has anyone tried the brewers best oatmeal stout kit

[slicksmix]

I ask because I have done two batches and both stopped fermenting at 1033-1038.

Has anyone had success with this kit

 

[BigB]

Not that particular kit, but recipes extremely similar to it. Regardless, 33-38 is obviously extremely high. Tell us your procedure in detail and I'm sure the collective wisdom of this forum can help you nail it down. For example, what yeast are you using? How much yeast? Starter? Fermentation temp? How long did you allow it to ferment? Have you verified the accuracy of your hydrometer? Are you changing the recipe by adding more fermentables? The more you tell, the more we can help!!

 

[slicksmix]

OK, this is what i did for my 5 gal batch...

I layered my grains and flaked oats in two bags, the grains i used were..
1 lb oats, 12 oz 2-row pale malt, 6 oz Dark Chocolate, 4 oz Victory, and 2 oz caramel 120lovebond. I steeped in 2 gallons and 1 quart of water at 162 degrees for 45 min,

Then i topped up to 2.5 -3 gallons

Then i brought it to a boil and added 3.3 lb of dark LME, 3 lb of Dark DME, and 1 lb maltodextrin (dunno why, it was in the kit so i included it)

When it came to a boil again i added 1 oz bittering hops for 45 min, then 1 oz flavoring hops for 15 min. after that i chilled my wort to 75 degrees, added to my fermenter, topped up to 5 gallons, put my nottingham yeast in 1/4 cup of water for 15 min, stirred, then pitched.

Had strong fermentation in 24 hrs, then it quickly petered out. both batches ive done stopped in the 1030s

 

[deanfootlong]

might have something to do with how high of water temp you are steeping in. try 150 degree water.

 

[Righlander]

is it just me or does 1lb malto dextrin seem like A LOT?

 

[BigB]

The steeping temperature of the water was fine. That won't drastically affect the FG on an extract batch. What was the temperature of the room where the beer was fermenting at? How long was it fermenting for when you checked the FG? Did you take hydro readings 2-3 days in a row to verify fermentation is complete? Notty is a very flocculant. Did you try gently stirring the wort to rouse the yeast back into suspension?

 

[BigB]

is it just me or does 1lb malto dextrin seem like A LOT?

Its a little on the high end but for a sweet/oatmeal stout, that isn't out of the realm.

 

[slicksmix]

The steeping temperature of the water was fine. That won't affect the FG on an extract batch. What was the temperature of the room where the beer was fermenting at? How long was it fermenting for when you checked the FG? Did you take hydro readings 2-3 days in a row to verify fermentation is complete? Notty is a very flocculant. Did you try gently stirring the wort to rouse the yeast back into suspension?

I've tried everything that I know do to Inc stirring, yeast energizer, even repitching on batch 1. That's why I wanted to see if anyone has had success with one.

I steeped at 162 because that's what the directions told me to do. Same with 1 lb maltodextrin. I don't feel experienced enough to mod recipes yet as this is my 3rd batch

My stick on thermometer said it was 71 degrees. The room temp was Closer to 65

 

[bstanf]

I've tried everything that I know do to Inc stirring, yeast energizer, even repitching on batch 1. That's why I wanted to see if anyone has had success with one.

I steeped at 162 because that's what the directions told me to do. Same with 1 lb maltodextrin. I don't feel experienced enough to mod recipes yet as this is my 3rd batch

My stick on thermometer said it was 71 degrees. The room temp was Closer to 65

This is distressing to hear. I've got the exact some problem with the exact same kit. I just ordered more yeast to try to repitch with some yeast nutrient.

My primary fermentation (at 63 degrees) went well for 3 days, then stopped at 1.035. I let it sit for a week, then racked into a secondary in a slightly warmer environment (68 degrees), hoping that might kick things off again.

If you figure out something that works, I'm all ears.

(I should note I also modded a little bit, by using an orange and spices for the last 15 minutes of the boil to try to get some holiday flavor, but I doubt that has anything to do with my fermentation problems.)

