FG for Milk Stout

[MrT2u]

I have been letting a milk stout ferment for 3 weeks. OG was 1.060 and now I am sitting at 1.025. Gravity hasn't moved in a week. Estimated FG is 1.014.

Am I ok here with this gravity to keg, or should I repitch yeast? It's in the secondary now.

 

[cluckk]

If you have a cake of settled yeast in the bottom, you could sanitize a long spoon and stir this back into suspension.

 

[peterj]

Did you already add the lactose? Lactose is unfermentable and depending on how much you added it probably contributed around 10 gravity points that won't ferment out. 1.025 sounds about right for a milk stout. Where did you get the 1.014 prediction?

 

[MrT2u]

Did you already add the lactose? Lactose is unfermentable and depending on how much you added it probably contributed around 10 gravity points that won't ferment out. 1.025 sounds about right for a milk stout. Where did you get the 1.014 prediction?

Yes, I added it in the boil. 1lbs for the entire 60 min boil.

 

[insanim8er]

Yes, I added it in the boil. 1lbs for the entire 60 min boil.

Not sure what your recipe is, but Ya... my milk stouts (with 1lb lactose per 5 gallon) generally finish a lot lower than 1.025. However, the target for the recipe I use is 1.022.

IF you need to go lower, check your temp, shake the yeast back into suspension, or pitch some US05

The one I'm drinking now was a 10gallon batch. My efficiency was too good, so I ended up an awesome imperial milk stout. Target was 1.062 but ended up getting 1.079 it finished at 1.016 (with lactose)

I have to check my notes, but I believe my prior batch was 5 gal and I hit target at 1.062 and finished at about 1.018 (with lactose)

Both batches hit mash temps dead on. Also I do oxygenate with pure O2, so that could help with getting it lower.

both came out amazing and both used US05 tossed right in from the packet.

BTW FWIW, my understanding is 1lb of lactose in 5 gallons adds about .006 to .008 to the OG/FG. But taking both readings with should cancel itself out since it's treated as a non fermentable sugar.

Also, there could be other issues... did you hit your mash, or were you too high? Did you add oxygen or aerate well? 1.025 in general for a milk stout doesn't seem too far off the mark.

 

[MrT2u]

Not sure what your recipe is, but Ya... my milk stouts (with 1lb lactose per 5 gallon) generally finish a lot lower than 1.025. However, the target for the recipe I use is 1.022. IF you need to go lower, check your temp, shake the yeast back into suspension, or pitch some US05 The one I'm drinking now was a 10gallon batch. My efficiency was too good, so I ended up an awesome imperial milk stout. Target was 1.062 but ended up getting 1.079 it finished at 1.016 (with lactose) I have to check my notes, but I believe my prior batch was 5 gal and I hit target at 1.062 and finished at about 1.018 (with lactose) Both batches hit mash temps dead on. Also I do oxygenate with pure O2, so that could help with getting it lower. both came out amazing and both used US05 tossed right in from the packet. BTW FWIW, my understanding is 1lb of lactose in 5 gallons adds about .006 to .008 to the OG/FG. But taking both readings with should cancel itself out since it's treated as a non fermentable sugar. Also, there could be other issues... did you hit your mash, or were you too high? Did you add oxygen or aerate well? 1.025 in general for a milk stout doesn't seem too far off the mark.

My mash was a a couple degrees warmer than I was aiming for. I dump my wort through a strainer and then stir to aerate. Beer smith gave me the 1.014 FG. The OG target was 1.058, so I was a little over with 1.060. I used a liquid yeast and starter for the first time, so I'm a little paranoid.

Thanks,

 

[insanim8er]

My mash was a a couple degrees warmer than I was aiming for. I dump my wort through a strainer and then stir to aerate. Beer smith gave me the 1.014 FG. The OG target was 1.058, so I was a little over with 1.060. I used a liquid yeast and starter for the first time, so I'm a little paranoid.

Thanks,

Ya, again with out specifics it's hard to narrow it down.

If your mash was a few degrees warmer, depending on where you were, you could've extracted more complex sugars. This would give you more un-fermentables that ultimately add to the FG. But 1.025 to 1.014 is a big difference; however, I know those numbers in beer smith aren't accurate. I've even emailed him about it (as well as many other home brewers) The program is majorly flawed because it's not programmed to treat lactose properly... He told me it was on the list of fixes, but not sure if he has gotten to it yet.

