First time without a kit

Question

Ok, so I'm a relatively new brewer. I've done probably 10 brews, however I've always done it out of a kit and have kegged it afterwards. Brewing from a kit is super easy, it's basically boil it, bucket it, put it in a keg. I have a few questions though, since I'm trying to brew without a kit this time. I went to the homebrew store, told them what I wanted to make, and they gave me the ingredients, but I don't have instructions. First off, here's what I have:

1 lb Plain Extra Dark DME,
A bag of grains,
5 oz lactose,
Oats,
1 oz Czech Saaz hop pellets,
Irish moss

I'm looking to brew a 1 gallon vanilla coffee oatmeal milk stout. Can anyone help me out with what times and temperatures would be a good estimate to accomplish this? What I'm thinking based on how I remember brewing from kits, I should boil the grain bag for about 20 minutes, reduce to about 165 degrees and add the hop pellets, 1 oz of lactose, and the DME for about 45 minutes. The Irish moss I add 1/4 tsp in the last 15 minutes.

Does all this sound right? If not, which step should I change?

Also, when would I add the oats? Would that go in with my grains, then removed after the 20 minutes, or should I add that later and siphon out?

Answer 1

You don't want to boil the grains, that will make the beer very harsh and astringent (like tea that has stewed too long.) Looks like you got it backwards - start at 165°F to steep the grains, then remove the grains and then turn on the heat bring the liquid to a boil.

You need to steep both the grains and oats in hot water - so that the whole mixture ends up around 150-165°F. Leave this to stand for 30 mins and then separate the grains/oats from the water. (Storing the grains/oats in a grain bag can help, otherwise filter through a sieve, cheese cloth etc..)

You can bring the extract from the grains/oats up to the boil, add the hops and the liquid extract, and sufficient water to bring it up half a gallon or so. I'm puzzled with the hops, since they're not what I would consider to be a typical variety in a stout - so they could be either for bittering or for flavor or both, but typically not aroma in a Stout. Also 1oz for 1 gallon is quite a lot of bittering hops, so I would boil for flavor only 15-20 minutes, and you'll still get a good degree of hop bitterness because of the quantity of hops.

After boiling top up with cold water to 1 gallon and leave to cool/chill. When at 75°F/23°C pitch the yeast.

Answer 2

Though I admire your efforts tremendously, wouldn't it be easier to go with a more straightforward recipe for your 1st non-kit brew? Just my opinion, but it might help you hone your skills. Vanilla, Coffee, Oatmeal, Milk? All in the same brew? Why not just start with an Oatmeal Stout first?