Help my imerial stout

I'm getting close to bottling an imperial stout, thing i'm concerned about is it was supposed to finish at 1.030 and it ended up at 1.015 . Can I add lactose or some such thing when I bottle to bring the desired sweetness back or should I leave it alone? Recipe was called double W imp. stout from the forum here, my SG was 1.106 rather than 1.126 . Any options here? thanks

How fermentable is lactose? Could I prime my bottles with it?

Lactose is not fermentable and will only add a subtle sweetness. It will primarily add body. If you want to "thicken" it up a bit you can add it, but I think you'll still have a tasty brew regardless of FG.

I see. Its real thick already, I don't think I'd want that. Not real concerned, I'll probly just bottle as is.

One other thought... are you sure your hydrometer is calibrated correctly? Does it read 1.000 in 60 degree water?

I'll double check. thanks for the idea, haven't considered that

Devilsnight said:

I'm getting close to bottling an imperial stout, thing i'm concerned about is it was supposed to finish at 1.030 and it ended up at 1.015 . Can I add lactose or some such thing when I bottle to bring the desired sweetness back or should I leave it alone? Recipe was called double W imp. stout from the forum here, my SG was 1.106 rather than 1.126 . Any options here? thanks

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That's going to be a beast of a beer.
I'd bottle it as is. I bet its good.

So the hydrometer checked out fine, I figured it would as I usually hit my numbers. Im just going to bottle it this weekend. The sample i pulled last week was pretty tasty, got me in the mood, so I grabbed a 6 pack of centeral waters satin solitude. mmm... hopefully this ones carbed up and tasting good come february. Its gettin a little chilly up here in wisconsin!

Devilsnight said:

So the hydrometer checked out fine, I figured it would as I usually hit my numbers. Im just going to bottle it this weekend. The sample i pulled last week was pretty tasty, got me in the mood, so I grabbed a 6 pack of centeral waters satin solitude. mmm... hopefully this ones carbed up and tasting good come february. Its gettin a little chilly up here in wisconsin!

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You'll have plenty of body and sweetness from what's already there. Definitely bottle! But, maybe add some yeast at bottling to make sure it carbonates in a reasonable amount of time. You've got a pretty big beer.

that thought had crossed my mind, I have a partial packet of nottingham from the other day sealed back up in the fridge. Perhaps i'll add a little to the bottling bucket. I figured I should keep that for some reason

Devilsnight said:

that thought had crossed my mind, I have a partial packet of nottingham from the other day sealed back up in the fridge. Perhaps i'll add a little to the bottling bucket. I figured I should keep that for some reason

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Someone correct me if they have experienced otherwise, but it looks like you're pushing Notty's comfortable ABV tolerance. It'll probably carb, but slowly. As I understand it, Notty isn't happy over 10-11% and you're at almost 12%.

hmmm..... yep, Once again I didn't think of that. Should I just leave it to carb by itself then? I'm planning on it sitting for two months before I crack one open, thats a given to me. Last reading I took I figured It would be about 11.5% I suppose I'd need a champange yeast or something of that nature if I was going to use it for carbing at this point? What are the options? I have 4 days before I plan on bottling.
Thanks Shred for all the help, appreciate it!

I think you'll be okay. It may just take a while. Keep it at as close to 70F as you can and let it ride a couple months.