stouts. I also get a good chocolate flavor in the beers and the nose. It’s a good malt for sure. I also now add the dark grains after the sparge but have went a step further doing a cold steep over night. I really like the more smooth results and it sounds like you are on the same train! Enjoyed it guys. Cheers from Uxbridge.

[@BrewDudes]

Hey man, awesome! Cheers! I was thinking midnight wheat would probably be real nice in a milk stout so I might try that soon to. I haven't brewed to many sweet/milk stouts but this ingredient has be curious to try it again. Cheers! -Mike

[@billyharney1676]

Hey Mike. Did you recirculate the mash for a while after adding the additional water before bringing back to the kettle.

[@BrewDudes]

Absolutely. I have a pump and so once the water was in I changed my hoses to recirculate. I also started applying heat. So I was recirculating while heating to a mash out temp. I don't usually worry about mashing out but with no sparge I thought I might as well pull any trick I can to maximize efficiency. Cheers! -Mike

[@oldschoolman1444]

I do a imperial raspberry oatmeal chocolate stout, quite tasty but 8% abv. Cheers dudes! =)

[@BrewDudes]

Sounds awesome man. What's your raspberry source, extract, frozen, puree? Cheers! -Mike

[@oldschoolman1444]

@@BrewDudesorganic seedless raspberry jam, a 12oz in a 4 gallon batch gives it a subtle flavor without over powering and one lendors 75% dark chocolate bar, both added at end of boil.

[@andrewlutton4684]

As an Irish man I can’t get past kegging with beer gas (70% nitro 30% co2). Would love to know your thoughts on this v pure co2. Cheers

[@BrewDudes]

Well as an American I've always really enjoyed the way Guiness is presented to me here with the nitro pour. Not sure I'd get the same sensory experience if it was full CO2. That said I also fully enjoy lower carbed cask ales when I can find them and there is not N2 there at play so... I don't know. I have had plenty of great stouts that were all CO2. I guess its all personal taste in the end. Why don't you like the nitro gas pour? Cheers! -Mike

[@tonyfunk6419]

Mike, do you usually have Special B in the recipe, or is that just included in the Northern English Brown Ale recipe? Cheers!

[@BrewDudes]

Special B is just something I've played with and can't say I use it as a dedicated component of most of my recipes. The only place I'v really found an application for its flavor is in Dubble. But that's just my palate. Cheers! -Mike

[@tonyfunk6419]

Okay, my fail, my question was about Special Roast (not Special B). Special Roast in stouts or just Brown Ales?

[@patchworxbrewing4164]

What about adding the dark grain to the mash at the end of your mashing process let's say the last ten minutes

[@BrewDudes]

That's called top mashing and that's what I did here. After I mashed the base malts and adjuncts together I get yellow/gold wort. Then as I added the sparge water in I spread the dark malts and crustal on top. Stirred well and then recirculated as I heated to mash out. This gave me a dark wort that I was looking for. Top mashing is also a great way to worry less about water chemistry and the dark malts. Cheers! -Mike

[@patchworxbrewing4164]

@@BrewDudes sounds cool man I've never tried that before.

[@dexterne]

Mmmm. I looove Darkness. I've never played with midnight wheat, never heard of stout malt. All the rest are regular players in my stouts. I'm all about Willamette for hops, but that has some Fuggles heritage so maybe that's off your radar....

[@dexterne]

Maybe I'm predisposed to Willamette because I grew up within walking distance to the Willamette river.

[@BrewDudes]

I have some Willamette in the freezer for an upcoming project so I'll make my call then! Cheers! -Mike

[@markbrown2615]

Fuggles excellent for Browns and Porters, imho.

[@Les1Tom]

Yet another cracking video guys, I'll look forward to more no sparge brews Mike. Incidentally am I the only one that thinks that the hose holder that is on the wall behind Mike's left shoulder looks like the Scream mask? 😱

[@BrewDudes]

I'll have to run out to the garage right now and see if I see it. I've never noticed. Funny. Cheers! -Mike

[@sb-qv5oe]

Would you literally just triple the ingredients to make like a 14sh% imperial version?

[@BrewDudes]

You most certainly can go that route for sure. But I'd start with just the base malt as the 'flavor' malts are already pretty much maxed. There is never a need for say 3 lbs of roasted malt when scaling up. Cheers! -Mike