Second time brewing - Chocolate Milk Stout

[kcgator88]

This is my second attempt at making beer. After a successful batch of Northern Brewer's Caribou Slobber, I figured I'd try my hand at their Chocolate Milk Stout Kit. The inventory list on the kit says that there is a 0.5-ounce quantity of Cluster hops and a 1-ounce quantity of the same. The recipe calls for 1 ounce added at the beginning of the boil and 0.5 ounces added at 30 minutes.

Without examining both packets of hops, I added the first packet of hops. After seeing an unopened 1-ounce packet, I believed that I had accidentally added the 0.5-ounce packet. I then measured out 0.5 ounces and added them to the boil. Then I realized that despite what the inventory list said, the kit included two 1-ounce packets. So what I had basically done is added all of the hops at the beginning of the boil, instead of one ounce at the beginning and 0.5 ounces halfway through. In an attempt to compensate, I decided not to add anymore hops.

I know that the longer the hops boil, the more they influence the taste, so I'm anticipating that this stout will be hoppier than intended, but will it be too bitter to be enjoyable? Should I have added the rest of the hops at the 30 minute mark, anyway? I'm just worried that I totally botched this up.

Thanks in advance.

 

[McKnuckle]

I would relax. This is a minor gaffe: You essentially boiled 0.5 oz of hops for 60 minutes instead of 30 minutes. The total increased IBU will be somewhere in the 3-6 range, hardly worth worrying about. And the contribution of a 30 minute addition to flavor in a stout is also nominal.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Cluster is not a very high alpha hops and a chocolate milk stout probably doesn't have a lot of IBUs anyhow. It will be more bitter than it was supposed to be but it shouldn't be too bad. If it seems too bitter, give it some time and the hops will mellow out.

 

[501irishred]

Agree. If that's the worse thing that happened during your second ever brew, consider it a success! It will be different than the original recipe intended, but that's not always a bad thing.......

 

[kcgator88]

Thanks, I feel much better after reading this.

The only other concern I have is about Star San foam in the carboy. I transferred the sanitizer into the carboy in a way that generated enough foam to where it essentially looked like a thick kraeusen had formed right when the wort was poured in (before the yeast). I know about the mantra "Don't fear the foam," so I'm not too worried about it, but there's that lingering concern over whether that mantra applies only to a certain extent.

That's about it as far as questions on this batch. I'm glad it seems like I've gotten a fairly good grasp on this process, overall. Thanks again for the help!

 

[eadavis80]

I can't fathom the Star San will pose any problems. It's a "self foaming product" so while it certainly looks like it will create soapy flavors, it should not. Again - the beer will probably be a tad bit more bitter than you wanted, but like another poster said, if you only made that mistake on beer no. 2, you're doing a good job. Each batch is a success if it results in at least of the three: 1) a drinkable product 2) more brewing knowledge 3) fun.

 

[kcgator88]

Thanks! I thought so, but I just wanted to make sure.

One more question, if no one minds. It's now been about 36 hours since everything has gone into the fermenter. A krauesen had definitely formed during that time, but now all foam (whether from krauesen or Star San) has subsided. Since the airlock is still bubbling, I'm not concerned about that; however, there seems to be a large amount of yeast solids along the inside of the carboy above the liquid. Again, the airlock is still bubbling quickly (about one bubble every two seconds), but I'm worried that in the long run, there is not enough yeast in the wort to fully ferment the beer. Should I do something to get those solids back into the wort, like aerate it or use something to scrape the solids back in?

I hope I'm not asking too many minute questions, and I'm sorry if I am. Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[Micahmagne]

Kcgator88-
Things are going according to plan. Ale yeasts tend to form a krausen, a cheesy-scummy looking substance at the top of the beer, as they are top-fermented.
Don't touch it! Let the yeast be happy, busy workers, as they want to be.
I'd consider just taking notes on everything you see and notice, as a learning experience. For now, unless something explodes or smells worse than 2-day roadkill, consider it to be normal.
After primary fermentation is complete, the airlock activity will slow down to <1 bubble an hour or so, and at that point you can use your hydrometer to check the specific gravity. It will be significantly reduced. The krausen should fall back into the beer, and the yeast will flocculate and start settling to the bottom of the carboy.
I'd wait another 10 days (minimum), and test it. DO NOT DROP YOUR HYDROMETER INTO A GLASS CARBOY. It will dive to the bottom and crack open. Either sanitize all your racking -siphoning stuff and your bottling bucket, then check it, or siphon a sample into a graduated cylinder. Make sure your final gravity (fg) is very close to the listed fg in instructions (likely 1.010 to 1.018 range).
If it is not, give it more time. When in doubt, wait a bit!! Bottling prematurely can create over-pressured bottles and be dangerous! Be mostly concerned with creating great sanitation habits, and being patient.
Relax, take notes, learn, and enjoy!!!

 

[kcgator88]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice!

Since this recipe has a few differences compared to the one I brewed previously, I think I might use this thread to ask questions about things I encounter if I didn't encounter them in the previous brew.

I plan to transfer to secondary fermentation in about nine days (will be 2 weeks exactly at that point), when according to the recipe, I am to add the cocoa nibs. Do I treat this the same as yeast, with regards to sanitizing? I plan to use a funnel to put them in the fermenter, and of course, the funnel will be sanitized; however, I'm wondering if I need to let the bag of nibs sit in the sanitizer beforehand, like you do with a yeast packet. The pack containing the nibs seems pretty water tight. Also when making additions at secondary fermentation, do you put the additives into the carboy first, then siphon in the beer, or vice versa? I know typically, you want to minimize splashing.

Thanks again for everyone's advice!

 

[McKnuckle]

I would not sanitize nibs with StarSan. I have done it two ways - roast them in the oven (mainly for flavor), which heats them significantly... or submerge them just barely in vodka for a number of days, pouring the entire contents into the fermenter afterwards.

But I also wouldn't worry about tossing nibs that were in a sealed packet into beer without any treatment.

As for adding stuff to secondary, just use common sense. Don't hurl items in there and have them splash plumes of beer out of the carboy. Put them in gently. But don't worry about it.