About This Course

This course includes 39+ minutes of video

In this 39-minute video course, lead brewer Lara Hargrave walks us through each step of Great Notion’s production of dessert-driven stouts—beers such as Double Stack, their imperial breakfast stout with coffee and maple syrup. Along the way, she discusses: 

  • recipe development, from grist to adjuncts
  • selecting dark malts that support and balance flavor adjuncts without clashing
  • how to ensure a smooth lauter
  • long boils, dark sugars, and malt extracts for flavor and body
  • using slaked lime to balance acidic ingredients
  • managing fermentation in a hostile environment for yeast
  • using an adjunct tank for ingredients such as coconut and peanuts
  • tips on working with coffee, nuts, marshmallow, coconut, and more
  • the careful use of flavor extracts
  • experimenting with different flavor adjuncts
  • adding flavor adjuncts to barrel-aged stouts
  • oily ingredients, volatile aromas, and other pitfalls

And more.


Instructor

At Great Notion Brewing in in Portland, Oregon, the philosophy when it comes to flavor is "go big, or go home." Founded 2016, Great Notion has won a strong following among beer enthusiasts on the West Coast and across the country for its characterful hazy IPAs, fruit beers, and dessert stouts. Subtlety is rarely part of the equation, and the Great Notion team has long been proud of how far they can push the envelope in the pursuit of crowd-pleasing, culinary-inspired flavors.

Lara Hargrave

Lead Brewer, Great Notion

Course Curriculum

  • 01

    Introduction

    Show Content
  • 02

    Mashing and Brewing Pastry Stouts

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    • Developing the Malt Bill and Mashing

    • Long Boils and Flavorful Sugars

    • Managing Bitterness, Balance, and Acidity
  • 03

    The Cold Side and Flavor Adjuncts

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    • Promoting Healthy Fermentation in a Hostile Environment

    • Adding Flavor Adjuncts to Pastry Stouts

    • Selecting and Working with Flavor Adjuncts

    • Flavor Extracts, Spices, and Toasting Nuts

    • Fruit Purees in Stouts

    • Watching Acidity with Adjuncts
  • 04

    Experimentation

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    • Experimenting with Different Flavors

    • Adding Flavor Adjuncts to Barrel-Aged Stouts

    • Tasting, Blending, and Flavoring Barrel-Aged Stouts

    • Oils, Volatile Aromas, and Other Pitfalls

    • Finishing, Carbonating, and Packaging
  • 05

    Parting Thoughts, Further Reading, Listening & Recipes

    Show Content

    • Thank You, and Keep Beer Fun!

    • Recipe: Great Notion Pastry Stout Base

    • Randy Mosher on Pastry Stouts as Liquid Nostalgia

    • Breakout Brewer Profile on Great Notion (2017)

    • Podcast Episode 40: Great Notion’s Andy Miller: The Only Brewing Technique Constant is Change (2018)

    • Podcast Episode 250: Breakside’s Ben Edmunds, Great Notion’s James Dugan, and Von Ebert’s Sam Pecoraro Dissect Trendy Beers and Innovation

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