Double chocolate stout

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
E

eppo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
466
Reaction score
5
So I brewed up the Austin homebrew double chocolat stout. After o e week in primary I had a gravity of 1.022. I
mixed it up a bit and let it sit at 70f for another week. I got the same gravity this week. I went by the minimash sticky on this board.
One thing I did notice was it took a while to get my mash temp down. It was close to 160 for a bit, didn't get it down to 154 for about 20 min. Should have added more cold water from the getgo but didn't want the temp to drop too quick.
You think I have a lot of unfermentables due to this? And 1.022 is the lowest I'll get?
Thanks
 
That could be a reason - or you did not mix completely when you took the FG?

I think mine was pretty high also when I brewed that one.

in any case it will be a wonderful brew - very good from the get go but will be much better in 3 months! . . . if you can hold off temptation.(which I could not).

It's a sweet brew anyway so . . . . .
 
Grinder12000 said:
That could be a reason - or you did not mix completely when you took the FG?
QUOTE]

Are you supposed to mix before taking the FG? I always just used a turkey baster to take a sample off the top of the carboy.

I have the same issue going on with that exact same beer, however mine seems to have stopped at 1.024, I brewed 2 1/2 weeks ago, seems to have been stopped there for about a week.
Click to expand...
 
morebeer said:
Grinder12000 said:
That could be a reason - or you did not mix completely when you took the FG?
Click to expand...

Are you supposed to mix before taking the FG? I always just used a turkey baster to take a sample off the top of the carboy.

I have the same issue going on with that exact same beer, however mine seems to have stopped at 1.024, I brewed 2 1/2 weeks ago, seems to have been stopped there for about a week.
Click to expand...

I don't think you're supposed to mix at all after you pitch the yeast. In fact all the books I've read say you should try to not agitate the primary at all even when you are racking to the bottling bucket. Unless I am missing something.
 
The only time you should mix before taking a gravity reading is before you pitch the yeast. The OG. For FG you just pull a sample. From what I have learned, you want to try to limit the movement of the beer when it has fermented so that you don't get oxygen mixed in or the beer can oxidize.
Hope that helps.
Dave
 
I think he was referring to rousing the yeast to try to get it to ferment further. Usually you just gently rock the carboy in a circle to swirl up a little yeast. Some folks go so far as to actually stir it up, but I think that's going overboard.
 
My bad - I was double thinking at 5:45 in the morning - yea - don't mix after you are done fermenting.

The one thing in my notes that I had forgotten about was how many people that "do not like dark beer" loved this one!
 
when i bottle i was thinking of adding chocolate extract, has anyone tried it? i really do not taste as much of a chocolate flavor as i would like, i've read where people add it to taste, but i definitely do not want to add too much.
 
I just kegged the Holiday Chocolate Stout (the same recipe plus a spice pack). I left it in the primary for 3.5 weeks. One week at 67, the rest of the time at ambient (about 73). I took three readings when I kegged, the average was 1016.

I would research tips for a stuck ferment on this site.

How long has it been fermenting?
What temperature?
Has your hydrometer been tested?


You can rouse the yeast by gently rocking the carboy (with the cab on). You can pitch more yeast. If all else fails, you can rack this beer onto the yeast cake of another beer that has finished. I doubt you will have to go that far though.

Let us know what you found out.

Eric
 
i had it at 70f for 24 hours, then i moved it to a 66f room for a week. the moved it back to 70 for a week.
i did put my hydrometer in water and i got 1.000. can it change over time? how often should i test it out? before each batch?
i think it might have been because my mash temp was too high. i did a 45 min mash and for probably about 20 minutes it was close to 160.
is there a more accurate way to measure the mash temp than one of those floating thermometers? cause i have that thermometer and a digital weatherchannel thermometer in my fermentation chamber, and the floating thermometer reads a few degree's less.
 
eppo said:
i had it at 70f for 24 hours, then i moved it to a 66f room for a week. the moved it back to 70 for a week.
i did put my hydrometer in water and i got 1.000. can it change over time? how often should i test it out? before each batch?
i think it might have been because my mash temp was too high. i did a 45 min mash and for probably about 20 minutes it was close to 160.
is there a more accurate way to measure the mash temp than one of those floating thermometers? cause i have that thermometer and a digital weatherchannel thermometer in my fermentation chamber, and the floating thermometer reads a few degree's less.
Click to expand...

I don't think the hydrometer can change per se, but they can break or be innacurate, so it is good to check. I have never had a reason to retest mine, but if you are concerned about your readings, it can be a good thing to check. Your mash temp might make a slight difference, but I doubt that is the culprit. I measure mash temp with an instant read digital thermometer, but I put a thermapen on my xmas list (google it, they are sweet). The floating ones are a PITA.

My recommendation (and I could be wrong) is to gently rouse the yeast and give it another 10 days and then recheck it.

If the gravity is still high after 10 days, I would repitch.

Eric
 

Similar threads

hilljack13
Normal fermentation for lager/festbier
Replies
12
Views
484
Gadjobrinus
Gadjobrinus
bad raccoon brewing
Big beer just got huge--am I doing this right?
Replies
7
Views
385
Hoochin'Fool
Hoochin'Fool
PashMaddle
First brew day is on the books.
Replies
39
Views
2K
GoodTruble
G
A
RO Water - starting with lower pH
Replies
30
Views
1K
jerrylotto
jerrylotto
R
Here I go again, Yeast issue or not?
Replies
37
Views
1K
BrewnWKopperKat
BrewnWKopperKat
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top