I think you're ok at 1.025. It might be a little sweet, but hey.. it's a milk stout.

I'd sample it and go from there. Remember, carbonation generally helps a little to balance out sweetness, but with a milk stout you want to be at about 1.8 volumes, so it's not a highly carbonated beer.

If you're super worried, toss in a packet of US05 and wait it out another couple weeks. Make sure your temp isn't too cold.

 

[BigFloyd]

I think it's likely done. Even if you hadn't mashed high, the FG on a milk stout is going to be higher than other styles anyway due to the lactose and the other unfermentables. A pound of lactose by itself will bump the FG up about .007 so you have to figure that.

A estimated FG of 1.014 on a milk stout is not happening. Well, maybe if you mash it really low and use a yeast that has a really high attenuation. Even then, it probably wouldn't get you to 1.014.

 

[Calder]

You are done. Lactose is .007 of the FG. If you remove that you would have ended up at 1.018. You said you mashed high.

Keg it, drink it, and learn for next time.

 

[insanim8er]

You are done. Lactose is .007 of the FG. If you remove that you would have ended up at 1.018. You said you mashed high.

Keg it, drink it, and learn for next time.

Well the fact that he probably measured his OG with the lactose means he is at 1.025.

I think his brew smith calcs were off because brew smith doesn't handle lactose properly.

 

[insanim8er]

I think it's likely done. Even if you hadn't mashed high, the FG on a milk stout is going to be higher than other styles anyway due to the lactose and the other unfermentables. A pound of lactose by itself will bump the FG up about .007 so you have to figure that.

A estimated FG of 1.014 on a milk stout is not happening. Well, maybe if you mash it really low and use a yeast that has a really high attenuation. Even then, it probably wouldn't get you to 1.014.

I agree 1.014 seems pretty low, but I've managed 1.018 (grant it I had a higher OG) (with the lactose) since the OG and FG both had lactose in it, there is no reason to figure the difference that it adds. It's just treated as a non fermentable. If he had added it after taking OG, then he would want to consider the difference.

Generally milk stouts aren't mashed with higher temps. You're at about 151, so it's a thinner bodies higher fermentable wort than a regular stout. The body and sweetness is added by the lactose.

but if he targeted 151 and was a few degrees high, like he said, he probably did increase his un fermentable as well as had wrong numbers from Beer Smith due to the lactose.

So... I agree. I'm pretty sure he's ok.

 

[peterj]

Well the fact that he probably measured his OG with the lactose means he is at 1.025.

I think his brew smith calcs were off because brew smith doesn't handle lactose properly.

since the OG and FG both had lactose in it, there is no reason to figure the difference that it adds. It's just treated as a non fermentable. If he had added it after taking OG, then he would want to consider the difference.

The lactose is still adding points to the final gravity regardless of when he added it. So you should look at the attenuation with about 0.007 subtracted from the OG and the FG to get a more accurate picture of what the yeast have done. And just looking objectively at the FG, knowing that 0.007 of that is coming from lactose is something to consider.

Going from 1.053 to 1.018 is about 66% attenuation. With high mash temps and depending on the yeast you used, that's probably about it.

 

[giorgio-alemani]

Hey guys, I have a similar thing going on with a brown ale. OG of 1.064 but mashed high at 160. After two weeks I'm at 1.026 instead of the predicted 1.018. I spun the carboy and shook it up to wake the yeast back into suspension and I have it upstairs where it's about 75 degrees. Any other suggestions?

 

[jcmcdowell]

I tried a partial extract milk stout recipe from the Clone Beers book (ordered the kit from them) and I had to make some adjustments on my keggle system and I think I was overshot the projected efficiency and ended up with a 1.074 OG. I lautered and sparged and used a higher water ratio (and I think I was on the higher end of the mash). the higher OG might have affected the yeast but primary looked good and secondary dropped out REALLY clear.

Sitting for near three weeks the milk stout won't move off 1.026. Using Beersmith, that's 6.1% and a 60% attenuation. uncarbed, the beer is very clear and damned tasty as-is. I called it a day and crash cooled it. Tomorrow I will transfer it to a keg and carbonate. Besides, I wanted a sweet milk stout anyways (via Left Hand Brewery).

I have a pale ale on tap now that is not super delicious. But it will let the milk stout condition for at least another week before we tap it. I really need to jump to 10 gal batches so I can try and bottle some beer and condition it properly