Brewer's Best Irish Stout

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.

MBM30075

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
215
Reaction score
0
Location
Roswell, GA
I brewed this Saturday night, and even with dry yeast, by Sunday morning my blow off was rocking and rolling!

I have a question about the included instructions. The target OG was said to be 1.040 - 1.050. My actual OG was 1.056.

The target FG is said to be 1.017 - 1.020.

Using 1.017/1.040 and 1.020/1.050 would give an attenuation of 57.5% to 60%. That seems really low for all the beers I've done so far. If I went to 1.018 from my 1.056, that would give me an attenuation of 68%.

Does anyone have a recommendation as to what my FG should be?

This is supposed to be a quick brew. I'm thinking it will be done with primary tomorrow night. Then I'll rack it and let it sit in secondary for 3 days, then bottle. As long as my FG is in the right place, is that rushing it? As long as my FG is appropriate, I won't get bottle bombs, right?

Thanks!
 
I actually brewed this kit back in November. My notes say my starting gravity was about 1.050, and my final gravity was close to 1.020.

One problem i had (it was only my 3rd brew) was impatient and racked to secondary to quick (one week maybe), and i feel like i might have bottled too early and ended up with it over carbed, particularly for its style. Which is probably why the FG was about 1.020.

If I was to do it again i would probably leave it in primary longer and forget the secondary (I dont use them for most brews these days anyways, and i wouldnt be concerned about clarity anyways). I usually go 3 or more, but would recommend at least 2.

Im not an expert by any means but i would attribute the poor attenuation to the use of the malto dextrine (non fermentable) and dark LME (which ive been told is less fermentable than lighter extracts). I wouldnt be too concerned on this brew.

Although i will say it turned out to be a very drinkable beer especially for a kit recipe.
 
Well, I went ahead and racked to secondary. Gravity reading was 1.022, and I expect a little more fermentation in secondary, in addition to clearing.
 
No, I'm not. It's pretty much at its correct FG, and will reach the appropriate point as it clears over the next few days.

The hurry? I'm almost out of beer and DAMN SURE don't want to rush the Belgian Tripel I've got in secondary!
 
Shouldn't stouts be left to age a little longer? three days in primary surely isn't long enough. You might not be satisfied with this batch if you rush it. Just my .02.
 
He asks, we answer, then he disagrees. I say let him do what he wants and when the beer doesn't turn out like it should he'll either listen next time or give up the hobby.
 
Let's see here... checking my notes.... AH! Brewed 29 JAN 08, bottled 23 FEB 08, putting it a little over 3 weeks in primary, no secondary, OG was 1.056 and FG was 1.019. Large amounts were consumed by the O'Leary Brothers drum and bagpipe corps (sponsered by Miller but they drank my brew :rockin:) at our pubs St Patty's day event. The last bottle in stock took first place in my brew clubs "Best Of The Irish" comp 7 MAR 09 (my first 1st place!).
 
I have a Russian Imperial Stout that has been in the fermenter almost a year now and my porter I usually leave in the fermenter 2-3 months. The porter came out very smooth and some of the stouts and such will even say on the instructions an extended, recommended time to let them mellow.

However as was mentioned it's your beer. That is why I have seven carboys now. This allows me to leave beers in for longer without worrying about tring up equipment that I need.
 
KingBrian,

You're right. I asked a couple of questions, one of which I had already answered in my head. Forgive me for being an impatient noob.

I AM going to rush this batch. I know that from the outset. What I'm looking to achieve is the following:

1. QUICK batch (I'm running out of homebrew, and with a Belgian Tripel sitting in secondary, I'm tempted to bottle too soon)
2. Decent batch (I'm not looking for a batch that's gonna win any ribbons or medals)
3. No bottle bombs

I know that if I let the batch go longer, it will come out better. I know that patience will give me a better product, BUT my main goal here is to avoid having to buy beer at the store (I can't drink the cheap stuff anymore, and the good stuff is just too expensive) while still giving my Belgian all the time it needs to be a medal-winning beer.

I know the beer is gonna come out a little raw. I know it would smooth out and taste better if I gave it more time. Again, not the main goal here.

What I want to know is at what point will I be out of the bottle bomb danger zone?

By the way, I'm thinking that based on the ingredients and instructions that I may have more of a sweet Stout than a dry, which could account for both the higher OG and allow for a higher FG.

