Time to bottle?

First batch here. Since I don't have a highly developed sense of brewer's intuition, i'll ask you whether or not it's a good idea to bottle based on the following information. I purchased a kit for a sweet stout which included the following:

1/2 lb simpsons chocolate and 1/2 lb dingeman's debittered black grains.
6 lbs northern brewer amber malt syrup
1 lb lactose
1 oz williamette hops
Wyeast 1028 london ale yeast (liquid, attenuation 73-77%)

Recipe is found here: http://legacy.northernbrewer.com/promash/1131_.html

I got an OG of 1.046. The fermentation rate slowed after 5-6 days, krausen began to dissipate, and the gravity was 1.023. No off flavors or odors. Left it in primary another week to be sure fermentation was done before transferring to secondary and the gravity was still 1.023. After 2 weeks,there is no evidence activity in the secondary, as expected. Should a be concerned about the FG number, or should I just bottle (RDWHAHB)? I've heard that alpha amylase can be used to turn fermentable sugars in to fermentables, but I believe this would just be breaking down the lactose and affecting the taste of my final product. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

I am pretty new to this, but i think that alpha amylase only comes in to play when mashing grains. since you are doing extract with steeping grains you are not really getting any fermentables from your grains, and lactose in a non-fermentable sugar so you do not need to worry about it breaking down. The lactose being non-fermentable will also leave you with a higher finishing gravity.

I would think since you have checked your gravity several times over an extended period of time with no change it is done and ready to bottle. Props to you for using the hydrometer and not using the arilock as a guide.

I say bottle it and get a new batch in that fermenter!

Your FG seems a little high based on where you started. Only 2.5% ABV by my calculations. Sweet Stouts typically run between 4 and 6%. Your OG was on the low end for the style so I would expect it to get down to at least 1.012.

Hopefully someone with more stout experience will chime in.

Ditto:

It's time to bottle! The lb of lactose will leave the beer sweet and the gravity high.

Alpha amylase will only work at 149-156F you use it before the boil to break down the long chain sugars.

However you OG looks a bit low. It should have been closer to 1.055 Your alcohol content is very low at 3%. RDWHAHB

maida7 said:

Ditto:
However you OG looks a bit low. It should have been closer to 1.055 Your alcohol content is very low at 3%. RDWHAHB

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Thanks for the info on amylase, i'll stay away from the stuff. The kit gives an OG range of 1.042 to 1.056. I was really hoping the FG would end up in the neighborhood of 1.010, but I guess it won't the the case. Should be sweet and tasty regardless. Thanks for the number of quick responses as I work to get a handle on my system. You can bet I'll be back here again!

Did you do a partial (~3 gallons) or full (listed 5.88 gal.) boil?

As others have told me, for a partial boil extract brew, it's difficult to adequately mix the wort with top-up water, leading to a low reading (if sample drawn from top).

If you used a partial boil, it's very likely your OG was whatever the recipe estimated, not what your hydrometer said.

JiveTurkey said:

Did you do a partial (~3 gallons) or full (listed 5.88 gal.) boil?

As others have told me, for a partial boil extract brew, it's difficult to adequately mix the wort with top-up water, leading to a low reading (if sample drawn from top).

If you used a partial boil, it's very likely your OG was whatever the recipe estimated, not what your hydrometer said.

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I was just going to post that, i would bet that your OG was right on with what the recipe stated and that your wort and top off water wasn't fully mixed when you took the reading.

what JiveTurkey said. I think you are just getting a bad mix from your wort causing a OG reading. Has happened to me a bucnh. If you are doing extract brewing, it is almost impossible to miss your OG. That being said, I think your SG is a little high. What teperature is your carboy/bucket at? Mght want to try raising that a couple of degrees and carefully stirring up the yeast.

Sweet stouts usually finish high, especially with the addition of the lactose. The OG was awfully low for something that finished that high though... The chocolate and the black malt don't need to be mashed, just steeped. They don't have any diastatic power to them (no enzymes) to mash with.

I used a partial boil, steeping the grains. I used a bucket for primary and a glass carbuoy for secondary. I gave it a stir 10 days in and measured after, and it was still 1.023. Fermentation took place at 68 degrees. The point made about an inaccurate initial measurement due to insufficiently mixed wort is probably spot on. I have a sneaking suspicion it's not actually 3%, but we'll find out I guess. Even if the OG was spot on, it seems like 3% is fairly acceptable (but low end) for the style. I'll repost after tasting!