BeerBorg

I want to smoke the oats for a Smoked Oatmeal Stout.
It's actually a Brew Demon 3gal batch of Shedu Oatmeal Stout. Can I add some smoked oats into the fermenter? If so, how much in a 3 gal. batch? How long would you smoke them?

Do not add them to the fermenter, they are nothing but starch + fiber + protein and whatever bugs are hanging out on the starch waiting for a chance to eat it. It will just cause you to get an infection most likely. Then you will have a smoked sour/funky stout.

You *need* to get a little bit of base malt (2-row) or some amylase enzyme. You need to steep the 2-row + oats or the oats + the enzyme in 150 degree water for an hour. Then strain the liquid into your pot (get rid of the oats) and top it up to make the water volume you want to add your extract to.

If you just steep them without 2-row or amylase and then strain them and boil it and then add your extract that is safer* but you are not adding anything fermentable to your beer (by your yeast). Just starch and a little bit of protein that will get you some extra head retention. Fun fact - the starch can actually give you a sweet lingering aftertaste because your saliva has amylase in it, so if it lingers in your mouth your saliva will actually convert it to sugars, and then they taste sweet.

* But other things like bacteria and wild yeast strains can actually eat the starch though. That = infection, gushers, bad things (unless intended) unless you have *impeccable* sanitation. So still best to not do that.

I have heard of toasting the oats prior to using them to actually get a bit more flavor out of them, but smoking them yourself could be tricky. I think there are way to many variables to give any guidelines as to how to go about smoking them. Equipment, wood, time, temperature...all are going to play a part. My suggestion would to do as mashani has mentioned but also steep some smoked malt from your LHBS with it, all the work has been done already for a product to be used in adding that character to your beer.

MadBrewer wrote:also steep some smoked malt from your LHBS with it, all the work has been done already for a product to be used in adding that character to your beer.

This would be my suggestion too. And you wouldn't need much to get a smoked flavor into your batch.
I made a smoked pale ale a few years back that turned out pretty good. It was a 5 gallon batch and I only used 4 oz of smoked malt. It gave the beer a nice mild smokey character to it without being overpowering. Based on that, I would think you would only need around 2 oz or so for a 3 gallon batch.

You could use 1# of Weyermann Oak Smoked Wheat Malt as the "base malt" to steep your oats in and just toast the oats if you want some extra toastyness.

The Oak Smoked Wheat is much milder then the other smoked malts, 1# of it is not going to be any stronger flavor wise then 4oz of the other stuff. And it is a true base malt, as in you can use it 100% of a grain bill if you want (IE if you are making a Grodziskie / Grätzer).

It is one of the few smoked malts I actually like to use as it doesn't make your beer taste like bacon or cigarette butts. Just a nice mild sweet smoke.

I've actually never gone 100% with it, that might be too strong for my liking, but I went with 35% Pils, 65% oak smoked wheat following an old German brewery recipe for a Grätzer beer and I liked it.

Thank you for saving me from disaster. I haven’t had a bad batc( yet, so no need to start with this one.