 

[RM-MN]

Quoting from an article on maltodextrine in Wikipedia, "Maltodextrin is a common adjunct to beer brewing to increase the specific gravity of the final beer product. This improves the mouthfeel of the beer and reduces the dryness of the drink. Maltodextrin is not fermented by the yeast and has no flavor."

By adding that much maltodextrine, the final product will have higher than normal final gravity.

One week for fermenting will end the fast phase but let it have more time to finish out the slower clean up and it may eat a little more of the sugars and settle out better.

 

[slicksmix]

Quoting from an article on maltodextrine in Wikipedia, "Maltodextrin is a common adjunct to beer brewing to increase the specific gravity of the final beer product. This improves the mouthfeel of the beer and reduces the dryness of the drink. Maltodextrin is not fermented by the yeast and has no flavor."

By adding that much maltodextrine, the final product will have higher than normal final gravity.

One week for fermenting will end the fast phase but let it have more time to finish out the slower clean up and it may eat a little more of the sugars and settle out better.

Ok. I see your point. But my directions said the fg should be 1018 or under. That's why I freaked

Does anyone know anything I can do to lower the gravity

Would adding sugar/malt work in raising the abv

 

[BigB]

Adding malto-dextrine does add to the FG, but 15 points is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY out of the realm. Therefore, in the overall scheme of the recipe, 1.033 IS NOT explained by the malto-dextrine, period. For that recipe, even using that much malto, 1.018 would be within an acceptable range.

Stuck fermentation is usually caused by poor aeration, underpitching yeast, or too cold fermentation temperatures. IF you don't have any success with correcting these factors, you may be able to restart fermentation by pitching onto a fresh yeast cake, or adding champagne yeast, simply strring up the yeast. IF it has only been 1 week, you are rushing things, if it has been 3 weeks (on primary) and the room you have it in is 55 degrees, it is too cold. If you never aerated well enough to begin with, then pitching onto a fresh yeast cake may help because you slightly aerate the wort in the process and the yeast cake is already acclimated to an alcohol rich environment.

 

[slicksmix]

I started batch 1 on 11-13, and gravity hasn't changed since day 3. I've stirrded it, added yeast energizer, and repitched with a standard muntons ale yeast from the lhbs. Its now in a secondary, should I put it back into the primary to add the champagne yeast or just leave it alone? I'm willing to try anything to get a lil more abv

You don't think ill get off flavors from adding yet another pack of yeast do u?

 

[BigB]

You don't need to move it again. Just add the yeast directly to the secondary. Nor should you get any off flavors from adding the champagne yeast. Just keep in mind that sometimes people have success with pitching champagne yeast, and sometimes they don't. I'm not aware of any fool proof method to get it going again. In addition to re-pitching, I would put the fermenter in the warmest room of your house.

 

[daytonlawvol]

Question for the experts here Would you guys use the full pound of Maltodextrin in a batch of this Oatmeal Stout, or would you cut it down a bit? Thanks for the help, about to start this kit.

 

[slicksmix]

Question for the experts here Would you guys use the full pound of Maltodextrin in a batch of this Oatmeal Stout, or would you cut it down a bit? Thanks for the help, about to start this kit.

If you are about to start this kit (again), i would omit the maltodextrin. I am not certain, but i am starting to believe it is the culprit stopping my fermentation way too early. Like ive said, i did this kit twice ( i have been looking forward to the release of this kit for a long time and was so excited, when my first didnt turn out quite right, i immediately started a second only to have the same thing happen) and it stuck twice. Another poster on the first page is also having the same problem. Therefore I dont believe its anything that i did, but a recipe error on their part.

If you did want to use the malto, i would seriously only use about a qtr to half at the absolute most.

I wish you the best of luck, and if its not too much, please let me know how you do (the more heads the better), and i will do the same.

I am going to bottle one as is, and try to pitch champagne yeast in another to see if fermentation will pick up. Im about to give up on the BB oatmeal stout... Grrrrrr

 

[BeerBrewingEquipment]

I'm glad I found this thread. I just purchased the Brewer's Best Oatmeal Stout kit. I plan on brewing in the next couple weeks. I'll be using liquid yeast though. I wonder if that will change the results at all.

