Irish Stout - carbonation?

Davo6869 · Post by **Davo6869** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 12:14 pm

I have a Coopers Irish Stout in fermenter at present. It tastes very creamy and delicious just as it is. So creamy that I don't want any more carbonation.
Could I just bottle it as is?
Or, would 1 glucose drop per 750ml bottle be a better compromise?

Happy to hear from any experience stout-makers.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 12:16 pm

It'll pretty much be flat as a tack if you don't carbonate at all.

One carb drop will give you a light level of carbonation that could work very well. It's all up to how much carbonation you want.

Incidently, bulk priming will give you much more control over how much carbonation you will get.

Davo6869 · Post by **Davo6869** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 12:35 pm

Thanks Chris. Will try the single carb drop approach.

James L · Post by **James L** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 12:39 pm

i was told to add 500g of corn syrup 1 day before bottling my stout then only use 2/3 the sugar/malt you normally would for priming to give a nice creamy head....

Has anyone else used this method?

I'm not really to sure how to go about doing it either, should i just boil the 500g of syrup and put it in the container when i bulk prime with the sugar/malt, or should i wait the day? seems strange...

Should i just leave it out?

James

Kevnlis · Post by **Kevnlis** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 1:41 pm

James L wrote:i was told to add 500g of corn syrup 1 day before bottling my stout then only use 2/3 the sugar/malt you normally would for priming to give a nice creamy head....

Has anyone else used this method?

I'm not really to sure how to go about doing it either, should i just boil the 500g of syrup and put it in the container when i bulk prime with the sugar/malt, or should i wait the day? seems strange...

Should i just leave it out?

James

I hope your bottles are tough! I would guess that would make for quite a few bombs, and the ones that did not explode would be gassed to the max.

Try about 250 grams and do not prime the bottles. Also make sure you are racking into a sterile barrel with the syrup in the bottom of it, coil the hose to make a sort of whirlpool to be sure to dissolve it all.

Good luck and happy brewing!

James L · Post by **James L** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 6:01 pm

i think i'll add it all, but if it starts taking off again... i'll have to wait for it to stop before i bottle... If nothing happens after a day, i'll bite the bullet and bottle anyways.. but i will cut down on the priming sugars to 2/3 just to be sure..

Just didnt want the yeast to get all active again since its been nicely settled for a week ready for bottling.

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 6:26 pm

If you were to bulk prime a stout, i would use about 80-90 gm per 22 litre brew which would be about 3.5-4 gms per litre, 500 gms is just lunacy

Stubbie · Post by **Stubbie** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 7:25 pm

Does anyone know what percentage of corn syrup is fermentable?

I have a bag of malt-dextrin (aka corn syrup, I think) and the packet says 15% fermentable. If that's correct, the suggested 500g of corn syrup would only contribute approx 45g of fermentable sugar for carbonation. Adding 2/3 of usual priming sugar would then make sense, sort of. Point is, perhaps it's not as outrages as first appears.

On the other hand, 500g of corn sugar is a sure recipe for a mess.

I wonder what the point is of adding corn syrup after fermentation as opposed to brew time? Maybe it's to lower the OG and make life easier for the yeast?

Just some thoughts, anyway.
Cheers.

Kevnlis · Post by **Kevnlis** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 7:44 pm

Corn syrup is more like 15% non-fermentable if not less, at least all of the corn syrup I have used has been (liquid and dry).

500g 24 hours before bottling and then adding a further 2/3 priming sugar is asking for trouble, but as always it is a forum and that is just my opinion I am no expert!

banger · Post by **banger** » Monday Jul 16, 2007 9:58 pm

I prefer my darker beers with less carbonation, especially English style bitters. All the bitters I ever had in the UK were very lightly carbonated and served at cellar temp which means you can actually taste the beer.

The last English Bitter I made I primed with 1/2 tsp sugar which was just enough to give it a slight fizz, not too much though.

nt · Post by nt » Monday Jul 16, 2007 11:07 pm

According to a label of a maltodextrin I bought from G&G, it is 15% fermentable. ie. 85% non-fermentable.

James L · Post by **James L** » Tuesday Jul 17, 2007 10:09 am

yep.... got home and read the packet.... add 500gm 24hrs before bottling, then use 2/3 sugar for carbonation... so together... total fermentables should be just about right...

I did however fiz up like adding icecream to softdrink when i added it to the fermenter... but no action from the airlock when i put the lid back on...

James L · Post by **James L** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 10:20 am

the SG when i bottled was 1024 (the corn syrup raised it 7 points)... so i think i might need to cover these ones up just incase they decide they dont like being in the bottle anymore...

Kevnlis · Post by **Kevnlis** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 12:34 pm

I am interested to see what happens, seems pretty incredible that corn syrup is only 15% fermentable!

James L · Post by **James L** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 12:58 pm

i think its mostly used for head retention and boost the body of the beer a heap... i think it is what gives stouts that creamy head

Kevnlis · Post by **Kevnlis** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 1:02 pm

I thought that was the purpose of lactose, not corn syrup. Might have to do some investigating into the two and how they work. Maybe I should replace the lactose in my stout recipe with corn syrup?

James L · Post by **James L** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 1:07 pm

lactose is used to make the beer sweet... it doesnt get broken down by the yeast during fermentation like most of the other sugars, so the brew maintains its sweetness.

Corn syrup is mainly maltodetxrin, which is used to boost the body of the beer and increase head retention of the beer.

thats about all i know

KEG · Post by **KEG** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 4:46 pm

Lactose will also increase body - being non-fermentable.

Davo6869 · Post by **Davo6869** » Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 5:57 pm

I am going for more of a Murphy's stout, which I find a bit sweeter than Guinness. Hence the lactose is the additive of choice.