Any thoughts?

Finally, when I racked to secondary last night, I sample a little bit of the brew. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I think, in spite of all valid wisdom to the contrary, that this batch might be not half bad. If so, I may do the same kit again and let it age properly.

Halaster,

A year in the fermenter? Is that in the primary fermenter? If so, what about autolysis? I've never had a batch go anywhere near that long (3 weeks in primary is longest for me so far), but I've been told that letting the beer sit on the trub too long causes off flavors. Are you talking about secondary?

Yeah, I know I should be more patient, but I simply don't have the room for 7 carboys. In fact, I've really only got 1 primary bucket. Maybe during the home renovation I'll build some shelves to house more beer buckets :).
 
If your at 1.020 gravity, and having bottled mine at 1.019, then my advice would be to give the secondary a week then bottle and put a 12er on a high, dark shelf. I usually drink a sample 4 days after bottling, to keep track of each brews maturation/conditioning rate. So I would say one week after bottling you could have a brew thay would get you by.
 
I've been told that my house is a "brewing vortex" by a friend of mine.

No matter what batch it is, my beers seem to carb up in about 3 or 4 days.

My first batch I rushed and it was still fermenting in the bottle, but on others when I've allowed plenty of time, they still seem to be ready to drink in about 3 or 4 days, a week max.

I even let an IPA sit in primary for about 2 weeks, then secondary for about 6 weeks, and it was dry (FG of 1.010), but it still carb'ed up in 3 days!!!

Not that this has anything to do with your advice, but isn't that weird? I mean, I can't have rushed that IPA with 2 months of time to ferment, right?

By the way, thanks for the understanding. "A brew that would get you by" is EXACTLY what I'm after. Don't we all just need that fix from time to time?

Down a different rabbit hole:

Other than appearance (i.e., clarity) and FG, what lets you know when to bottle from secondary? I mean, why give a beer 2 weeks vs. 2 months vs. 8 months to age in secondary? How do you know when it has peaked and it ripe for the bottle?

Thanks!
 
Yeah I too seem to get quick carbonation but have never had a bottle bomb. Most basic brews are pretty much done fermenting in as little as 3 days to 2 weeks. A little can occur in secondary but usually not much. As for time in secondary it just varies. Some brews benefit from extended secondarys, others are good to go with only a week. It's a part of the learning and experimenting that goes with homebrewing. I think 2-4 weeks secondary is about the norm. Time just allows the alcohol and flavors to meld, be it in bottle or carboy.
 
Just my two cents again but if your looking to turn a beer around quick its not necessary to secondary at all and would probably benefit more from from the extra couple days in primary. Especially with a darker beer clarity is not much of an issue and even still beers will clarify in primary if left long enough. Secondaries are really not necessary for the majority of styles.

Also though regardless its a decent recipe and i'm sure even rushed it will taste good.
 
The one time I tried doing a batch with just primary is the one batch I've gotten so far that was bad. I don't know if it was dumb luck or actually related, but I left a dunkelweizen in primary for 2 weeks (or so) and bottled straight from there.

The batch smelled like feet! I poured out more than half of it, the other half being barely drinkable.

Comments? Advice?
 
If you want a quick brew Hefe's seem to be the way to go. No need for secondary, a quick 1-2 week primary, and 1-2 weeks to carb up and you should be good to drink in as little as 2-4 weeks.

My next brew will be a hefe, more than will get brewed next week sometime. Then after that is in bottle, I will do a BB Stout, either the Irish or The Russian Imprerial Stout. I want to have a stock pile so I can let the Stout age properly with out the temptation to get into it too soon.
 
Yeah, and I like hefes a lot, but I've done 5 out of 10 as some kind of hefe. I'm ready for something new. Tonight I'm putting a standard American Pale Ale in primary. I'll probably let this one go for a whole week! :)
 
Yeah, I'm probably going to get into my Stout too soon, but with a standard Pale Ale on its heels (brewed last night, Wednesday), I hopefully won't be too far in when I can age the rest and start drinking my Pale Ale.
 
Brewed 5 gallons of this to be ready for St. Patrick's Day and friends. Alas with current stay at home conditions I have been forced to drink it myself and not share. Oh darn.
 
Back
Top