I have something weird going on with one of my recent brews (at least it's weird in my 1-2 years of experience). I made a partial mash oatmeal stout (recipe below) and bottled it in mid-June. I used carbonation drops, mostly because I've got a lot of them and am trying to use them up. Haven't had problems with them in the past, but I'm getting something odd with the stout...all of the bottles are carbonated, but about half of them have basically zero head retention. The good ones end up with a nice thick layer of foam at the top that lasts for most of the glass...the bad ones basically resemble a soda - they fizz (not foam) up on the pour, then the head disappears completely and they bubble like a soda.
The ones that retain their head are excellent - I'm really happy with the flavor and body. I can tell the fizzy ones have a similar underlying flavor profile, but the odd carbonation gives them a "sharp" taste almost.
Any ideas? They were all bottled at the same time using the same package of carb-drops. If they were all fizzy, I'd say I messed something up in my recipe or brew session, but I'm at a loss. I'm getting ready to do a 2nd version of the recipe, so if there's something I can do to prevent this, I'd love to hear it!
Thanks.
Title: Oatmeal Stout (PM)
Brew Method: Partial Mash
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 2.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 5.21%
IBU (tinseth): 25.67
SRM (morey): 32.09
FERMENTABLES:
2.25 lb - American - Pale 2-Row (42.9%)
0.25 lb - American - Roasted Barley (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Chocolate (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 40L (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 120L (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Victory (4.8%)
0.5 lb - Flaked Oats (9.5%)
1 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light - (late addition) (19%)
4 oz - American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (4.8%)
HOPS:
15 g - Willamette, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.8, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 23.16
5 g - Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.3, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.51
MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Sparge, Temp: 155 F, Time: 60 min
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.25 tsp - Irish Moss, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
YEAST:
Danstar - Nottingham Ale Yeast
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 77%
Fermentation Temp: 72 F
The ones that retain their head are excellent - I'm really happy with the flavor and body. I can tell the fizzy ones have a similar underlying flavor profile, but the odd carbonation gives them a "sharp" taste almost.
Any ideas? They were all bottled at the same time using the same package of carb-drops. If they were all fizzy, I'd say I messed something up in my recipe or brew session, but I'm at a loss. I'm getting ready to do a 2nd version of the recipe, so if there's something I can do to prevent this, I'd love to hear it!
Thanks.
Title: Oatmeal Stout (PM)
Brew Method: Partial Mash
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 2.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 5.21%
IBU (tinseth): 25.67
SRM (morey): 32.09
FERMENTABLES:
2.25 lb - American - Pale 2-Row (42.9%)
0.25 lb - American - Roasted Barley (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Chocolate (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 40L (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 120L (4.8%)
0.25 lb - American - Victory (4.8%)
0.5 lb - Flaked Oats (9.5%)
1 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light - (late addition) (19%)
4 oz - American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (4.8%)
HOPS:
15 g - Willamette, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.8, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 23.16
5 g - Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.3, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.51
MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Sparge, Temp: 155 F, Time: 60 min
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.25 tsp - Irish Moss, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
YEAST:
Danstar - Nottingham Ale Yeast
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 77%
Fermentation Temp: 72 F