 

[daytonlawvol]

I think ill use a little less than half of the Maltodextrin and see what happens? I shouldnt get any bad results from that, I think?

 

[bpac]

wow, interesting that i found this here.

i had pre-planned to start this exact kit today!

keep this thread going on what you guys find, and i will do the same.

 

[BigB]

Cutting down on the malto-dextrine will not drastically affect this beer. It will simply be less creamy and have a little less body. 1 pound of maltodextrine will add about 7-8 points for a 5 gallon batch to both the OG and the FG because it is only about 12% fermentable. The recipe as it stands (excluding the malto) would have an OG of around 1.051-1.054 and FG of 1.013-1.018. Therfore, even adding 8 points to the high end of the FG (which would be 1.026), does not explain an FG of 1.033. Now if you cut out 1/2 of the malto-dextrine, that should leave your FG at the high end of 1.022.

 

[slicksmix]

Cutting down on the malto-dextrine will not drastically affect this beer. It will simply be less creamy and have a little less body. 1 pound of maltodextrine will add about 7-8 points for a 5 gallon batch to both the OG and the FG because it is only about 12% fermentable. The recipe as it stands (excluding the malto) would have an OG of around 1.051-1.054 and FG of 1.013-1.018. Therfore, even adding 8 points to the high end of the FG (which would be 1.026), does not explain an FG of 1.033. Now if you cut out 1/2 of the malto-dextrine, that should leave your FG at the high end of 1.022.

Thanks for the advise big b. Would you happen to have any idea what could have gone wrong? I have been banging my head against the wall about this because i cant figure out whats going on. It does make me feel a little better that im not the only one who's having problems, but if i made a mistake i would like to learn what i did so i can do better next time

the yeast should still be fine because they were very active the first 3 days, then nothing, also both batches peaked at 3.5% abv, is this just coincidence?

 

[BigB]

I couldn't say what went wrong, or if anything really went wrong. Usually the culprit on a heavy beer like a stout is lack of aeration, assuming you went with dry yeast (I say this because lack of a starter for a liquid yeast would be another suspect). That Notty should have finished the job on its own- its certainly capable. Also, it sounds like your fermenting temps were fine, so that's not a likely culprit. I suppose it could be a combination of several factors... The malto, combined with a high steeping temp, likely low aeration, and all combined with a highly flocculant yeast like notty.

 

[bstanf]

I couldn't say what went wrong, or if anything really went wrong. Usually the culprit on a heavy beer like a stout is lack of aeration, assuming you went with dry yeast (I say this because lack of a starter for a liquid yeast would be another suspect). That Notty should have finished the job on its own- its certainly capable. Also, it sounds like your fermenting temps were fine, so that's not a likely culprit. I suppose it could be a combination of several factors... The malto, combined with a high steeping temp, likely low aeration, and all combined with a highly flocculant yeast like notty.

I have a feeling aeration is probably the problem with my attempt. After having read some threads on the subject, it seems I didn't do nearly enough agitating of the wort before pitching.

I've just ordered an oxygenation stone to see if I can do another batch with a much, much higher concentration of Dissolved O2 to start.

That said, is there anything to do to save a batch that's stuck halfway and starved for oxygen? If I build up a starter with new yeast (thinking of using the Wyeast 1945 NB NeoBritannia I've got on hand), then pitch that, would it be able to kick off the fermentation again? I've read that the yeast mostly need O2 for reproduction, so with a starter built-up, it seems like there might be enough to pitch in to do the work. Or am I completely wrong about that?

 

[BigB]

If you have enough equipment, try making another brew. Another ale that ferments to about 5% ABV, but not heavy like a stout (brown ale, hefeweizen, amber ale, etc). Then a week later transfer that to a secondary and rack your stout on that yeast cake. It will help aerate the stout, the yeast will be acclimated to an alcoholic environment, there will be LOTS of active yeast, and as a bonus, you get another beer. There are a few brewers that swear by this method. Otherwise, if you don't have the equipment or making another brew isn't feasible, then I think your approach would certainly be worth try.

