oatmeal stout

[pvtpublic]

This is my second batch of beer, an oatmeal stout. It is a Mr. Beer kit that produces 2.5 g using two cans of hme (hopped malt extract, not home-made explosive). I messed up putting the wort into the" keg" and about a cup to a pint of it went down the drain. Fortunately, this time around I had a hydrometer and my o.g. was 1.034. I know it's a bit low. I've read HTB. However, it's been sitting in the primary for 10 days and hasn't had any activity in the slightest bit since two days after the pitch (8 days if you can't do math). No bubbles, nothing. I took a hydro reading and it's at 1.018 right now. I tasted it and it has the exact same sweet taste that my. P.A. had after 17 days in the primary. Should I repitch some yeast to kick start? I know that stouts have more unfermentables, but this is still to sweet. What should I do?

 

[devilishprune]

Nothing, but I applaud your hydrometer usage!

Give it another week to two weeks and then bottle it up.

 

[rjwhite41]

I would guess it is done. Waiting won't hurt if you aren't happy with the flavor profile.

 

[pvtpublic]

I'm not too happy with it, it's too sweet. It only has about 2% abv in it. There's too many fermentables left. It's the same sweetness that was in the pale ale that I made, also a Mr. Beer kit. Should I just get some red star and get it partying there? I'm not going to ****-can this batch, it still has potential as far I know.

 

[JLem]

I'm not too happy with it, it's too sweet. It only has about 2% abv in it. There's too many fermentables left. It's the same sweetness that was in the pale ale that I made, also a Mr. Beer kit. Should I just get some red star and get it partying there? I'm not going to ****-can this batch, it still has potential as far I know.

red star won't help. If there were any fermentables in there your yeast would have eaten them up. The reason you're stable at 1.018 is because there are no more fermentables. Wine yeast aren't magic - they eat the same exact sugars beer yeast eat (in fact, wine yeasts eat fewer since they cannot ferment maltotriose and beer yeast can). Wine yeasts are more alcohol tolerant, so they are helpful if you have a high ABV beer that causes your beer yeast to poop out. 1.018 is a fine place for an oatmeal stout to finish - your low ABV is a result of a too-low OG and not really because of a too-high FG.

 

[pvtpublic]

It's too sweet though, it doesn't even taste like beer, just sweet wort. What can I do?

 

[devilishprune]

I'm confused. At what point did you lose wort? Was it already all mixed up? Was it before you added x amount of water? Was it straight HME? What I'm trying to figure out here is if your OG was correct or if you didn't get a homogenous sample from your fermentor.

I would say just wait still; there is no way that a yeast is going to stall out on a 2.3% beer. Check it in a week and see if it still sucks.

 

[pvtpublic]

Ok, there is zero activity going on. I had filled the primary a third of the way with water, then I put in the hme/water wort (the part that was messed up) then I filled it the rest of the way with water. I mixed it all up then took a grav reading.

 

[rjwhite41]

Did the kit list a SG? Did you mix with the proper amount of water? If the answer to both questions is yes then I would believe the SG listed in the kit. Getting a uniform mix and an accurate SG with extract kits can be difficult. Did you calibrate your hydrometer in distilled water? 1.018 is not that high and it shouldn't really be that sweet. A little maybe, depending on hop levels, but it shouldn't be that bad.

 

[JLem]

could just be unbalanced - not enough bitterness to offset the malt for your tastes. I've never used pre-hopped extracts so I don't know what level of bitterness they give. Also, was this a no boil kit? It sounds like it - open can, mix with water, pitch yeast. If so, I have to really wonder about the quality.

At this point I would say to just let it sit a little while and then bottle and then see what it's like. And get another batch going - preferably something that uses unhopped extract that you boil and add your own hops to. BTW, how did your 1st batch turn out? Same type of kit?

 

[pvtpublic]

Did the kit list a SG? Did you mix with the proper amount of water? If the answer to both questions is yes then I would believe the SG listed in the kit. Getting a uniform mix and an accurate SG with extract kits can be difficult. Did you calibrate your hydrometer in distilled water? 1.018 is not that high and it shouldn't really be that sweet. A little maybe, depending on hop levels, but it shouldn't be that bad.

Mr. Beer kits are aimed for the extreme beginner as they do not include anything about gravity. It's almost like making hamburger helper. And yes, as I said, I did not mix with the right amount of water, but that shouldn't stop fermentation.

 

[pvtpublic]

could just be unbalanced - not enough bitterness to offset the malt for your tastes. I've never used pre-hopped extracts so I don't know what level of bitterness they give. Also, was this a no boil kit? It sounds like it - open can, mix with water, pitch yeast. If so, I have to really wonder about the quality.

At this point I would say to just let it sit a little while and then bottle and then see what it's like. And get another batch going - preferably something that uses unhopped extract that you boil and add your own hops to. BTW, how did your 1st batch turn out? Same type of kit?

That actually makes sense. The first batch was a P.A. but was way too sweet (its still good, I just add an orange slice to fill that flavor void) and this one has the same thing. Should I try dry hopping, or do you think I could get away with taking it all out of the primary (only 2.5gl) and boil a little bit of hops into it and re-pitch? (I know its only my second batch, but I tend to grasp things very fast, and it helps that i've read HTB)

 

[JLem]

That actually makes sense. The first batch was a P.A. but was way too sweet (its still good, I just add an orange slice to fill that flavor void) and this one has the same thing. Should I try dry hopping, or do you think I could get away with taking it all out of the primary (only 2.5gl) and boil a little bit of hops into it and re-pitch? (I know its only my second batch, but I tend to grasp things very fast, and it helps that i've read HTB)

Dry hopping won't add any bitterness - just hop aroma and some flavor. Adding additional bitterness now is not really possible (or at least difficult to get right). It sounds like both batches ended up too sweet - or maybe both unbalanced. Perhaps it is time for you move away from the "hamburger helper" kits and try something that you hop yourself during a 60 minute boil.

 

[pvtpublic]

That's what I am going to do, but I still have 3 of those kits left, a witbier, a pilsner and an ipa. I think i'll throw in some tower of london mead when I drink the stout, I like to do that if a dark beer isn't up to par, like peak organic's nut brown ale.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

Perhaps you should get a non "hamburger-helper" kit and get some experience brewing a tried and tested kit, then return to the kits you have already after you have learned a thing or 3 from the more professional kit? You could put your own special touches to the kits and maybe make what would have been a so-so beer into a better beer.

Its worth a shot.

 

[pvtpublic]

Perhaps you should get a non "hamburger-helper" kit and get some experience brewing a tried and tested kit, then return to the kits you have already after you have learned a thing or 3 from the more professional kit? You could put your own special touches to the kits and maybe make what would have been a so-so beer into a better beer.

Its worth a shot.

That's definately not bad advice, and I think i'm going to go with that. Thank you. But with the batch that I got going now, would it be a good idea to pitch a little ale yeast in there?

 

[pvtpublic]

It got contaminated somehow, damnit.