I made NB's all-grain chocolate stout in the fall. I added some additional pale ale malt, some baker's chocolate at the end of the boil and racked over the cocoa nibs sitting in vanilla vodka. I also added 7 oz. of organic cold pressed mocha coffee to secondary as well. I mashed around 155 purposely to yield a sweeter stout. The kit comes with lactose which I am well aware is non-fermentable. My o.g. on brew day was 1.072. I used 2 rehydrated packs of 04 on brew day which was Nov. 7, 2018. On Dec. 2, 2018 I bottled up 45 of them using just over 1/4 cup of priming sugar as I have had gushers with stouts in the past. My gravity at that time was 1.030 after the gravity had stayed at that reading for three days. I knew it was high, but I figured with the higher mash temp + lactose that was reasonable. On 12/8/18 there was a hint of carbonation in the beers and on 12/13/18 it was the ideal amount. Yesterday, they were gushers. I just tried 2 more bottles this morning and they too gushed. I tested the gravity and it was now 1.010 so something happened in the bottle between bottling day and brew day. This only happened with the stout. I have bottled three other batches - a porter, a gingerbread brown and a wheat beer since bottling the stout and none of them have had this problem. Any ideas? I've had similar problems with gushing stouts in the past. Again - my gravity was stable for three days prior to bottling and I used considerably LESS priming sugar than priming sugar calculators indicate for fear of gushing.
Stout gushers - help
- Thread starter eadavis80
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
thehaze
Well-Known Member
The beer was not done fermenting. 1.030 is high even with a high mash temp. and lactose.
My latest Imperial Porter had 30% specialty malts and I added 1.1 lbs Lactose to the boil. With a combination of Windsor and Nottingham, I got the FG down to 1.018 from 1.095. It was bottled at day 14 from pitching yeast.
I assume you are not allowing the yeast to ferment everything it can. Do you raise the temperature of the beer for at least 3-5 days to encourage the yeast to finish and clean after itself? S-04 attenuates well: between 75 and 80% if treated right.
From 1.072 down to 1.030 it's only 57% attenuation and that's just low for any kind of yeast. Your FG should have been closer to 1.020.
My latest Imperial Porter had 30% specialty malts and I added 1.1 lbs Lactose to the boil. With a combination of Windsor and Nottingham, I got the FG down to 1.018 from 1.095. It was bottled at day 14 from pitching yeast.
I assume you are not allowing the yeast to ferment everything it can. Do you raise the temperature of the beer for at least 3-5 days to encourage the yeast to finish and clean after itself? S-04 attenuates well: between 75 and 80% if treated right.
From 1.072 down to 1.030 it's only 57% attenuation and that's just low for any kind of yeast. Your FG should have been closer to 1.020.
I know - that's why I swirled my fermenter and moved it upstairs after 5 days in the basement of my house. It was in the mid/upper 60's for about 18 days and had been swirled. The gravity read 1.030 from like 6 days after brew day until bottling day. The change in temperature and swirling of the bubbler did nothing to change the gravity.
thehaze
Well-Known Member
Mid-upper 60's is not enough. I know so many brewers are afraid of temperature and want to simply ferment everything at lager temperatures, but raising the temperature to mid 60's to help the yeast finish, clean after itself - diacetyl etc. is far too low. The more apropriate temperature is somewhere around 72-74F. The yeast will not throw esters or phenols after the bulk of fermentation is over.
If that happens again, you can try to pitch another yeast to help with the attenuation. Nottingham and US-05 work well. But my belief is that your process may need adjusting, at least for these stouts that come out gushing. Change mash temperature, use another yeast, use more yeast, raise the temperature faster and higher than you are accustomed to, etc.
If that happens again, you can try to pitch another yeast to help with the attenuation. Nottingham and US-05 work well. But my belief is that your process may need adjusting, at least for these stouts that come out gushing. Change mash temperature, use another yeast, use more yeast, raise the temperature faster and higher than you are accustomed to, etc.
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2013
- Messages
- 7,704
- Reaction score
- 14,685
AkTom
Well-Known Member
Have you checked the hydrometer?
I frequently ferment at 62-64* for 2 weeks and bottle. Sorry, I’m no help.
I frequently ferment at 62-64* for 2 weeks and bottle. Sorry, I’m no help.
thehaze
Well-Known Member
balrog Yes, I pitch (ed) Windsor and Nottingham at the same time. Next time I'm gonna use these two yeast together, I'm gonna pitch Windsor first, wait 24-48 hours and pitch Nottingham. I believe this will result in a more estery beer with proper attenuation. Could be good in English hoppy styles, as well as in American Pale Ales/IPAs.
