fermentation and bottle condition questions

[tomlivings]

I am doing my 4th brew, its a mocha stout.

In the past I have just gone from primary to bottle by way of a bottling bucket with priming sugar solution added to bucket.

However, this time Im doing a secondary and have a couple of questions about the science behind it.

My stout has gone from 1.075 to 1.025 in 8 days, now it seems to be holding there (recipe dictates FG 1.015).
1: What benefit does the secondary give me that just 'filtering' would not?
2: If the gravity reading is holding steady, does this mean the yeast is dead? Or is there no sugar left? If the FG is 1.025, this would indicate the presence of sugars, no? Therefore I would assume that the yeast is dead/dormant. If this is the case, do I need to add more yeast at bottling time along with priming sugar for bottle carbonation?
3: How long does a stout usually take to bottle condition?

Thanks,
Tom.

 

[AnchorBock]

I am doing my 4th brew, its a mocha stout.

In the past I have just gone from primary to bottle by way of a bottling bucket with priming sugar solution added to bucket.

However, this time Im doing a secondary and have a couple of questions about the science behind it.

My stout has gone from 1.075 to 1.025 in 8 days, now it seems to be holding there (recipe dictates FG 1.015).
1: What benefit does the secondary give me that just 'filtering' would not?
2: If the gravity reading is holding steady, does this mean the yeast is dead? Or is there no sugar left? If the FG is 1.025, this would indicate the presence of sugars, no? Therefore I would assume that the yeast is dead/dormant. If this is the case, do I need to add more yeast at bottling time along with priming sugar for bottle carbonation?
3: How long does a stout usually take to bottle condition?

Thanks,
Tom.

1. From what I understand, secondary would really only benefit you if you plan to let it condition for a longer period of time (2+ months). What yeast did you use? I've only used secondarys when lagering.

2. Not necessarily, try raising the temperature a few degrees to encourage the yeast.

3. I don't think it would take any longer than other brews if you're bottling within 4-6 weeks of brewing and didn't cold condition prior to bottling.

 

[Pappers_]

Hi Tom. Posting your recipe would be helpful in diagnosing your situation.

As to your questions:

1. Secondary is sometimes called a bright tank - your beer can age a little there, have more trub settle and have the yeast that didn't flocculate yet continue to do their cleanup work. Secondary is not a requirement.

2. No. It might also mean that the fermentable sugars are all eaten up. In other words, you could have viable yeast and non-fermentable sugars but fermentation might be done because of the lack of fermentable sugars. FG at 1.025 is a little high, but I brew a cream stout that finishes up at 1.020 - not too far off. Unless you've aged this a long time, I don't think it will be necessary to repitch yeast at bottling.

3. This is a pretty big beer (at 1.075) so it may take a little longer. Keep it in a warmish place (low to mid 70s would be good) to help it along.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

1. Are you actually filtering your beer? If so, then skip the secondary. I'm not overly worried about clarity, but I tend to get crystal clear beer either way. I primary for 3-4 weeks and bottle or keg. I only use a secondary fermentor when I'm adding something to the beer. The only other benefit that secondary has is that you are bulk conditioning your beer. It will condition a little faster, and it will all condition the same. Sometimes if you condition in the bottes, each bottle will taste a little different.

2. Gravity is a measurement of the beers weight compared to water...not how much sugar is in it. A FG of 1.025 means you ended up with unfermentable sugars in your beer that the yeast can't consume. They're not dead...just done eating. Unless you plan on conditioning in a secondary for more than a few months, you won't have to worry about adding more yeast. There's plenty of yeast in suspension to carbonate your beer.

3. Stouts are tricky. I like the drink one every week until they hit the right taste. I've found that with most of my bigger stouts, they taste best between 3-6 months. This depends on the ingredients though. I made a double chocolate raspberry stout that didn't taste its best until well over a year in the bottles.

 

[tomlivings]

Thanks fellas, all good advice.
I used Safale S-04. Mashed at 152 60mins then slow sparge at 170.
Here's the recipe: http://hopville.com/recipe/136037/sweet-stout-recipes/mcwoods-mocha-stout
Added 1 lb of dextrose for a boost in ABV.

Edit: Thanks Southrncomfrt. It has a coffee addition, which is why I did the secondary. I guess some of the cocoa and lactose are punching up the FG a little. Also, I was kind of late making this, I wanted a stout for winter. Looks like it will have to be next winter!