Stout Question

[scooter75]

Hi Guys.
Have put down the following

1.7 Muntons Stout Kit
1kg Morgans Masterblend Black Roasted Malt Extract
500g malto-dextrin
Fuggles 30mins
Safale SO4
MAde to 18L
OG 1.054
24 degrees here in Cairns
All OK except has been 10 days in fermenter and has only reached 1.023.

Is this to be expected?

Intend to leave in fermenter for another week and see what happens. Thinking if not much more drop in SG then might just half carbonate in the long neck.

Any advice welcome.

Cheers

[Trough Lolly]

I'd say you'll have a high finishing gravity due to the high levels of dextrins (roasted malt, maltodextrin, stout kit etc) in the recipe. Give it another couple of days and keep an eye on the gravity. Once it's stablised (hopefully below 1.020) you will be good to go.

If there's no change in the FG then I'd bottle but be careful with how much you prime the bottle with to avoid bottle bombs.

Cheers,
TL

[KEG]

with all that malt and maltodextrin, made to 18 litres, i'm not surprised it's stopped at 1023; i wouldn't expect it to go *much* lower, if at all.

[ryan]

Agree with both above.
Me, I`d be priming longnecks at no more than 3 g. per bottle with that brew.
Bottle one in a PET and check the carbonation in a couple of weeks.

[scooter75]

Advice much appreciated guys. I will let it go until the weekend and then check it out. In a situation like this, can you add a new yeast to kick things on? I don't really want to do this (infection etc) but just wondered.

BTW, off to Brewers Day function in Brisbane on Friday night. Will have s story to tell next week.

Thanks again

Scoot

[warra48]

Advice much appreciated guys. I will let it go until the weekend and then check it out. In a situation like this, can you add a new yeast to kick things on? I don't really want to do this (infection etc) but just wondered.

BTW, off to Brewers Day function in Brisbane on Friday night. Will have s story to tell next week.

Thanks again

Scoot

You can add more yeast, but they will have to acclimitise to what is already a relatively high alcohol environment, which may take some time. Some brewers use champange yeast for that very reason to finish off high gravity / alcohol brews.

[Trough Lolly]

I think you'd be wasting yeast. The problem is not one of whether the yeast can do the job, it's whether the yeast has enough non-dextrinous sugars to consume in the relatively short time you keep it in the fermenter. As we have suggested in earlier posts, the dextrins in the beer take a hell of a long time to convert, if at all - and that's what gives the beer body and mouthfeel, amongst other things. I'd bottle and lightly carbonate (ryan's suggesting of an "indicator" PET bottle is wise advice).
Next time you make a stout, consider the roasted and dark malts to be high in dextrins so whilst they darken the beer, they don't add a lot of easily fermentable sugars compared to their more paler cousins. Next time, I'd recommend you replace the 500g of maltodextrin (corn syrup - a highly dextrinous, flavourless compound) with 500g of pale malt extract or for the more authentic touch, grab a 500g tin of Lyle's Golden Syrup.

Cheers,
TL

[scooter75]

Thanks mate, much appreciated

[corks]

Next time, I'd recommend you replace the 500g of maltodextrin (corn syrup - a highly dextrinous, flavourless compound) with 500g of pale malt extract or for the more authentic touch, grab a 500g tin of Lyle's Golden Syrup.TL

or perhaps 500g roasted barley or the like, steeped at 70 degrees for about half an hour and then drained and added to the boil. good stuff. my two-can has about that much of black patent malt, and it turns out fantastic.