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I'm about to start an out the box Stout tonight and would like to know if anyone has any tips to make this great tasting?

This is the first time I've tried making a stout so am rather clueless at the moment.

Thanks

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    Can you be more specific on what you are asking? What have you tried, what happened? What problem are you trying to avoid, if any? What makes a stout "great" for you anyway?
    – Robert
    Nov 23, 2015 at 17:33
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    Please add more details. Are you planning to do an all-grain stout? What type of stout do you like?
    – Philippe
    Nov 23, 2015 at 18:40
  • I don't want to be mean to a newer member, but you need to be more specific. What does "out the box Stout" mean?
    – Reimius
    Dec 1, 2015 at 22:58

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You can't make something taste better if you do not know what it tastes like.

Brew the beer as you have it. Taste it, determine what it needs, then re-brew the beer with new changes.

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Stouts from a kit are usually better than other styles of beer since the kit cannot contain any hop aroma, or flavor, and a Stout is fine without either of these.

First, to get the best out of any beer, you want to be sure your brewing practices are up to par:

  • pay attention to sanitation - anything touching cold beer or unboiled wort should be made sanitary using using a sanitizer, such as StarSan.

  • rehydrate the yeast in body-temp water before pitching to get the best cell count from the packet

  • place the beer at the correct temperature - for a stout, 16-18C would be ideal, increasing the temperature to 20-22C after 3-4 days to help dry out the beer.

Specifically for a stout:

  • substitute sugar additions with dry/liquid malt extract to improve the maltiness. Medium color for a more malty stout, dark color for a stronger rostedness.

  • add some lactose, or maltodextrin for a smoother mouthfeel

  • add coffee/chocolate nibs

  • keep the carbonation low (2-3oz sugar per 5gal batch should be plenty, compared to 4-5oz for a normally carbed beer)

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Well it sounds like you are brewing a Stout from a kit ('out the box Stout'). You can certainly sub certain ingredients per se depending on the kit.

I'd say the key is to pay attention to fermentation and temperature control. That means pitching the proper amount of healthy yeast and ferment it in a location where the temp doesn't fluctuate too much.

Other than that your question is somewhat generic.

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