4JBrew said:
Lots of brewers get low readings if they use top off water. The water is usually a different temperature and a different gravity so it tends to stratify no matter how much you stir.
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Lots of brewers get low readings if they use top off water. The water is usually a different temperature and a different gravity so it tends to stratify no matter how much you stir.
Tinpanharry
Well-Known Member
Not agreed. I have used top off water on several batches and never had a problem with low OG.
mike_in_ak
Well-Known Member
He said "lots of brewers," not "all brewers." Your experience is entirely consistent with his post.
rjthomas21
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So I got a chance to brew this beer this weekend and it smells great in the primary already but I just realized that I added an entire 1lb bag of lactore, rather than just .5 lbs. Any thoughts on how this might affect the final product? I'm afraid it might be too sweet but am hoping it won't really be noticeable.
mikecshultz
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rjthomas21 said:
Dry hop with some cocao nibs if you think it is too sweet. The bitterness from the nibs will cut through the extra sweetness.
It might help to add some expresso too. It all depends on what direction you want to take it.
I used 12oz and I think it's great! I would leave it as is until you try it, serve a little colder and it might balance out. What I mean by that is; at 36f the bitterness comes through more, at 42f it is sweeter.
Or, dry hop as the others have suggested.
Beer_me_plz
Well-Known Member
mikecshultz said:
+1 for cocoa nibs. I want to try this again with a full pound of lactose and some extra roasted barley. Maybe some flaked oats too. Not sure yet. it needs a little more body in my opinion.
I brewed the AG recipe of this today... I added a pound of flaked oats to my batch, and since I upped the recipe to accommodate a 5.5gal batch I used a whole pound of lactose. That is what I have always used for a milk stout so I'm not worried about it. I had a couple packets of S-04 in the fridge so that is the yeast I went with. I was able to get everything I needed at the LHBS for under $30
I have a few questions about deception stout. First off this was my first attempt at an ag stout.
My numbers
Pre boil SG 1.041
Post boil SG 1.057
1084 yeast (yeast starter used
36 days in fermentation
Final gravity 1.020
Transferred to keg w/ 2.4 units co2
After 6 days in keezer I decided to try a small sample. The beer tasted very sweet. Did I rack to the keg too soon? I'm guessing some of the sugar didn't convert.
Any suggestions would be great.
My numbers
Pre boil SG 1.041
Post boil SG 1.057
1084 yeast (yeast starter used
36 days in fermentation
Final gravity 1.020
Transferred to keg w/ 2.4 units co2
After 6 days in keezer I decided to try a small sample. The beer tasted very sweet. Did I rack to the keg too soon? I'm guessing some of the sugar didn't convert.
Any suggestions would be great.
1.020 is right on target. The lactose you added guarantees the sweetness. If it is too sweet for your taste, just scale back the lactose on the next batch.
StophJS
Well-Known Member
I've made this puppy twice now, but with 3 lb of the wheat DME and 3 lb of the amber, and it is probably the best stout I've ever had.
Brewed this last Sunday(hoping it's ready for St. Pat's) using Wyeast 1056 and the fermentation started early and aggressively(though no monsters growing out of the airlock). OG came in at 1.06. Thinking about tossing in a Jameson soaked vanilla bean during the last week so we'll see how that goes. Anyone else try anything similar?
DrummerBoySeth
Well-Known Member
Yep, I did 2 vanilla beans soaked in Canadian Club whisky for a week in secondary when I did mine. It turned out AWESOME! You can taste the vanilla, but it is nowhere near overpowering. It is definitely more of a background flavor or secondary flavor on the palate, not the primary one. I may even add another 1/2 pound of lactose and another vanilla bean (for a total of 3) the next time I make this recipe.
I cold crashes this beer last night for 24 hrs and racked it into a keg today. Tasted a sample and its a pretty solid cream stout. I got roasty, chocolate, mildly sweet, and a hint of smoke. The beer is still green, so I think it will be even better in a couple weeks once it is carbed up. I like the AG recipe, and think it will be a keeper to brew again. I think the 1lb flaked outs brought out some silky texture that I really like, but I think I would bump them up another 1/2lb next time. I think the whole pound of lactose was a good decision, and I used an entire ounce of magnum to balance it out a little. Overall very happy with this brew, and give it an 8.5 out of 10. Cheers!
I brewed this in early January and decided to crack a bottle after about a week and a half, not all the way carbed up yet but tastes really good!! Next time I may try a whole pound of lactose to see how that is. Great recipe, thank you!
I have what I'm assuming is a stupid question. Is the original (extract) recipe a Partial Mash recipe or a true all extract recipe?
Steve
The extract recipe does include 2 pounds of grains, which I think would need to be "steeped" for 30 minutes at around 154°F. Then, the sugars need to be rinsed at around 170°F. Some folk call this an extract brew with "specialty grains." But it is really a kind of partial mash.
glenn514
glenn514
The extract recipe does include 2 pounds of grains, which I think would need to be "steeped" for 30 minutes at around 154°F. Then, the sugars need to be rinsed at around 170°F. Some folk call this an extract brew with "specialty grains." But it is really a kind of partial mash.
glenn514
No, to be a partial mash it requires that some of the grains have diastatic power, which means they have the enzyme to convert the grain's starches to sugars. That enzyme is destroyed or disabled when the grains are heated too much which is where the "mash out" temperature comes from. Caramel, roasted, and any other darker grains will have had the enzyme disabled so they are merely specialty grains. Pale malt, munich, vienna, wheat malt, and such do have the diastatic power so if any of these are included it should be a partial mash. Note that diastatic power varies with the type of grain and the kilning of the grain such that pale malt as an example can convert its starches and some other starches in grains that cannot. Vienna malt has been kilned more so it only has enough diastatic power to convert itself, no enzyme power left over for other grains.
