So... what the heck happened?

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paanderson86

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I made a chocolate milk stout (OG 1.052) and let it sit for 3 weeks. No activity for the last 2 weeks and checked it today. FG was 1.022. I know the common response will be to let it sit and check it in a few days. Well.... I bottled. I'm confident it wasn't going to change. I've had it sitting at 67 degrees for 3 weeks. My question is if lactose causes the yeast to be less effective? I pitched one packet, which should have been enough per MrMalty.com. Used Fermentis Safale S-04.
Thank you for your thoughts and help.
 
I think you have a few things going on:
1) I'm guessing an extract kit
2) lactose, and unfermentable
4) 04, a lower attenuating strain

With those, 1.022 doesn't really surprise me
 
I think you have a few things going on:
1) I'm guessing an extract kit
2) lactose, and unfermentable
4) 04, a lower attenuating strain

With those, 1.022 doesn't really surprise me

would raising the temp say to the upper end of that yeasts strain have maybe shaved off a few more points in a week?
 
Definitely agree with d3track. Lactose will stick around after fermentation and raise your gravity. How much is in the recipe?
 
1 lb of lactose. The question then is what could/should I have done? This was a kit, yes, I so I guess I assumed that calculation would have already been made. Especially being it was from Northern Brewer, which has always been good for me.
 
You said it was a kit but didn't specify if it was extract. If it is extract that is your problem.

1.020 or thereabouts is common with that stuff.
 
Agree. Extract kits commonly finish a bit high, for some reasons. Add the Lactose and that gives a few more points.

Does it taste bad? I assume that if you are brewing a chocolate Milk Stout then you want it a bit sweeter than a stout without lactose.
 
Agree. Extract kits commonly finish a bit high, for some reasons. Add the Lactose and that gives a few more points.

Does it taste bad? I assume that if you are brewing a chocolate Milk Stout then you want it a bit sweeter than a stout without lactose.


Correct, I wanted a "sweet stout." It tasted good. Maybe a little diluted, but that might have been my mind playing tricks too since I already knew the gravity readings were "off." But definitely didn't taste bad, as if something had gone wrong.
 
Lactose is a sugar commonly found in milk.
Yeast doesn't really metabolize lactose because yeast goes after other sugars like sucrose, fructose, and maltose. This is typically what yeast "eats", so it's normal to get a higher final gravity and less attenuation when lactose is present.
 
I made a chocolate milk stout (OG 1.052) and let it sit for 3 weeks. No activity for the last 2 weeks and checked it today. FG was 1.022. I know the common response will be to let it sit and check it in a few days. Well.... I bottled. I'm confident it wasn't going to change. I've had it sitting at 67 degrees for 3 weeks. My question is if lactose causes the yeast to be less effective? I pitched one packet, which should have been enough per MrMalty.com. Used Fermentis Safale S-04.
Thank you for your thoughts and help.

Sounds perfect.
It is a chocolate milk stout, extract and with lactose. You designed it to finish high/sweet and so it did. Bottle and enjoy.

What FG did you expect?
Most extract batches have trouble getting under 1.02.
The Lactose will not ferment so that will add more points to the FG.
 
Since it was a kit I didn't even do the calculations. Since I had 1.052 and 1.022, can I still reliably use those for determining ABV? Is it truly 3.8%?
 
Correct, I wanted a "sweet stout." It tasted good. Maybe a little diluted, but that might have been my mind playing tricks too since I already knew the gravity readings were "off." But definitely didn't taste bad, as if something had gone wrong.

The "body" of this beer will come with more time. I find that my stouts start gaining body in 2 to 3 months and continue for some time after that. With a bunch of beer in the bottles I often wait 6 months or more for my stouts to approach their prime.

While many (most? all?) of us want to sample our beers soon after we brew them, we often miss out on the best flavor/body combination. To avoid drinking all this batch before its prime, brew another beer. Lighter color/lower alcohol beers mature faster and can quickly reach their prime so unless you hate the style, brew a wheat beer or a pale ale for nearly immediate drinking and let your stout sit in the bottles.:mug:
 
It was an extract kit, yes. Why is that a problem?
I did not see anyone answer this directly: An extract kit is not a problem. The malt undergoes a process to evaporate off a good deal of the water so that it becomes a syrup. That tends to darken it (not a problem at all for a stout) and caramelizes it a bit so that some of the sugars will not ferment or not as easily.

It's just different than all-grain would behave is all. It's information that has a bearing on the characteristics of the final product, which is why folks asked.
 
Since it was a kit I didn't even do the calculations. Since I had 1.052 and 1.022, can I still reliably use those for determining ABV? Is it truly 3.8%?

Yes, you don't want high ABV in this one. The alcohol is low so it shouldn't contribute to the taste. Should come out sweet and smooth; this is a desert beer after all.
 
If you want a high gravity stout you need to do an imperial russian or something. Milk Stouts are typically 4-5%. Left hand brewing's nitro milk stout is 6%, but that would be the height. Also, you may want to use US-05 next time. It has higher attenuation and is a little cleaner than 04.
 
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