Greetings! Although this is my first post, I have been using the forum for educational purposes for a few months. I've learned a lot here and HBT is certainly my go to source for brewing questions.
Anyways, for my last two brews I have been experimenting with smaller extract batches (2.5 - 3 gallons) in order to allow me to get a full boil. I've been using Beersmith to put together the recipes.
Most recently I brewed a milk stout with the following for a final batch size of 3 gallons.
30 Minute Steep:
.5 lbs of Crystal 120
.5 lbs of Roasted Barley
.5 lbs of Chocolate Malt
60 Min Boil:
3.5lbs Muntons Plain Dark DME
1oz Fuggles
15 Min Boil
.5 lbs of Lactose
I pitched Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale @ 68F.
Including the Lactose, Beersmith had the OG calculated out to be 1059. At 68F my hydrometer read 1078. The volume did end up being slightly less than 3 gallons, but even when I adjusted Beersmith to reflect that the OG did not jump that significantly.
Is the Lactose to blame for this? How will this affect my FG? The Wyeast package suggested it would work best for beers under 1.060. Would pitching more yeast have any impact?
Anyways, for my last two brews I have been experimenting with smaller extract batches (2.5 - 3 gallons) in order to allow me to get a full boil. I've been using Beersmith to put together the recipes.
Most recently I brewed a milk stout with the following for a final batch size of 3 gallons.
30 Minute Steep:
.5 lbs of Crystal 120
.5 lbs of Roasted Barley
.5 lbs of Chocolate Malt
60 Min Boil:
3.5lbs Muntons Plain Dark DME
1oz Fuggles
15 Min Boil
.5 lbs of Lactose
I pitched Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale @ 68F.
Including the Lactose, Beersmith had the OG calculated out to be 1059. At 68F my hydrometer read 1078. The volume did end up being slightly less than 3 gallons, but even when I adjusted Beersmith to reflect that the OG did not jump that significantly.
Is the Lactose to blame for this? How will this affect my FG? The Wyeast package suggested it would work best for beers under 1.060. Would pitching more yeast have any impact?