Release: 10 Black Fathoms Stout

As part of our San Diego Homebrew Summer program, a dozen local breweries are producing recipes from local homebrewers at their breweries during the sunny season. The next to debut will be the second winning homebrew recipe from father-son duo Kevin and Brandon Holt, and it’s one of this prolific pair’s all-time favorite creations. Dubbed 10 Fathoms, it’s a coffee milk stout brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla that’s been recreated with deep chocolate character at Vista’s Five Suits Brewing. The owner of that operation knows a thing or two about homebrewing, having been named Homebrewer of the Year at the 2016 National Homebrew Competition. He also knows a thing or two about the Holts, having selected their recipe based on their sterling reputations within the local homebrew community. Head out to Five Suits on Saturday, July 17 to get a taste of 10 Fathoms and keep scrolling to get some fun background on the recipe and how it was adjusted for pro-level production.

10 Black Fathoms | Coffee Milk Stout

Commentary from Five Suits Brewing Co-founder & Head Brewer Nick Corona

The brew day was fantastic. Brewing with “the incredible Holts” was a treat. It was so awesome to see their passion and excitement come through in our first homebrew collab to date. The goal from the start was to get as close t their homebrewed beer as possible. We adjusted the water profile to get as close to theirs as we cold. The main adjustment was that we decided to add the roasted rains at sparge instead of early on in the mash. This allowed us to hit our mash pH without having to add a ton of minerals for the roasted grains too early. We also added a ton of cacao nibs during the whirlpool to push that chocolate flavor over the top. The first taste of the wort confirmed that this beer is definitely going to be a chocolate bomb. We can’t wait for everyone to try it.

Q&A with homebrewer Kevin Holt

When did you develop this recipe?

We came up with this recipe back in 2017 because we wanted to make a stout we enjoyed. In our opinion, too many stouts are harsh with ash or burnt-coffee flavors that make them unenjoyable. We knew what base malts we wanted and then went to Home Brew Mart, where we went down the aisle an actually tasted every dark-roasted grain one-at-a-time. Any with harsh flavors were out and any with smooth chocolate, mocha or espresso flavors were in. We then brewed it several times to get the combination of those grains just right.

What led you to submit this particular recipe for consideration?

We submitted the recipe because it has become one of our favorites. When we brew, we like to experiment with different adjuncts and flavors like bourbon, rum, nuts, etc. Brandon calls this recipe our “blank canvas”. We have made it a sweet tiramisu stout and a savory chipotle stout, which is one of our favorite beers we’ve ever done.