Stout on co2

[catamount]

i recently made my first stout, and made my first homebrew kegerator set up. i want this stout on tap (has another week week in the carboy left). when ready, i was thinking about adding 1/3 cup corn sugar and letting it sit in the corny for 2 weeks at 5-10psi before drinking.... any comments/suggestions? will the fact that its straight co2 gas hinder anything? also, i dont have a stout faucet...will this be a factor?

 

[conpewter]

I have a porter on tap right now and soon to have a stout. I'm new to kegging but I don't see any issues with stout on CO2. You won't get as creamy a head as you would with beer gas from what I've read but it will still be good. I also tend to pour into the middle of my glass for the first ounce or two to get foam and then down the side for the rest of the pour.

 

[catamount]

sounds good...how did you carbonate?

 

[david_42]

I've primed and/or force carbonated stouts with CO2. It doesn't make much difference, although using some champaign yeast can improve the head formation.

 

[Hermish]

I have an oatmeal stout on tap right now that I force carbonated and am serving with only CO2. I was surprised at how well the head turns out, it is just as good, or better, then most pints of Guinness that you get at bars.

 

[Blender]

My first keg was a stout and I would just let it sit on the gas instead of adding priming sugar. The creaminess of the head got better the longer it was in the keg. Green beer is still green regardless of the type of carbonation technique.

 

[homebrewer_99]

FWIW, I pour mine in the middle of the glass also to produce a nice creamy head...

 

[catamount]

thanks for the info everyone... might as well ask this too as its my first stout...
i had it in the primary for 1 week, and its been in the carboy for 1 week with little to no airlock bubbling in the past 4 days... should i give it another week in the carboy or throw it in the corny and put gas on it to sit for a few more weeks?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

FWIW, I pour mine in the middle of the glass also to produce a nice creamy head...

I do this as well. I have a sweet imperial stout on tap now and I have no complaints at all about how it pours with co2. I actually like it better than Nitrogen.

I force carbed it at 35 psi for 2 days.

 

[conpewter]

Really the best way to know if it's done fermenting is to take a hydrometer reading, if the readings are the same after 3 days then it's (probably) done, as long as you are near your expected final gravity. After that it will still need to age (as you know) and I don't think there's a big difference between aging it in the carboy or the corny. If it was me I'd make sure it was done fermenting and rack it into the corny and put it in the cold on 10-12psi of co2 for a few weeks to let it carb up and also age, and to free up a carboy (considering I have some empty cornys sitting around).

Plus that way you can pull a sample every now and then to see how it's aging.

 

[Iordz]

I think the "creamyness" everyone desires can be achieved through ingredients, rather than gas. Use lots of flaked barley and other grains with lots of protein and that will make your brew creamy.

 

[catamount]

this was my first recipe that i created on my own and i took parts from many stout recipes but didnt add flaked barley =/ . i racked it on a cracked vanilla bean though. hope that might add some flavor to it.