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What starter calculator do you use then? I switched from Brewer's Friend to Brew United as BF doesn't take into consideration the gravity of the starter, you could literally make it 1.000 and it will still be fine as long as the required volume has been met.

Wait, what, you made a starter with an OG of 1.070? Worst case scenario you can add always add water if you think its too sweet and rich. Additionally, if you prime it with sugar it will increase the alcohol but not the gravity.

So how come you use so many different sizes? I would of thought the 5l would be ideal as more headroom = more oxygenation. Whats the minimum you would put in there?

My best guess is was also that you under pitched the yeast, I imagine that they have become overwhelmed by the higher levels of alcohol or simply 'given up'. 1.073 is pretty high and so somewhere between 1.5-1.75 packets would be have been more ideal depending on your volume. I'd say the...

It must be true, I can imagine with such a constant flow of water that the grains must be thoroughly soaked of their sugar, have you ever thought about doing a super thin mash (>3qt/lb) without a sparge as I read this method creates better quality beers (although the price of efficiency) and...

Have you used it before as I was planning on putting some in my current batch which is also a sweet stout, although I'm doing it because I didn't get full conversion (d'oh!)

Yeah it never really made sense to me either, just something I read on the Fermentis or Montgomery Jack website I believe.

Ooo I wouldn't use two! I've only ever had to use one and a half packs for my 60+ beers (7 gallon), that's what I would recommend as theres a lot of yeast in a single gram (typically 18 billion cells if the pack is newly bought). You will have to discard the rest though as it will degrade within...

Even when I'm actually sparging (rather than recirculating)? Do you use a sparge arm for recirculating then?

It does seem that way, I just wonder if someone knows something I don't, I've never used one before. So how big a stir bar would I need for a 3l flask and say, 2.5l of starter?

1 quart/minute is the home brew standard as outlined by John Palmer who also stated that the slower the draining of the wort the more sugars you will extract (say a point or two). The issue with my sparge arm is that it has to flow at a certain rate before it starts spinning so a rule of thumb...

I can get a 2nd hand one for cheap and just wanted to get some feedback first, the only thing I need to know really is whether it can be used to make starters, namely with a 3 litre erlenmeyer flask (base diameter 187mm). Stir Bar : 3cm Plate Dimension : 16cm x 16cm Power (W) : 50 Maximum...

Hahaha well my suspicions arose when I exceeded my target OG by 8 points (1.058 > 1.066) which equalled a Brewhouse of 85%. My error was just assuming that after an hour it would be fully converted, the pH was 5.3 and the temp was 68 so time was the factor.

I did one test which told me there was still starch but not a second test to tell if there was no starch. I checked during fermentation just because I had a sample in my hydrometer. If there's some upside to this, like having a 'chewiness' that someone mentioned then I think I'll leave it as it...

Oh wow, I'd be tempted to do the same, how many times have you done it? What effect did it have on the beer?

When you put it that way it doesn't actually sound so bad seeing I'm aiming for a FG of 1.020. If there is a plus side to it, i.e. mouthfeel/body, then I think I'll just leave it be.

Iodine test, I blotted some in after taking a sample from my fermenter and it turned black. It's tasting very bitter as well so it'll be a double-win if I can turn that starch into sugar somehow, my alternative is to simply add more lactose to this milk stout of mine.

You can do that!? Whats the product called?

I have unconverted starch in my now-fermenting beer, my stupid idea is to transfer it to my boiler and heat it to 63c with a kg or so of pale malt. I can place on a lid to stop the alcohol evaporating but will this produce DMS or simply ruin the beer altogether? I would then pitch yeast and...

Did you aerate it? As I heard this causes the brett to produce acetic acid which gives it a sour or vinegar flavour.