Is it dead?

[guzzlerg]

I'm wondering whether I've killed my brew of Choccy Milk Stout.

It was made by following the recipe to the letter. Water was from a mountain stream (Poatina, Tasmania). All gear was rinsed with Stellar sanitiser. Ferment went beautifully for the first two days. Then it stopped. Temperature had dropped to 18c, so I upped it to 20c on the fish-tank heater. Still nothing. On day 4 I made a brew starter with the 7g yeast pack which comes under the lid of the Irish Stout. Very little fermentation.

The lid is on very tight - so no leaks there.

I've checked the SG, and it was 1022 on day 4, and now (day 6) it has dropped to 1020.  I've upped the temperature to 24c, but not a bubble coming through the fermentation lock.

It tastes great (from the hydrometer tube) and I hope I haven't killed it. I need as sustenance through the cold Tassie winter.

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 minutes ago, guzzlerg said:

I'm wondering whether I've killed my brew of Choccy Milk Stout.

It was made by following the recipe to the letter. Water was from a mountain stream (Poatina, Tasmania). All gear was rinsed with Stellar sanitiser. Ferment went beautifully for the first two days. Then it stopped. Temperature had dropped to 18c, so I upped it to 20c on the fish-tank heater. Still nothing. On day 4 I made a brew starter with the 7g yeast pack which comes under the lid of the Irish Stout. Very little fermentation.

The lid is on very tight - so no leaks there.

I've checked the SG, and it was 1022 on day 4, and now (day 6) it has dropped to 1020.  I've upped the temperature to 24c, but not a bubble coming through the fermentation lock.

It tastes great (from the hydrometer tube) and I hope I haven't killed it. I need as sustenance through the cold Tassie winter.

Don't worry about the Airlock, that is only an indication that fermentation is actually happening, I for 1 have had brews that it has never even activated & they have turned out fine.

I would say as long as you can keep the temperature at a constant 18-20 degrees all will be well.

Just take a hydrometer reading a few times to keep on eye on the progress, I am sure it will be fine. Others may have different views. You should also notice a difference in the color changing.

[guzzlerg]

Thanks for your optimistic advice. I'm certainly not ready to pour it down the drain, but I've never had a brew appear to come to a dead stop after a couple of days.

I'll take another hydrometer reading in a few days.

[kmar92]

Stouts can sometimes end with a high gravity, what was the starting gravity?

[Kegory]

If the gravity is falling the yeast are fermenting.

[guzzlerg]

The starting gravity was 1046, which I thought seemed a bit low for a brew which contained chocolate malt and lactose. Wort temperature was around 26c when I pitched the yeast.

[Classic Brewing Co]

11 minutes ago, guzzlerg said:

The starting gravity was 1046, which I thought seemed a bit low for a brew which contained chocolate malt and lactose. Wort temperature was around 26c when I pitched the yeast.

Sounds all good to me, leave it alone, it will be OK.

[RDT2]

45 minutes ago, guzzlerg said:

The starting gravity was 1046, which I thought seemed a bit low for a brew which contained chocolate malt and lactose. Wort temperature was around 26c when I pitched the yeast.

The lactose will not ferment right out, leaving a higher fg adding sweetness and body to the beer. Some like it to counteract the roasted malts in stouts! It sounds like it is tracking like a normal ferment especially if it tastes good!

Might also pay to check your hydrometer for accuracy if you haven’t already!

Edited May 30, 2023 by RDT2

[guzzlerg]

Thanks everyone! The reading seems to have stopped at 1018 - which gives it an ABV of 3.5 % (+.5) which is lower than the 5% which the recipe suggests.

I've checked my hydrometer - and it reads 1000 @ 20c so all good there.

I'll give it a couple more days then get it into some bottles.

[RDT2]

16 minutes ago, guzzlerg said:

Thanks everyone! The reading seems to have stopped at 1018 - which gives it an ABV of 3.5 % (+.5) which is lower than the 5% which the recipe suggests.

I've checked my hydrometer - and it reads 1000 @ 20c so all good there.

I'll give it a couple more days then get it into some bottles.

Is it possible the wort was not mixed entirely at the start which would give you a lower sg?

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

On 5/30/2023 at 8:15 PM, guzzlerg said:

The starting gravity was 1046, which I thought seemed a bit low for a brew which contained chocolate malt and lactose.

Yes Guzzlerg, that SG is a little low. If you used all the listed ingredients and made the brew up to 20 litres, your total soluble solids was about 130g per litre, which gives you a theoretical SG of 1050. You're getting close to FG by the looks of it and your abv in the bottle will be about 4.8 if Gravity doesn't move any further. Cheers, Frank.  

[guzzlerg]

I made the brew as per the recipe, and it was aerated vigorously with a slotted paddle before I pitched the yeast.  As I live at 1100 metres there's about 3% less oxygen in the air than at sea level. I assume that means less in the water as well.  I keep everything at a constant temperature, but fermentation always seems to take a lot longer.

I've been brewing on and off for 40 years, but I've turned out so many disappointing brews in the past 10 years since I moved up here that it's now only an occasional pastime. Fingers crossed for the Choccy Milk Stout as it tastes promising each time I've downed the contents of the hydrometer test tube.

 

[Oldbloke]

Have you tried tap water?

[Marty_G]

Very late to the chat but if it is a milk stout it will have lactose in it which is not fermentable hence the high gravity reading. 

 

[Oldbloke]

8 hours ago, Marty_G said:

Very late to the chat but if it is a milk stout it will have lactose in it which is not fermentable hence the high gravity reading. 

 

Yep, some lactose