DrummerBoySeth
Well-Known Member
I do not wish to start a war of semantics between whether this recipe should be called "extract with specialty grains" or "Partial mash", but it certainly is NOT "all extract"
The crystal, chocolate, and roasted barley are all steeped in the brew pot before adding the extract. Call it what you like, but it is a 2-step recipe that requires steeping grains first, then adding extract and hops for the boil.
mike_in_ak
Well-Known Member
Partial mash means something different. Explained above.
This is a technical difference, not semantic. I.e., you can buy extract kits (with steeping specialty grains), partial mash kits with greater grain diversity, and all grain kits.
So when people use these terms they do mean something specific.
Edit: this post is in agreement with RM-MN's post that I found informative and helpful.
This is a technical difference, not semantic. I.e., you can buy extract kits (with steeping specialty grains), partial mash kits with greater grain diversity, and all grain kits.
So when people use these terms they do mean something specific.
Edit: this post is in agreement with RM-MN's post that I found informative and helpful.
That is certainly one way to do it. As you brew more you will likely tweak the method here and there to suit you better.
Brewing is a very personal experience.
Brewing is a very personal experience.
rdann87
Well-Known Member
So i Brewed the All grain version of this today. Due to one "assistant" helping themselves to a few to many home brews i ended up with about a gallon more than anticipated. Was aiming for an 8 gal batch, ended up with 9.
Still came in around 1.048 for the OG.
Looking forward to tasting this one. Smelled amazing! I split this into my two smaller carboys. Was going to soak 1 Vanilla bean in some whiskey and toss it into a secondary for one batch.. now I'm debating whether i should do it with both?!! Decisions.. Decisions...
Still came in around 1.048 for the OG.
Looking forward to tasting this one. Smelled amazing! I split this into my two smaller carboys. Was going to soak 1 Vanilla bean in some whiskey and toss it into a secondary for one batch.. now I'm debating whether i should do it with both?!! Decisions.. Decisions...
rideincircles
Well-Known Member
I ended up getting 3rd place in my monthly homebrew club BJCP contest with this. Not bad for my first year of brewing. Based on the judging sheets I will tweak it if I make it again later, and it will probably be done all grain also.
Still have 6 bottles left, will probably open one this weekend.
Still have 6 bottles left, will probably open one this weekend.
EndOfLine
Well-Known Member
Just made this beer a few weeks ago. In the keg now..... and..... I could not wait any longer! I HAD TO HAVE SOME! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! and it was amazing!!!!! even flat
mike_in_ak
Well-Known Member
rideincircles said:
What tweaks? What were the notes/criticisms?
Travestian
Well-Known Member
Just ordered my ingredients for this recipe tonight! Second all grain batch and I'm stoked!
Very new at this and this is my second brew but could not wait to brew this recipe.
Everything went according to plan until I got the wort into the primary, topped off to 5 gallons, and realized I was at ~82 degrees. I tried cooling the primary further but I had to leave the house so I pitched (2-qt yeast starter, Wyeast 1450) at right around 80 thinking the temp would continue to drop and after a few hours I would be in the 'safe zone' and it would only fall further from there. In hind sight, I probably should have waited to pitch later and just leave the wort in the primary but...
By the time I went to bed, the temp had fallen in the mid-70s and this morning it was a steady 69-70 with the airlock going crazy.
Should I be worried about off-flavors? If so, is there anything I can do to minimize them?
Thanks.
Everything went according to plan until I got the wort into the primary, topped off to 5 gallons, and realized I was at ~82 degrees. I tried cooling the primary further but I had to leave the house so I pitched (2-qt yeast starter, Wyeast 1450) at right around 80 thinking the temp would continue to drop and after a few hours I would be in the 'safe zone' and it would only fall further from there. In hind sight, I probably should have waited to pitch later and just leave the wort in the primary but...
By the time I went to bed, the temp had fallen in the mid-70s and this morning it was a steady 69-70 with the airlock going crazy.
Should I be worried about off-flavors? If so, is there anything I can do to minimize them?
Thanks.
BPal75
Well-Known Member
Not much can be done at this point. The yeast may have been a bit stressed in the beginning until the temps cooled, but it should still be ok. I would recommend leaving the beer in primary for at least 3 weeks till a month, so that the yeast can clean up a lot of the off flavors that may have developed from pitching high.
What yeast did you use? That could also make a difference.
What yeast did you use? That could also make a difference.
DrummerBoySeth
Well-Known Member
THIS. Whatever damage was done by the high pitching temps is done. It probably will not affect the beer too much, but the extra week or 2 in primary will go a long way to minimizing any weird flavors caused by the high temperatures.
Well, i finally brewed this yesterday after looking forward to it for quite some time! Its bubbling away!
DrummerBoySeth
Well-Known Member
No need to secondary if you do a long primary. Your one month timetable sounds perfect.
rideincircles
Well-Known Member
More roasty flavor and hop bitterness. It is now in Bluebonnet, and I will see how it does in its own category. Only have 4 bottles left I think, need to brew it again.
Need to figure out which grains to increase when I make it again. About to get a keg setup soon and it is a good one to have around.
