Hoping Windsor will drop gravity

[eadavis80]

I find that passage a little odd - that using S-04 with lactose could be problematic. Northern Brewer defaults to using S-04 with their chocolate stout which comes with lactose. I'm brewing that recipe with that yeast today.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

As I say, it's just a risk based on what we know of that particular yeast's biochemistry. Maybe it's fine, maybe the big multinational just hasn't thought it through properly and doesn't really care.....

 

[dmtaylor]

As I say, it's just a risk based on what we know of that particular yeast's biochemistry. Maybe it's fine, maybe the big multinational just hasn't thought it through properly and doesn't really care.....

Gasp.... no way! Say it isn't so!

There's too many Northern Brewers around here.

At least one of them cares.

Cheers.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I'd be a bit cautious letting S-04 near lactose, given that we know its lactate metabolism is kinda unusual. That doesn't mean it will be terrible, but you could be giving it exactly what it needs to pump out lots of lactic acid, and it doesn't usually need much inviting to do that even with normal grists.

Well, if that's the case, then it looks like I may have goofed this batch up big time. My luck. This was the batch that was supposed to yank me out of my brewing funk.

 

[eadavis80]

Well, the Notty did NOTHING. It's still at 1.030 - 5 days after adding the Notty. So, I just went ahead and racked it over the bourbon soaked chips and there it will sit for a month. Still tasted good. It will just be a "session" bourbon barrel aged porter.

 

[eadavis80]

I took another gravity reading about 5 days after having racked the 1.030 beer onto the bourbon soaked woodchips. I used about 1/2 a pint of Maker's Mark. When I took the reading it was 1.022. Is that because of the booze? Or did the fermentation somehow take off again? I'm going to let this beer sit 'till about mid-December before bottling.

 

[Miraculix]

I took another gravity reading about 5 days after having racked the 1.030 beer onto the bourbon soaked woodchips. I used about 1/2 a pint of Maker's Mark. When I took the reading it was 1.022. Is that because of the booze? Or did the fermentation somehow take off again? I'm going to let this beer sit 'till about mid-December before bottling.

I guess you introduced some oxygen during the racking and the yeast liked that and started to work. Congrats!

 

[TechFanMD]

So I brewed the same beer (but the extract version) as you at approximately the same timeframe. I did bump up the OG with 2lbs of light wheat DME*. Mine stopped at 1.030 just like yours. I swirled and eventually pitched some US-05, nothing.......1.030 was as far as she would go. I added 16oz of Makers Mark (that the oak chips had soaked in) and of course that made the gravity reading lower, as you experienced. I doubt you had additional fermentation, and that the gravity was due to the bourbon.

I've made this before, and you can bulk age this a long time at this point (no need to rush to bottling in mid-December). I wish I had brewed it in the Spring for Christmas, as it will still be young at the holidays. By Valentines day it will start to hit its stride, and improve through the next year.


*I added the extra DME because I previously did the 1 gallon version of this kit. They send a 1lb bag of the wheat DME, but you're only supposed to use half......I missed that part and used it all. The beer was fantastic. In reading reviews, a lot of people were doing that, and some then doing it on purpose. When I brewed the 5gal kit I wanted to closely replicate the 'accident'. I'm glad I did, since if it is going to stall at 1.030 it might as well have started higher. This tells me, at least for the extract kit, that the undermentables (to Windsor) was in their LME.

 

[eadavis80]

Yeah, I know the beer probably won't be that good until at least Valentine's Day, but I planned on bottling some up so I can sip on some during bowl season. I'll probably sip on some during March Madness and then try to stash the rest (not easy for me) until Christmas 2k19. Thanks for the feedback TechFanMD and Miraculix.