First Batch of Oatmeal Stout FG 1.022?

[zinger084]

So to make a long story short, I pithed the yeast on July 25th OG 1.048, saw vigorous activity 28th, stopped bubbling through the airlock on the 29th and sampled gravity as 1.023.

I checked it today (1st) and it was 1.022. Is this bad boy done fermenting? I expected a FG around 1.010 with the Nottingham Dry yeast I am using.

Thoughts?

 

[tcklord]

Wait another week at least, you can rock your carboy or bucket a bit to slightly stir up the yeast but you should give it more time at this point. 1 week isn't enough, airlock is no gauge for fermentation. Wait another week check the SG and then wait another few days and take it again. If it has not changed at that point then it is done fermenting.

 

[Phantastik]

I agree with Tcklord, give it another week and it should be close to done. In my noobish opinion, I wouldn't even bother rocking the carboy however. Just give it more time to let it do it's thing.

 

[zinger084]

Is there a reason why it is finishing (as it seems now) at 1.022 - so high?

I read somewhere else on this forum where someone couldnt get extract beers to get below 1.020...

I will check it this upcoming Saturday (two weeks since yeast pitched).

 

[businesstime]

My first brew, I had slow/incomplete fermentation, which picked up when I racked it into secondary. My second brew, I pitched more yeast and made sure to aerate it plenty. It was healthy and fermented immediately, lasting 5 days. So, two possibilities are that you didn't aerate the wort enough or pitch enough active yeast.

 

[Grinder12000]

I read somewhere else on this forum where someone couldnt get extract beers to get below 1.020

You can get to 1.012 with extract. Yes - Extracts can often be sweeter then AG but . . . . ya gotta live with it,

My concern is that the OG seems low rather then the FG being high. Looking at 4 or 5 other Oatmeal Stouts 1.010ish seems normal but the OGs are all in the 1.056 or higher range.

In an Oatmeal stout you have all sorts of other thigns floating around so 1.020ish is not uncommon.

 

[PseudoChef]

An Oatmeal Stout finishing at 1.010 would be way too thin, in my opinion.

 

[FreddieK]

I would have to agree, I see most oatmeal stouts as finishing 1.016-1.018.

Good luck!

 

[zinger084]

Sounds good guys. I may have read the hydrometer wrong being my first batch. The kit said it should be around 1.057, so I am betting it's more close to that.

On Saturday, I am going to open it up and rack it to the secondary for sure. I have been tasting it along the way (the sample after I take the hydrometer reading) and I think it's pretty close to being done.

I will look for a finish around 16-18. I am pretty pumped to drink this stuff.

Side note, I already bought another primary and have English Special Bitter bubbling like mad in that (pitched this past Saturday). I am going to try and get 4 batches going so I have a nice rotation...

 

[mmb]

I'm happy with my Oatmeal Stout recipe and it usually finishes around 1.020-1.024. Lots of dextrins left over in that stout....

 

[Grinder12000]

If it was a kit with extract - NORMALLY it is very hard to be off by more then 1 or 2 degrees on the OG unless something goes way wrong.

 

[knappster]

I've only brewed a few times, but all have been extract kits. I think my OG reading usually is a bit low, presumably because the wort is not stirred well enough.

I find it hard to stir 5 gallons of beer effectively with a spoon, so this last time I added about a gallon of topup water first, then the cooled wort, and stirred them very thoroughly before adding the rest of the water. Then I stirred the 5 gallons as well as I could. Consequently, my OG was spot on that time.

I think if you pour the cooled wort in first, it has a tendency to stay on the bottom, because it is denser than water. From what I have read, this doesn't affect the fermentation or final product, but it will give you an inaccurate OG reading.

Hope this helps.

 

[kinkothecarp]

I think that 1.020 is a pretty good gravity for a stout.

 

[zinger084]

Well guys, I racked it to a secondary last night (Wednesday) and the FG was basically 1.020. Looks like I fell a little short of others expectations, but I think it was done fermenting. I am going to leave it in the secondary for a few days to settle out, and then keg it. Does this sound about right?

 

[zinger084]

ALright fellas... I drank this first batch of beer ever out of my new keezer this past Friday (Aug. 21). After drinking more of it last night (a lot more... hard to stop), this is a very good first brew for me. I was worried all along that I was going to mess something up, but it ended up coming out great. To me, there are no off flavors whatsoever. The head is very thick and the beer is very well balanced after only being kegged for 2 weeks. It has a very nice thick feel with a decent burnt taste to it.

I must say that this forum has helped me out a lot to get started (finishing up a new burner for my keggle). I am already 4 batches deep in one month of brewing and I am hoping to start 15 gallon batches soon. Bouncing Better Brown Ale is on deck!

 

[tcklord]

ALright fellas... I drank this first batch of beer ever out of my new keezer this past Friday (Aug. 21). After drinking more of it last night (a lot more... hard to stop), this is a very good first brew for me. I was worried all along that I was going to mess something up, but it ended up coming out great. To me, there are no off flavors whatsoever. The head is very thick and the beer is very well balanced after only being kegged for 2 weeks. It has a very nice thick feel with a decent burnt taste to it.

I must say that this forum has helped me out a lot to get started (finishing up a new burning for my keggle). I am already 4 batches deep in one month of brewing and I am hoping to start 15 gallon batches soon. Bouncing Better Brown Ale is on deck!

Glad to hear it came out well! You're already going to 15 gallon batches wow

 

[Mainebrew]

+1 too that, I too on my first oatmeal had a higher fg that expected but it turned out to be a great beer!

 

[cshort4]

this makes me feel better. my first beer is an oatmeal stout extract kit and i'm sitting @ 1.020 in the secondary

 

[rico567]

I had a porter once that wouldn't go below 1.020....although in theory it was supposed to. The trouble with theory is that it may not take into account a particular set of ingredients, whether or not I might have had more non-fermentable (like the dextrin mentioned earlier). I speculate that these sorts of compounds may be more common in the darker styles.....

 

[cshort4]

how did the porter turn out rico?

 

[Biergarden]

I'm happy with my Oatmeal Stout recipe and it usually finishes around 1.020-1.024. Lots of dextrins left over in that stout....

I have to agree with this post. Don't forget that the large protein molecules of the oatmeal are giving you the large mouth feel you're shooting for with the oatmeal stout you've made. So, that being said the higher FG you're experiencing is most probably related to the larger protein molecules in your beer.
I'd say good job to you