Sour Oatmeal Stout

I must admit that while I appreciate stouts and porters they aren't my favorite styles of beer. My father is the opposite and always asks when I am going to make a stout. I set out to make a stout that we both would like by souring an oatmeal stout with lactobacillus. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I was pleased with the results. The beer is light and refreshing on the palate, while the roasted malt characters cover up the tartness of the lacto. This is a stout that can be consumed on a 100 degree day in July and be refreshing, yet provide the chocolate, coffee etc. notes associated with a stout. I used a lacto culture that I keep around the house but either a Wyeast/White labs would be good I'd think. I wanted enough hops to stand up to the grain bill but not to overtake or slow down the souring. I was playing it by ear using my own culture (how much is too much?) while trying to balance aging etc.  I would be interested to know how sour it would be compared to mine. In the end the lacto added a lightness and refreshing nature to the beer while thinning the body a bit. Over time the sourness did not escalate as rapidly as I thought it might and it has stayed very stable.

Sour Oatmeal Stout Recipe:

Specifics:

5.25 Gallons

OG 1060

TG 1012

SRM 34.99

IBU 32.2

Grain:

5 lbs. 2-Row

1.5 lbs. Brown Malt

1.0 lbs. Chocolate Malt

1.0 lbs. Oat Malt

1.0 lbs. Oat Flakes

.75 lbs. Caramel 80

.75 lbs. Special Roast

.5 lbs. Kiln Coffee Malt

.5 lbs. Debittered Black
.5 lbs. Biscuit
.25 lbs. Crystal Rye

Hops:
1 oz Northern Brewer @ 60 minutes
1 oz East Kent Golding @ 5 minutes

Yeast:
Wyeast 1028 London Ale
Home Lactobacillus Culture--added to secondary
*if you don't have a lacto culture a pouch/slant of lacto would work very well

Notes:
Single infusion mash at 154F. Drew 7 gallons of wort and boiled to 5.25 in 60 minutes. Cooled to 70 and pitched London Ale. Racked to secondary after 14 days and pitched Lacto culture. Left in secondary apx. 2 months before bottling.