Milk Stout and Lactose

I just finished brewing (I really need to start earlier in the evening) a Milk Oatmeal Stout. I added 1 lb of Lactose at 10min left in the boil. After putting the wort in the carboy with the extra water, my gravity reading is 1.070. I'm wondering how much of that is due to the lactose addition?

I believe lactose adds .010. So without the lactose your gravity is 1.060.

Thank you, that is about what I figured. That being the case, should I have pitched extra yeast? I used White Labs English Ale yeast. The bottle says that if I start with a gravity of 1.070 or higher, I should pitch two tubes, however, the fermentable gravity only seems to be 1.060. So I'm wondering if I will be ok with just the one tube?

Just as an update, fermentation started at 12 hours and after 18 hours, is going well. I'm guessing that I don't need more yeast?

I'm not sure on this one...

The brew I did had a SG of 1.078 and I pitched one vial of White Labs Irish Ale yeast. The FG ended up being 1.032. After subtracting the lactose (which is un-fermentable) I ended at 1.022 after three weeks in primary and one week in secondary. I thought I should have pitched more yeast (the online yeast calculator said I should have pitched 3 vials actually), but the beer tasted nice so I bottled. My FG was probably off because it was an extract recipe as well.

So it may have been okay to add more than one vial of yeast, but then again mine fermented down pretty well (~ 72% attenuation). So just see what happens. Leave it alone for 3+ weeks and see where it's at.

Really, with liquid yeast and a 5 gallon batch of any OG, you ideally want to be culturing a 1-liter starter on a stir plate. Otherwise, dry yeast is an easy and inexpensive alternative, which has the cell counts you need in one or two packets (depending upon your OG).

Is it too late to pitch more yeast? I wouldn't be able to get more yeast until at least tomorrow, meaning the beer will have been brewed at least 60 hours and fermenting for at least 48 hours prior to pitching more yeast. What would be the effects of pitching more yeast part way through fermentation?

Why do you think you need to pitch more yeast? You said here;

nervous noob said:

Just as an update, fermentation started at 12 hours and after 18 hours, is going well.

Click to expand...

So why this incessant need to want to mess with something that ain't broken?


Read this, http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Think_evaluation_before_action/

Then,

Haha, Revvy, your awesome. Thanks for the perspective check.

What made me ask that question was Pelikan's statement that a 5 gallon batch should have a 1 liter starter. My initial thought was of a stuck fermentation due to pitching too little yeast for the amount of sugars in the wort.

After 30 hours, it's going quite well and has a nice krausen (that looks almost like chocolate mousse...mmm). It seems fine to me, but I'm a noob...figured it was best to be sure instead of keep wondering.

Wise Revvy is. Leave the beer alone you will.

jharres said:

Haha, Revvy, your awesome. Thanks for the perspective check.

What made me ask that question was Pelikan's statement that a 5 gallon batch should have a 1 liter starter. My initial thought was of a stuck fermentation due to pitching too little yeast for the amount of sugars in the wort.

After 30 hours, it's going quite well and has a nice krausen (that looks almost like chocolate mousse...mmm). It seems fine to me, but I'm a noob...figured it was best to be sure instead of keep wondering.

Click to expand...

Some people aren't the BEST sources for information if you get my drift...

If it's fermenting then leave it AloNE...next time you brew make a bigger starter...That's all...

Revvy said:

Some people aren't the BEST sources for information if you get my drift...

If it's fermenting then leave it AloNE...next time you brew make a bigger starter...That's all...

Click to expand...

I was just making a general statement (ie: it's best when using liquid yeast to use a starter). It seems you're advocating the same thing...

...I wasn't suggesting he repitch.