How can I achieve a low attenuation?

[Brew_Meister_General]

I'm aiming for 66% so that my milk stout turns out at 5% ABV with a FG of 19.

My process so far:

Grainbill: 62% base, 38% speciality/adjunt
Mash: 60 minutes at 158f
Boil: 90 minutes
Yeast: English ale (63 - 70% AA)

Any other suggestions? Would increasing specialty malts be a bad idea?

 

[plan_ahea]

Are you using any lactose? It's an unfermentable sugar commonly used in milk stouts, so it will increase your FG (and OG).

 

[m00ps]

Whoa, I do not think you want 38% specialty malts. I have never gone above 20% with good results. 38 is just crazy.

You should look into adding maltodextrin to your finished beer to taste. It gives body and some sweetness since its only partially fermentable by sacch

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Are you using any lactose? It's an unfermentable sugar commonly used in milk stouts, so it will increase your FG (and OG).

I am indeed! This is the recipe I'm cooking:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/left-hand-milk-stout-clone/

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Whoa, I do not think you want 38% specialty malts. I have never gone above 20% with good results. 38 is just crazy.

You should look into adding maltodextrin to your finished beer to taste. It gives body and some sweetness since its only partially fermentable by sacch

I've heard of never going below 70% although I suppose it is a stout so maybe I'll just have to keep mashing it until all the starch has been converted. Its 29% speciality and 9% adjunts:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/left-hand-milk-stout-clone/

 

[Queequeg]

Whoa, I do not think you want 38% specialty malts. I have never gone above 20% with good results. 38 is just crazy.

You should look into adding maltodextrin to your finished beer to taste. It gives body and some sweetness since its only partially fermentable by sacch

Though I would agree with that as a general rule you can get away with a lot higher on a milk stout.

 

[Queequeg]

I'm aiming for 66% so that my milk stout turns out at 5% ABV with a FG of 19.

My process so far:

Grainbill: 62% base, 38% speciality/adjunt
Mash: 60 minutes at 158f
Boil: 90 minutes
Yeast: English ale (63 - 70% AA)

Any other suggestions? Would increasing specialty malts be a bad idea?

I am making a milk stout this week end, I am using the West Yorkshire ale yeast, beersmith is estimate final gravity of 25.

 

[stpug]

1.75 lbs roasted malts (mostly unfermentable)
0.75 lbs crystal malt (partially unfermentable)
1.00 lbs lactose sugar (completely unfermentable)
low attenuating british yeast strain
very high mash temp of 158F
OG of ~1.070

You're going to be well in the 1.020s for sure (probably 1.025 or better).

 

[Queequeg]

Here is the milk stout I am brewing this weekend

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 32.87 l
Post Boil Volume: 27.87 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 23.00 l
Bottling Volume: 21.49 l
Estimated OG: 1.060 SG
Estimated Color: 66.9 EBC
Estimated IBU: 25.2 IBUs
Est Mash Efficiency: 74.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4.12 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) Grain 1 58.9 %
0.70 kg Chocolate Rye (Weyermann) (482.6 EBC) Grain 2 10.0 %
0.70 kg Oats, Flaked (2.0 EBC) Grain 3 10.0 %
0.42 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (157.6 EBC) Grain 4 6.0 %
0.35 kg Munich Malt - 10L (19.7 EBC) Grain 5 5.0 %
0.28 kg Roasted Barley (591.0 EBC) Grain 6 4.0 %
0.42 kg Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 EBC) Sugar 7 6.0 %
15.00 g Warrior [16.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 23.9 IBUs
1.22 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 9 -
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 hours) Other 10 -
28.00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [11.50 %] - Boil 1.0 mi Hop 11 1.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469) Yeast 12 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 6.99 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 19.73 l of water at 74.8 C 68.9 C 45 min

 

[Hello]

I am indeed! This is the recipe I'm cooking:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/left-hand-milk-stout-clone/

Well, that recipe doesn't say to mash at 158. It also offers another choice in yeast. I fear your revisions will end up with a cloyingly sweet beer.

 

[JonM]

158 mash, 38% specialty, plus English yeast (I'm assuming a famous low-attenuator like 002/1968), plus lactose. I'm pretty confident you're going to waaaaaaay overshoot your goal of 1.019.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Well, that recipe doesn't say to mash at 158. It also offers another choice in yeast. I fear your revisions will end up with a cloyingly sweet beer.

Well it's more of a reference guide as I've also replaced the roasted barley with more chocolate malt, that's 15% of the grainbill!

Sweetness is definitely my main concern, I've sought to counter this by upping the hop bitterness to 23 IBU's but even that might not be enough. Plan B is to simply let it condition until it reaches the right level of sweetness.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

158 mash, 38% specialty, plus English yeast (I'm assuming a famous low-attenuator like 002/1968), plus lactose. I'm pretty confident you're going to waaaaaaay overshoot your goal of 1.019.

It's what Brewer's Friend tells me, I'm using 5.7kg of grain (62% base, 28% speciality, 10% adjunts) so that if I hit a 66% AA it should give me 5% ABV and a FG of 1.019. I imagine it'll be more like 68% but if its 64% I can always let it condition in my secondary.

I've upped the IBU's from 19 to 23 to counter the residual sweetness but maybe I might need some more...

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

I am making a milk stout this week end, I am using the West Yorkshire ale yeast, beersmith is estimate final gravity of 25.

Yikes! That sounds more like a white russian! Imperial milk stouts should definitely be called white russians, I'm taking dibs of that name.

So is it an imperial stout at all...?

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 hours)

Whose nutrients do you use? The last one I bought, Young's, advocates a teaspoon for every 5 litres!

I presume you intend to put it in during the last 15 minutes of the boil...?

 

[Hello]

Well it's more of a reference guide as I've also replaced the roasted barley with more chocolate malt, that's 15% of the grainbill!

Sweetness is definitely my main concern, I've sought to counter this by upping the hop bitterness to 23 IBU's but even that might not be enough. Plan B is to simply let it condition until it reaches the right level of sweetness.

For the sweetness and the target FG, I'd say you could easily get away with 35 IBUs.

 

[Queequeg]

Yikes! That sounds more like a white russian! Imperial milk stouts should definitely be called white russians, I'm taking dibs of that name.

So is it an imperial stout at all...?

Nah its just a milk stout, I want is viscous though, like melted ice cream

 

[Queequeg]

Whose nutrients do you use? The last one I bought, Young's, advocates a teaspoon for every 5 litres!

I presume you intend to put it in during the last 15 minutes of the boil...?

Whitelabs

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

For the sweetness and the target FG, I'd say you could easily get away with 35 IBUs.

As in the minimal amount I could get away with before it becomes too sweet?

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Nah its just a milk stout, I want is viscous though, like melted ice cream

Hahaha that's what I want, like a session imperial stout, lots of body but with 5% alcohol. I'm aiming for a 20 FG but was thinking that might be too syrupy, how many IBUs do you think I should use?

 

[Queequeg]

FG of 20 will not be too syrupy IMO. Too my much lactose and crystal will make it syrupy. If the combined total is less than 10% your good to go with 20-30 ibu's. Remember the chocolate and roast malts provide bitterness and create a less sickly quality overall