 

[bpac]

my brewday went without a hitch today! i broke my hydrometer during sanitation but bought a new one and continued.

i changed the windsor yeast that came with the kit to an activator pack of 1098 brit ale wyeast in hopes to fix the fermentation issue. we'll see how it goes!

 

[daytonlawvol]

I brewed my Oatmeal Stout as well. Had a problem getting the OG to where it was supposed to be. I had put in the full pound of Maltodextrin, just to stay with the instructions. I had my wort all the way to nearly 6 gallons and still the OG wouldnt budge. I was stirring it very vigorously in order to get a good reading. I siphoned off a gallon of it, back down to 5 gallons and the OG improved a little...it was at 1.058. the range Brewers Best wants it at is between 1.048-1.056. I put in a Carboy, pitched the Windsor Yeast and fixed up a blow-off.

Checked it this morning and after about 9 hours a small amount of foam has accumulated and the blowoff tube is bubbling. We will see.

 

[daytonlawvol]

A few notes....

Damn its hard to keep the Mashing temp between 160-165.

With 2.5 pounds of grain and mashing in 1.25 gallons of water as directed, neither bag of grains could be completely submerged.

 

[BigB]

Brewer's Best OG estimate is off IMHO. I believe they omitted the malto-dextrine in their calculations (many software programs do as well because it is mostly unfermentable). So, your 1.058 was fine.

 

[slicksmix]

A few notes....

Damn its hard to keep the Mashing temp between 160-165.

With 2.5 pounds of grain and mashing in 1.25 gallons of water as directed, neither bag of grains could be completely submerged.

This kinda ticks me off big time... trust me i know exactly what you mean...

The first time i did this recipe i followed the directions, then when i didnt have my desired outcome i contacted Brewers Best via email, the guy i talked to was very very nice, and also helpful, he told me he would send me a new kit, and also modded the directions. He states...

Use 2 gallons and 1 quart of water to mash, and keep the temp at 160-162, and dont go over 165, also layer specialty grains in both bags. When the mash is over, add a bit of water to make it a 2.5 gallon boil, and continue like regular

But heres my thing... Why give those ****ty directions when they arent correct. That really burns me up, but oh well it is what it is. I just bottled my first batch today, and the specific gravity hasnt budged since day 3 of fermentation, my second batch is still in the primary after 2 weeks, and the same thing happened, stuck after 3 days of ferm.

Dont get me wrong, the beer tasted good, but its a little sweet for me and i would like a little more abv, both batches peaked at 3.5abv, I hope you all do better than me... Please keep me posted

Thanks

 

[BigB]

What I think is funny about his modded directions is the tight temperature range he suggested you keep it at. This is an extract kit. In an extract with steeping grains, you are not "mashing" in the sense that you are trying to get fermentable sugars. You are more after the flavors. See: http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter13-2.html Really with this kit, you could steep anywhere between 150 and 162 and be fine. The higher temperatures will yield slightly more body (and a slightly higher FG) because although you will get some conversion thanks to the 2 row, the higher temps will yield less fermentable converted sugars (Higher temps=more body, less fermentable, lower temps= thinner body, more fermentable). But, the overwhelmingly vast majority of the fermentables is being provided by the extract. Further, there are several things going to give this beer lots of body. In addition to the higher temps, there is a large amount of malto (which is just for body) and there is the oats themselves which lend creaminess (again body). I guess, I would ask, "Is that much necessary?" I haven't made this particular recipe, but I have made stouts with no malto-dextrine, lower steeping temps (152-156) and the same amount of oats, and the beers had plenty of body. I suppose I should be fair and actually try this recipe sometimes, because I'm sure it's a thick beverage...but I have my doubts if its really all that necessary to have so much body in a beer.

EDIT: Just as an off-hand comment, I strongly recommend reading the entire How To Brew online book, or better yet buy the current one. The online one is the first edition and is IMHO the best free resource for beginning brewers. The online one does have some outdated information (like the silly 1-2-3 stuff) but overall it is a great resource. And no, I am not a stock holder or in any way gain any benefit from sales of his books. I really think it is just great info!