War on Christmas Oatmeal Cinnamon Stout

On Twitter I was asked to post this recipe, so here it is. It’s among my favorite beers ever, and it’s only available (so far) on tap at our domestic basement bar.

9 lbs Maris Otter or other 2-row pale malt
1 lb rolled oats
1 lb Breiss Crystal 120 malt
1/2 lb dextrine
1/2 lb chocolate malt
1/2 lb Carafa I malt
1/4 lb roasted barley
1 oz Northern Brewer leaf hops
1/2 c freshly ground true cinnamon
1 flask WLP004 Irish Ale Liquid Yeast

Boil size: 6 gallons
Batch size: ~5 gallons
Mash temperature: 152 F
Measured OG: 1.055

Mash all grains together in a single-step infusion mash process. No mash out. Hop boil for only 45 minutes; use the full 1oz of hops at the start; use no flavoring or bittering hops.

Before cooling, add the cinnamon; pitch yeast at room temperature.

I typically do a 3-day open fermentation, followed by a closed secondary for as long as it takes to finish, followed by kegging. This beer is very foamy and heady thanks to the full pound of dextrine malt. (Clarity? Who cares! It’s a stout!) True to the oatmeal-stout style, it’s creamy, full-bodied, but not terribly sweet. The cinnamon flavor still works well here though. In part that’s because of the shorter hop boil without flavoring or aroma hops. But also I do not use the usual cinnamon, rather the milder and more complex Cinnamomum verum. Ethnic food stores sometimes carry it; I get mine in the Mexican section of a world foods market. I highly recommend this type for brewing, and I do not recommend the ordinary kind. Grinding it yourself in a blender jar is also strongly recommended.

Anyway, if you’ve read this far and can join me over the next month or so, I will be happy to pour you a pint. Or more.