Help with an Irish Stout

[StrongBad42]

This is my first batch ever. Its been in the primary for 8 days now. I took a gravity reading and its doing fine there, but the taste does not come very close to a stout. There is too much hops taste to it. Is there something I can do to change the taste up? I have a secondary available.

 

[wilsojos]

It will change as it conditions. Stouts can take some time to reach their potential. Rdwhahb!!

 

[JimRausch]

it will change as it conditions. Stouts can take some time to reach their potential. Rdwhahb!!

+1

 

[NivekD]

I just bottled an Irish Stout that was sitting in primary for 31 days and it tasted great...should even be better by March 17th...St Paddy's day! Let it go...it'll get better and better and better...

 

[StrongBad42]

Thanks guys. You think three weeks in the primary is good, and then bottle? That seems to be the way people do it around here.

 

[guldalian]

Thanks guys. You think three weeks in the primary is good, and then bottle? That seems to be the way people do it around here.

Yup. Just did a dry stout exactly that way and its fantastic.

 

[Hackwood]

At LEAST 3 weeks. Stouts and high ABV beers can take much longer. Let it go and then let it go some more. You'll be happy you did.

 

[nivaguk]

I'm currently doing an Irish stout mine is going to be in primary for 4 weeks and 2 months in the bottle.

 

[progmac]

strong bad:

what was the hop schedule?

sincerely,
the poop smith

 

[RM-MN]

I brewed a stout in November.....of 2011. It was good in a couple months. It was better in 6 months. I still have some in bottles and sampled one last week. WOW! Smooth and good. Don't judge a stout while it is fermenting. Don't judge it in a month. Judge it when it is ready.

 

[progmac]

if a normal stout takes 6 months to be good, something is wrong

 

[StrongBad42]

Progmac: this is what the instructions said: As soon as you see a boiling bubble add ½ oz Nugget bittering hops and boil 60 minutes....Add 1 oz Willamette aroma hops for the last two minutes and remove the pot from the burner.

Also, I may have done my last gravity reading incorrectly. Today it read 1.03 and the original was 1.05. That's 2.63% ABV after 11 days. Does that sound right?

 

[StrongBad42]

Hope it's ok to bump this. It's on page three

 

[progmac]

on the gravity: 1.03, are you sure? was it at room temperature? what was the yeast?

as for the hoppiness, it will mellow with time but will be there in some form for the effective life of the beer. if you don't care for that flavor in a stout, don't do late addition hops or cut them way down (like 1/4 to 1/2 ounce). although with your gravity as you say, it isn't really possible to judge the beer yet.

 

[StrongBad42]

I'm pretty sure. It's in my kitchen, and the thermometer says 70 F. The yeast that came with the kit was muntons dry yeast. I really enjoy the taste of hops, but I'm making this for my girlfriend who is a huge fan of Guinness. I was hoping that it would turn out like that.

 

[progmac]

hopefully it attenuates further. let it sit for another week and then take another reading.

i'm a little disappointed with whomever made that kit. 1 oz of late addition hops is not appropriate for an irish-style stout.

edit: i actually did some digging and see that it is probably the midwest kit with 100+ 5 star reviews. still out of style, in my opinion.

 

[StrongBad42]

Yeah it was Midwest. I doubt I'll be buying from their site again.