What if we told you we found the holy grail for pimping any Milk Stout? A traditional Milk Stout is creamy, rich in flavour with added lactose to increase the body and sweetness. Now you can upgrade it to a Cappuccino Milk Stout recipe.
At The Swaen we sought for an addition to pimp this beer style, making it more Italian as it ever was. Introducing Platinum Swaen© Cappu to upgrade your Milk Stout to a Cappuccino Stout.
We roasted thoroughly selected barley to a profile of coffee and chocolate undertones to give you a soft feel without any astringency. Introducing the first ever Cappuccino Milk Stout recipe with our new malt.
Grain bill
This recipe is built on a base of Swaen© Ale, forming the bulk of the grist. Swaen© Munich Dark is added for contributing depth and malt complexity, followed by Gold Swaen© Aroma alongside an equal share of Platinum Swaen© Cappu, the malt responsible for the beer’s signature coffee and chocolate character. Finally, Swaen© Wheat Classic rounds out the grist, supporting head retention and body.
| Variety | Quantity | Quantity | Colour EBC | Colour ºL | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swaen© Ale | 50 kg | 110 lb | 6–9 | 3–4 | 50% |
| Swaen© Munich Dark | 25 kg | 55 lb | 15–25 | 6–10 | 25% |
| Gold Swaen© Aroma | 10 kg | 22 lb | 350–450 | 130–170 | 10% |
| Platinum Swaen© Cappu | 10 kg | 22 lb | 600–800 | 225–300 | 10% |
| Swaen© Wheat Classic | 5 kg | 11 lb | 3–5 | 1.7–2.3 | 5% |
Hops
Magnum is used as the sole bittering hop in this recipe, added at the end of boiling to deliver a clean 22 IBU without contributing significant aroma or flavour.
| Variety | Quantity | Quantity | AA% | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum | 408 g | 14.4 oz | 10.5 | 22 |
Additives
3°P lactose, to be added at the end of boiling.
Yeast
You can brew this Cappucino Milk Stout as a version with alcohol or as a NABLAB (low-alcoholic). Recommended strains:
- SafAle T58 (alcoholic).
- LA02/LONA (NABLAB).
Mashing
Use a 3-step infusion for the alcoholic beer. Mash off at 78°C (172 °F).
- 55°C (131 °F) for 20 minutes.
- 64°C (147 °F) for 30 minutes.
- 74°C (165 °F) for 15 minutes.
For the NABLAB use a single decoction method.
Start at 55°C (131 °F) with 2/3 of the mash while bringing the rest to the boil. When boiling is reached, add the remaining 1/3 to the 2/3 of mash to reach +-75°C (167 °F). Finalize the mashing by heating till 82°C (180 °F).
Lautering
After mashing, proceed with lautering and sparging untill 5°P to end up with a wort of 15°P.
Boiling
At the end of boiling add the Magnum hops for the full 22 IBU. At the last 5 minutes of boiling add the Lactose.
Cooling/pitching/fermentation
Alcoholic
After boiling and clarification, cool the wort to approximately 23°C (73 °F) add 375 g (13.2 oz) of T58 yeast to the cooled down wort and follow your fermentation. Start without pressure, after day 3 start building pressure to obtain natural saturation of about 6.5 g/L CO2. Continue the fermentation until you have 2 consecutive days with less than 0.2° Plato drop. Then perform the maturation for at least 2 weeks. Purge off the yeast and enjoy your Cappucino Milk Stout, preferably at 6-8°C (43-46°F).
NABLAB
After boiling and clarification, cool the wort to approx. 20°C (68°F) add 500 g (17.6 oz) of LA02 or LONA and ferment under pressure for maximum 72h. Then crash-cool the beer to 0°C (32°F). Purge the yeast after 3 days and enjoy your Low-Alcoholic Cappucino Milk Stout.
Results
| Batch size | 5 hL / 132 gallon |
| Efficiency | 72% |
| Original gravity | 1,072 |
| Final gravity | 1,024 |
| Colour EBC | 120 |
| Colour Lovibond | 46 |
| IBU | 22 |
| ABV % | 6 |
| Carbonation g/L | 6.5 |
| pH | 4.3 |
Appearance
A dark brown to black beer with very light brown foam, which is rich and fine in bubbles.
Taste profile
A full and warming beer with a smooth aftertaste which is rich in espresso, chocolate, nutty and dried fruits flavour.
Food pairing
Cows tongue in Madeira sauce or a wild boar stew with cranberries and some chicory.
Ready to brew your own Cappuccino Milk Stout? Request a sample of Platinum Swaen© Cappu and give your next batch that signature espresso-and-chocolate edge.
