Stout @ 1.042 any ideas?

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TechyDork

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I brewed a PM Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout a two weeks ago. I took my first SG today and it was at 1.046, it started @ 1.065!! It has been fermenting @ 62 for 13 days, and i have tried to get it warmer but it is tough, Alaska in the winter.

I brewed this PM using the stove top method on my new SQ10. my mash was a little messed up, 154 for 25min and then it cooled to 148 so i tried to raise the temp and hit 168 by mistake, and it finished @ 162 after an additional 25min.

Do you think by the mash temp getting to high i would have alot of unfermentable sugars in there?

I plan to do my best to get the carboy into the upper 60's to see if it will finish out lower. Any other ideas would be most helpful. has anyone used a heating pad to raise the temps? I am running out of blankets :cross:

recipe below.

Batch size: 3 gal
Boil: 3.25 gal

OG- Measured: 1.065 Est: 1.069
FG- Measure: ? Est: 1.018

3.50 lb Amber Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] Extract 51.53 %
1.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 14.72 %
0.75 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 11.04 %
0.35 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.10 %
0.35 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.10 %
0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 3.68 %
1.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 35.4 IBU
6.00 oz Coco Powder (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
0.60 lb Milk Sugar (Lactose) (Boil 10.0 min (0.0 SRM) Sugar 8.83 %
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

60 min Mash In Add 4.04 qt of water at 164.0 F 154.0 F
10 min Step Add 10.00 qt of water at 177.2 F 170.0 F


thanks,
Dustin
 
You need to raise your temps. Try getting an aquarium heater and a temperature control unit. You could probably even do without the temp control unit since aquarium heaters usually keep the water around 70 I believe.

A brew-belt would also work nicely. If you intend on brewing ales in Alaska, I highly suggest buying one. Or switch to lagers when it's that cold.
 
You need to raise your temps. Try getting an aquarium heater and a temperature control unit. You could probably even do without the temp control unit since aquarium heaters usually keep the water around 70 I believe.

A brew-belt would also work nicely. If you intend on brewing ales in Alaska, I highly suggest buying one. Or switch to lagers when it's that cold.

would this be placed inside the carboy? I will have to look in to the brew belt
 
Brew belt simply adds approx 10 deg regardless of the ambient unless you have a temp controller. An aquarium heater with a built-in thermostat is great! Just sanitize and drop it in! See Amazon for lots of choices.
 
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There are a few things I could see happening here. First temps when mashing are very important once you get the grain up to 168 you stop converting starches to sugars, which means you could have incomplete conversion. Second, only using 1 lb of 2 row with 1.7lbs of specialty grains means you may not have had enough diastatic power to convert all of the sugars again incomplete convserion. Plus the addition of lactose which is an unfermentable sugar will leave your gravity a bit higher than normal. If you added it during the boil it would have read as a sugar in your hydro reading but it won't ferment out.

Though if incomplete conversion isn't the answer I would think it was the high mash plus lactose. I would take a WAG and say you have a stuck fermentation, If warming it up to around 70 doesn't work you may need to repitch.
 
I ferment in my basement, which usually sits around 50 degrees all winter. My fermenter sits in a big Rubbermaid container full of water which contains an aquarium heater. I would personally go with this setup rather than placing the heater directly in the carboy. The heater's thermostat is surprisingly accurate, and I can adjust the temperature throughout fermentation, raising it slightly at the end to help ensure full attenuation. Even in the summer when the heater's not needed I still use the water bath because it prevents any rapid temperature fluctuations, and ice can be added to cool it down if need be.
 
I did a stout on s-04 this fall that sat at a gravity until it was racked, and then took off again for another 10 points. I noted to consider a secondary with my recipe on that yeast. S-04 seemed pretty happy at 62 on several other batches for me.

just my observations from my batch. Your recipe is VERY different. I have not calculated impact of Lactose before.

I bet it will still be good!
 
http://www.aquariumguys.com/minitherm.html This is a perfect heater for 5 gallon batches...and cheap. Yes, and aquarium heater would go directly into your carboy after you've sanitized it.

I ferment in my basement, which usually sits around 50 degrees all winter. My fermenter sits in a big Rubbermaid container full of water which contains an aquarium heater. I would personally go with this setup rather than placing the heater directly in the carboy. The heater's thermostat is surprisingly accurate, and I can adjust the temperature throughout fermentation, raising it slightly at the end to help ensure full attenuation. Even in the summer when the heater's not needed I still use the water bath because it prevents any rapid temperature fluctuations, and ice can be added to cool it down if need be.

I'm more inclined to go with Helms here. I use a water bath and put the aquarium heater into it. It's probably ok inside the carboy, but if the wort isn't circulating, you might get "hot spots" right around the heater. I fill the water bath, and put the heater and a floating thermometer into the water bath. That also keeps the temps pretty stable.

As far as the high SG now, I'd try to repitch with a more attenuative yeast. Nottingham would be a good one. Your temperature during the mash would mean unfermentables in the runnings, and the lactose is unfermentable, but the extract should ferment. The fermentation temperature is fine in the 60s.
 
+2 (+3?) to Yooper and Helm's method...I also keep a fermenter warm using the water bath/aquarium heater method. I don't think I would be dropping the heater directly into the carboy for sanitary reasons. Also, with the water bath method you might use more electricity to keep a larger volume at a given temperature, that temperature will remain more consistent and less chance of overheating the beer.
 
