Lord knows I love a good stout. It's probably one of my very-most-favorite styles. Full-bodied, rich and roasty, blacker than the tax man's heart. Course, stout can be a bit heavy too, and somewhat hard to drink on a hot summer's day. And some people get carried away with the roasted aspect, turning stout into a bottle of smoke. This recipe, another Parkside Original, addresses those concerns by using potatoes in the mash (to add strength without body), and Carafa Special II (for a lighter roast aspect)--sort of a welterweight version of a stout. I name it in honor of my mother's father Fenton Smith, a small man who packed a punch. Before you drink a glass, do the man an honor, and recite his traditional toast:
Here's to you
and here's to me
and if perchance we disagree
then hell with you!
and here's to me!
SLAINTE!
FENTON SMITH'S SPARRING SPUD STOUT
8 # 2 row
1 # 120L Crystal
0.75 # Carafa Special II
1 # potato
2 oz Simcoe (1 @ 60, 1 @ 30)
White Labs Irish Ale Yeast
2 tsp gypsum (1 with mash, 1 with sparge)
OG and FG unknown (broken hydrometer not yet replaced)
Dice the potato, put it in a pot with an inch of water over it, and boil it for ten minutes. Then throw it in with the grains, and mash for one hour.
