Help with super high FG

jeeppilot · Nov 18, 2016

I recently did my first partial mash brew in quite a while and am stuck. It is a milk stout kit, all DME and specialty grains, with peanut butter extract and cocoa nibs. Lactose was added at flameout. I hit the OG at the top end of the range, 66. The FG is supposed to be 16-20. After two weeks I transferred to a keg to add the nibs and peanut butter, but forgot to measure the FG before transferring. FG of 31. After discussion with many, I opted to add another yeast packet and a Beano tablet as I added the full DME to the boil, but not over flame. After an additional week, the FG is 30. I have been venting the keg twice a day and there is seemingly a small amount of pressure built up each time.

So, where do I go now? I'm out of ideas and am out of the exact loop. Help!! [emoji482]

behindthetimes · Nov 18, 2016

How does it taste? Is it a 5 gallon batch, and how much lactose did you add? If you added a lb of it, that FG of 1030 actually sounds about right to me (maybe just a bit high). Lactose will add points to your FG because it's mostly unfermentable, and if you weren't accounting for that it can be quite unexpected.

jeeppilot · Nov 18, 2016

The lactose was part of the kit. The directions doesn't say how much it was, but I'm sure the kit accounted for it?

jeeppilot · Nov 18, 2016

And correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't flavoring and cocoa nibs add "displacement" points to the FG? I've searched high and low and can't find any numbers on what kind of points cocoa nibs or flavoring add.

behindthetimes · Nov 19, 2016

PB might displace the FG a little bit, nibs wouldn't. But lactose definitely does. Ya you'd think the kit numbers would account for it, but maybe not... I know that Beersmith accounts for it for the OG but oddly it does NOT account for it in the FG. I use Beersmith, and because of that, I didn't even put the lactose in my ingredient list because it throws my FG off. It says I should get 1015 or whatever, but they really measure about 1030. I just brewed one last week, that's why this post caught my eye.

chickypad · Nov 20, 2016

behindthetimes said:
I know that Beersmith accounts for it for the OG but oddly it does NOT account for it in the FG. I use Beersmith, and because of that, I didn't even put the lactose in my ingredient list because it throws my FG off. It says I should get 1015 or whatever, but they really measure about 1030. I just brewed one last week, that's why this post caught my eye.

The last update corrected this. On the grain page there is the option now to select "Not fermentable". If you check this for lactose then all the pts it contributes to OG will also be carried over to the FG.