Indirectly heated water bath is definitely a better way to go. I have my current batch in one ATM. Actually started out with cooler water (didn't need to end up adding ice) to keep temps down at the more violent start of fermentation, now have the heater in the water.
 
I was a little leary on the heater in the carboy, but the water bath sounds like a very do albe option to me. I also have a package of notty in the fridge. I will get a heater ordered and try to bring the temps up to 68-70 for a few days and see if that helps out, and if not i will pitch the notty and see what happens.

I also brewed a holiday ale a few days after the stout and pitched S-04, i took a reading right after i sampled the stout and it was still prety high, 1.024 from 1.054 @62.

the mash was a disaster!! i was brewing with a buddy at his place and we were just having too good of a time hanging out and shooting the sh#$ (his wife and kids were out of town) the next batches went much better.

for what it was worth the hydro sample had a nice taste to it, less the sweetness from the high gravity. i think it will be a great beer if i can get it down in the low 20's or upper teens when finished.

thank you all for your advice.
 
I just ordered two of these. so we will see if raising the temp helps these finish out a little better.

if not i have some notty that i can pitch!

thanks again,
Dustin
 
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I put a heater directly into my carboy all the time and I've never had a problem. I don't like swamp coolers because it takes up more room...plus I have to deal with a wet slippery carboy. I use that extra space for another fermentor.
 
Ok, so i received my heaters in last week. The stout has been @ 72 for about 5 days and i took a reading last night and i was @ 1.042. i have a packet of US-04 and US-05, i am thinking of pitching the 04 to see if it will bring the gravity down a bit more.

do you think i used to much lactose?

Can i add some sugar to help balance out the sweetness of the high gravity?

or maybe dry hop it a bit with some fuggels to try and balance out the sweetness with some hop flavor?
 
I ferment in my basement, which usually sits around 50 degrees all winter. My fermenter sits in a big Rubbermaid container full of water which contains an aquarium heater. I would personally go with this setup rather than placing the heater directly in the carboy. The heater's thermostat is surprisingly accurate, and I can adjust the temperature throughout fermentation, raising it slightly at the end to help ensure full attenuation. Even in the summer when the heater's not needed I still use the water bath because it prevents any rapid temperature fluctuations, and ice can be added to cool it down if need be.

This seems like the most logical way to go.
 
This seems like the most logical way to go.

That is the setup that i went with. i was trying to get suggestoins on further steps to take to improve this beer. the heaters in the swamp cooler have been working great to keep the carboys in the 70-72 degree range.
 
There is a thread on one of these forums from Evan about PSA. Rack the stout onto another beers yeast cake and it will take it right down.
 
There is a thread on one of these forums from Evan about PSA. Rack the stout onto another beers yeast cake and it will take it right down.

i would do that but the other beers i have are a holiday spice ale and a jalapeno IPA, and i dont' really want to impart any of the flovors from those into the stout.

i will try repitching with the 04 and see if that brings it down anymore.

i am just curious if i upped the ABV by adding some more sugars if that would help blance things out.
 
I'd pitch more yeast now that you have it warmed up to 70 but I wouldn't want to ferment any higher temps than 70. Also stirring or shaking it up can help.
 
I'd pitch more yeast now that you have it warmed up to 70 but I wouldn't want to ferment any higher temps than 70. Also stirring or shaking it up can help.

It has been at a steady 70 for the past week, and i have been giving the carboy a slight swirl every day to resuspend the yeast. I am going to pitch a packet of US-04 when i get home tonight and see if that helps drop it a few points.

i think i just really f-ed up the mash temp and ended up with a lot of unfermentables in there along with the lactose.
 
It has been at a steady 70 for the past week, and i have been giving the carboy a slight swirl every day to resuspend the yeast. I am going to pitch a packet of US-04 when i get home tonight and see if that helps drop it a few points.

i think i just really f-ed up the mash temp and ended up with a lot of unfermentables in there along with the lactose.

Regardless of your mash temps, unless you only mashed for 20 minutes or had 130 degree water...I highly doubt you'd have that many unfermentables. This has nothing to do with unfermentables.... it's yeast that's been shocked and isn't going to come back to like.

Don't add sugar, don't mess with the recipe... just add more yeast and let it do it's thing.
 
You might also look at yeast nutrients

I did add yeast nutrient to the boil, do you think i should add more when i pitch the new yeast.

Regardless of your mash temps, unless you only mashed for 20 minutes or had 130 degree water...I highly doubt you'd have that many unfermentables. This has nothing to do with unfermentables.... it's yeast that's been shocked and isn't going to come back to like.

Don't add sugar, don't mess with the recipe... just add more yeast and let it do it's thing.

Will do, i am just going to pitch new yeast and keep it in the upper 60's to 70 for a couple weeks and see what happens.
 
it would not hurt, you may need to boil the nutrients in a small amount of water to dissolve them first

Sounds good, i will boil some nutrient in water and add it with the yeast to the fermenter. i will post the progress back when i get back from Florida at the end of the month.

thank you all for your help.
 
Well i repitched with US-04 and added nutrient and it has been in a water bath @ 68 for the past 10 days.

took a reading today and had no change in gravity, still 1.042. Looks like i was to heavy on the lactose, and f#&$%@ up my mash.

lesson learned i guess. i will bottle this one and let it carb and see how it turns out, maybe SWMBO will really like it.


thanks to everyone that offered adivce.
 
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