Is my Stout safe to bottle?

[YoungJames]

Hello all.

I have recently had a batch of Coopers Stout on the go, the SG was just over 1.08 but stopped after about two weeks at 1.02, one week after this it was still just over 0.02. It tastes great, really rich and dark.

I could see no reason why the fermentation stuck there, i have my brew bucket inside of a larger 80 litre refuse bin, in a makeshift water bath with an aquarium heater. So its unlikely the temperature shifted a lot.

I used for the wort

2 Tins of Coopers Stout Extract
2 Kilos of Dark Brown Sugar

and

2 Bottles/Tubes of Tate and Lyle Chocolate Syrup (which has no artificial preservatives etc).

Would it be that the Yeast reached their maximum alcohol tolerance? I was told also that if i would be ok to bottle, if the FG was 25% of the SG (Divide the SG by 4).

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[Balue]

If gravity is stable for at least a few days then you are good to bottle.

 

[TopherM]

I could see no reason why the fermentation stuck there, i have my brew bucket inside of a larger 80 litre refuse bin, in a makeshift water bath with an aquarium heater. So its unlikely the temperature shifted a lot.

That's a 75% attenuation, which is pretty much the average maximum attenuation for most yeasts. You'd have to repitch a different yeast strain if you wanted to get it any lower. At 1.02, you may have a slight residual sweetness to your final beer, but it shouldn't be cloying.

Unless you are going for a dry stout, I'd go ahead and bottle. If you want a dry stout, you are going to need to repitch a different yeast strain.

 

[YoungJames]

Thanks guys, so i will be ok to use Carbonation Drops without worrying about bottle bombs?

It is a touch sweet, bit it is very drinkable, the addition of Chocolate Syrup had no effect, not an taste/smell of chocolate, if anything the beer smells like a rich fruit cake or a tasty Port

 

[TopherM]

Yup, that 2% of residual sugars that the yeast are not currently eating, they also won't eat during carbonation, they'll only go after the new sugars from the carbonation drops.

 

[YoungJames]

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated