Ozark BDCS (Barrel-aged Double Cream Stout)

Courtesy of Ozark Beer cofounders Andy Coates and Lacie Bray, here is a homebrew-scale recipe for their BDCS—A bourbon barrel–aged double cream stout meant for months of wood-aging to balance and soften its profile.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 72%

OG: 1.120

FG: 1.046

IBUS: 71

ABV: 10%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

11.9 lb (5.4 kg) two-row 4.8 lb (2.2 kg) Munich 20 1.2 lb (544 g) caramel 120 9.5 oz (269 g) dark chocolate malt 9.5 oz (269 g) Briess Midnight Wheat 9.5 oz (269 g) flaked oats

9.5 oz (269 g) roasted barley

HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

2 oz (57 g) Nugget at 90 minutes [71 IBUS]

2.4 lb (1.1 kg) lactose at 10 minutes

YEAST

White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh/scottish Ale

DIRECTIONS

Mill grains and mash at 154°F (68°C) for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear of particles, then switch on the burner and run off into the kettle. Sparge at 170°F (77°C), topping up as necessary to get about 7 gallons (26.5 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. (If dividing the grist to conduct two mashes, begin boiling the first batch while mashing the second.) Boil for about 2 hours—or longer if necessary to get near the target starting gravity—adding hops and lactose according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to 66°F (19°C), aerate well, and add plenty of healthy yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C) until fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized. Rack the beer into a bourbon barrel—or a sanitized fermentor with about 3 oz (85 g) of bourbon-soaked oak cubes—and age patiently.