I brewed this extract kit on February 27th. OG was 1.051. Racked to secondary on March 12. Took a gravity reading this afternoon(March 16th). The reading was 1.024. I am looking for a 1.010 for FG. I will bottle this on April 10th. Will it make expected FG by then?
Thanks,
Brent
Only the yeast knows the answer to that question. You might try to shake the fermenter gently to stir up the yeast, and move it to a warmer place (70ish) to help them finish out. Extract kits are known to be a little less fermentable, so…it may be done. Good luck brother brewer
If I’m right, this kit has a pound of lactose, which is unfermentable sugar. And if I’m remembering correctly, that pound should add about 8 points to a five gallon batch (I’m assuming this is five gallons, but if not, I’m sure the lactose addition would be percentage wise the same). So .024 is not bad. You should be looking for somewhere around .020 for a FG. I’d just give it some more time. Couple of weeks and you’ll probably be good to go.
What was SG at racking? Could have racked a little too soon, but probably not.
Agree with the good doctor, extract kits are notorious for finishing a little high.
:cheers:
Ron
What makes you say this? Brewing software simply “assists” in brewing and is not an educational learning tool.
One thing to remember is that extract kits finish higher. Another thing to remember is that by definition milk/sweet stouts are designed to finish higher to make them, well, sweet.
Good information guys. I am still learning. I thought with the OG being 1.051 I would have a little higher ABV by now. The temp is a little cool at 68 but within range. I will move it where it is a little warmer. Thanks again.
I doubt it will go lower than .018 mine never have. I do all grain though, but I don’t know if that would matter.
Can I asked why you used a secondary? Because the directions say to?
For dark beers, unless you’re adding something that is required to be put in a secondary, I would just leave it in the primary. You’re really not going to be able to tell if it’s clear or not.
Did you take any gravity readings before racking it to the secondary? It may not have been done and racking to the secondary (taking it off the yeast cake) stopped it earlier than expected.
Just a few ideas as to why it may not be as low as you want it to be.
I made this kit early last year before switching to AG. Mine went from 1.055 to 1.026, so I think you’re right on the money for final gravity.
[quote=“Templar”]Can I asked why you used a secondary? Because the directions say to?
For dark beers, unless you’re adding something that is required to be put in a secondary, I would just leave it in the primary. You’re really not going to be able to tell if it’s clear or not.
Did you take any gravity readings before racking it to the secondary? It may not have been done and racking to the secondary (taking it off the yeast cake) stopped it earlier than expected.
Just a few ideas as to why it may not be as low as you want it to be.[/quote]
The main reason for racking is just for convenience . It frees up my primary 6 gallon carboys, I have two 6 gallon carboys and three 5 gallon carboys. With that said, as soon as I get at least 1 beer on tap then it won’t matter as much. Very good point.
Well if you got 1.026 then I am satisfied. I have 2 more extract kits to brew then I am also switching to AG.
[quote=“brentconn”][quote=“Templar”]Can I asked why you used a secondary? Because the directions say to?
For dark beers, unless you’re adding something that is required to be put in a secondary, I would just leave it in the primary. You’re really not going to be able to tell if it’s clear or not.
Did you take any gravity readings before racking it to the secondary? It may not have been done and racking to the secondary (taking it off the yeast cake) stopped it earlier than expected.
Just a few ideas as to why it may not be as low as you want it to be.[/quote]
The main reason for racking is just for convenience . It frees up my primary 6 gallon carboys, I have two 6 gallon carboys and three 5 gallon carboys. With that said, as soon as I get at least 1 beer on tap then it won’t matter as much. Very good point.[/quote]
Also, the NB Chocolate Milk Stout kit includes cacao nibs which we are told add in the secondary. I guess a brewer could just toss them in the primary a couple of weeks before kegging or bottling?
I just bottle my AG kit of this. Mine finished at 1.022. I added the nibs to primary. Total ferment time was 4 weeks. Cheers! :cheers:
This was one of my first extract kits. Mine finished at 1.026 as well and included an extra 4oz of bakers chocolate. I also didn’t secondary I just put the cocoa nibs into the primary at the designated time after they had been soaking in bourbon.
I just opened a bottle of this and I really like it. It does not have much head retention but has a really good finishing flavoe. It’s like a Highland Black Mocha Stout but not as much bite on it.
I would agree that a higher FG should be expected on something with a lot of non-fermentable sugars. It’s part of the flavor profile.
Belgian beers that are highly attenuated tend to have a very sharp and dry finish. The average milk stout has a big taste, some slight sweetness, and doesn’t usually have a dry finish.
