Low OG for Sweet Stout?

[eon]

Hello all,

I haven't brewed in awhile and just recently my girlfriend and I got inspired to brew a clone of the Split Shot milk stout. To be honest, I'm not sure what my Original gravity should be, but I took a preboil sample today and it came out to be 1.038. Doesn't that seems a little low? I figured it would be closer to 1.058 (according to a clone I saw) or so? Well, either way do you think this beer will turn out? Below is the recipe.

Split Shot Espresso Milk Stout Clone
Est. Boil Size: 3.8 gallons
Beer amount going in fermenter: 2.9 gallons

3.86 lbs. 2-Row
0.41 lbs. Roasted Barley
0.52 lbs. American Chocolate
0.25 lbs. C-50L/60L
0.30 lbs. Golden Naked Oats
0.74 lbs. Flaked Oats
0.25 lbs. C-120
4 oz. Lactose @10 minutes

Mashed around 154F for 1 hour
Strike water temp: 173F
Sparge water temp: 171F

Yeast: Safale S-05 - Pitched 1 packet when wort was 69.7 degrees F

Ferment for 3 weeks in primary. On bottling day add cold brewed coffee to bottling bucket.

 

[triethylborane]

Its low, an efficiency issue . . . about 45% preboil. Boil off will raise the SG up a bit.
Recipe looks fine, its going to make a very crushable beer; you could always boost abv with some fermentables in the primary, but I dont really care much for that approach. You just need to brew more and get your skills back up.

 

[BigCrazyAl]

I plugged it into BeerSmith and got about 1.057OG-1.018FG. How was the crush on the grain? Sounds like you didn't get efficient extraction

Edit: Est. Pre-boil is 1.047 but I'm not sure if I added the correct data to match your system.
Ignore everything after the boil step. I didn't mess with those numbers.

 

[eon]

Thanks for the replies. No choice now but to just run with it.

Quick question - When I pitched the yeast I just opened the dry packet and sprinkled it into my carboy. There seems to be some still just sitting on top. Is it ok to give my carboy a good shake or three? Or will this cause bad things to happen? Sorry for the newbie questions. Like I said, I haven't brewed in awhile. A bit paranoid

 

[triethylborane]

Thanks for the replies. No choice now but to just run with it.

Quick question - When I pitched the yeast I just opened the dry packet and sprinkled it into my carboy. There seems to be some still just sitting on top. Is it ok to give my carboy a good shake or three? Or will this cause bad things to happen? Sorry for the newbie questions. Like I said, I haven't brewed in awhile. A bit paranoid

Its fine to give it a shake before krausen appears. Or do nothing and just let it take its course.

 

[eon]

Its fine to give it a shake before krausen appears. Or do nothing and just let it take its course.

Yep, krausen has already formed. I'm gonna let nature take care of this one. I'm sure I'll end up with beer either way

 

[flars]

Yep, krausen has already formed. I'm gonna let nature take care of this one. I'm sure I'll end up with beer either way

I had a pile of rehydrating yeast sitting on top of the krausen once. I sanitized the handle of my long spoon to stir the yeast into the wort.

 

[eon]

I had a pile of rehydrating yeast sitting on top of the krausen once. I sanitized the handle of my long spoon to stir the yeast into the wort.

Ahhhhh! Now what to do...

 

[triethylborane]

Krausen means your yeast are metabolizing sugars into alcohol . . . you have beer. Id just sit back.

 

[kevin58]

Here's a double stout recipe from the Shepherd Neame brewery east of London. It has an OG of just 1.045. Of course it's from 1940 and England was a year into WWII already. But seriously, 1.045 for a double stout?

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2017/11/lets-brew-wednesday-1940-shepherd-neame_22.html

 

[eon]

BJCP gravity guidelines for a Sweet Stout are:

OG: 1.044 – 1.060
FG: 1.012 – 1.024

Think I'm gonna make it?

Here's a double stout recipe from the Shepherd Neame brewery east of London. It has an OG of just 1.045. Of course it's from 1940 and England was a year into WWII already. But seriously, 1.045 for a double stout?

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2017/11/lets-brew-wednesday-1940-shepherd-neame_22.html