Midnight Milk Stout...Ish...

[Estrada]

I brewed the Midnight Milk Stout extract kit from Monster Brew. Seemed enticing enough. Brew day went mostly well, though the OG was at 1.030, when the instructions said it should have been near 1.042. I wasn't really equipped at the time to figure out how to fix it, and the beer I was consuming in tandem likely contributed to my let's-see-how-it-turns-out-attitude.

Instructions called for 5 -7 days in primary before bottling, at which time the FG should be at 1.007 or less. I'm on day 10 and took a gravity reading (first one as I still noticed relatively consistent activity within the airlock) of 1.022.

A couple other things to note: I pitched with liquid yeast (sadly, as I've been reading, sans starter). I've been monitoring temp regularly and it's been consistent. I tried a bit of the sample and it actually tastes pretty good (though slightly more bitter than anticipated).

Anything I could / should be doing to drop that gravity down?

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

First, I wouldn't worry too much about your OG. If you followed the kit instructions and used all the ingredients with the boil and top up volumes specified, you will end up within a couple of points of their estimated OG. What likely happened is that you didn't mix the wort and top up water well enough in the fermenter before you grabbed your gravity sample.

As for your current gravity, you don't say what yeast you used or your fermentation temp so I'll take a guess that you may be fermenting too cool. With an OG under 1050, you should be OK with the liquid yeast with no starter. Try giving the fermenter a gentle swirl (no shaking or splashing) to get the yeast back in suspension and warm the fermenter up to 70F. This may wake your yeast up a bit and get you some more fermentation. You might even add some yeast energizer to help them out.

Be aware that extract kits are known for finishing higher than the predicted gravity. Also, never bottle anything after only 5 - 7 days. Even if you reach FG in that time, the yeast still have plenty of work to do. Let them do it. Give it a good 3 weeks before bottling. Patience is not only a virtue - it makes better beer.