Burton Bridge Porter Stuck?

[aolcot]

Hi,
Fairly new to brewing, this is my 3rd brew and looking for some advice please to see if my current brew it is stuck or if it is ok.
I'm brewing a Burton Bridge porter single can kit and i used 500g dark DME, 500g extra dark DME + 200g brewing sugar. SG was 1.048 on 18/03/2016. I boiled the water/cooled overnight and used half a campden tablet as well. Temp is controlled using a heat band + temp sensor and measurements seem to indicate a temp of around 20-21 throughout.
I took a reading on 27/03/2016 which was 1.018 which seemed good to me after 9 days in the FV but as the instructions suggest a FG reading of 1.008, I left it a few more days.
I took another reading on 03/04/2016 which was 1.016, and then another reading today, 09/04/2016 which was 1.015.
I'm beginning to think that either something has happened to stop the process or this is about as low as it will get based on what I have done.

Can anyone offer any thoughts please? does this seem ok? Should I rack now, or should i give it some more time/try something else?

I did taste a tiny bit today and it seems to be ok taste wise with no noticeable off flavours.

Thank you...

 

[Simonh82]

All that dark malt extract is the equivalent of a lot of speciality grains. These contain a lot of unfermentable sugars which the yeast can't use.

1.015 may not be far off for a porter, which wants some body and residual sweetness. If it stays at 1.015 it is probably fine to bottle.

What yeast did you use? This can also have quite a big effect.

 

[aolcot]

Hi Simonh82, thanks for the comment, that makes a lot of sense.

I'm not sure what yeast came with the kit as IIRC it only had a lot/batch number on the foil packet. The kit wasn't that expensive so I'd imagine the yeast supplied is one typical for that style. I have tweeted them the question though.

I'll wait a couple more days and if it is still sat at 1.015 then I'll get into bottles. It would have been in the FV for nearly a month at that point.

I'm really I'm happy with this brew so far from the aroma/taste, I just got curious with my readings being some way off those in the kit instructions. Im guessing though that if used more brewing sugar/less DME, the potential reading may have got closer to 1.008?..

 

[clym]

I'm brewing a Burton Bridge porter single can kit and i used 500g dark DME, 500g extra dark DME + 200g brewing sugar.

I have just bottled up 5 gallons of Burton Bridge Porter - also from a single can mix. I used 1kg of LME and 200gm of castor sugar. Everything went superbly through the fermentation - except the reviews I found, not many seem to like it. So I decided to bottle it with various sugary things I had to hand, to see if they make (or ruin it) Some with golden syrup, some with black treacle, some with honey and most with sugar. I like porter so, hopefully, some of it will be drinkable. I will let you know the results. Fingers crossed!

 

[terrym]

I have just bottled up 5 gallons of Burton Bridge Porter - also from a single can mix. I will let you know the results. Fingers crossed!

I cobbled together a 'porter type' based on a Coopers Brew A IPA kit which I didn't get on with, with stuff I normally use in a stout. It's taken about 3 months to get to where I would like it. So because there's a lot going on in your brew you might want to give it plenty of time in conditioning once it's carbed up before you form a definitive opinion. :thumb:

 

[aolcot]

All my bottles have been drunk since this thread bar one which i'm saving so nothing was wasted.. I wouldn't say it was a great beer compared to other beers, but there wasn't anything nothing wrong with it in terms of flavours. I gave a few away and no-one complained.

I've since moved to all grain though and never looked back.

 

[clym]

the instructions said to bottle and keep in a warm room for two days, then move to somewhere cool. I bottled half of it (some with 3gm sugar, some with 5gm honey) and kept for two days as instructed. I bottled the other half and kept for a week in a warm room (bottled with 3gm sugar, 5gm honey, 5gm golden syrup or 5gm black treacle).
I have tried them all now, with varying results:
(thanks to the rugby - I had an excuse to sit and drink beer) :thumb:
warm room for 2 days:
(bottled with sugar) ok, but nothing to write home about, no head and seemed rather "thin"
(bottled with honey) same but VERY lively, I lost a bit in the sink! no head when poured into the glass and no hint of the honey.
warm room for one week:
(bottled with sugar) ok, same as the 2 day bottle.
(bottled with honey) no head, 'thin' not as lively as the 2 day, still no hint of honey.
(bottled with golden syrup) very good, retained a head, 'thicker' than the others - very pleased with it.
(bottled with black treacle) perfect, more 'body' to it, retained a head, and with a nice touch of bitterness to it - not far off a Guinness!

I was not convinced that I would be brewing this again, until this bottle.
Now there will be a next time, and it will all be bottled with black treacle.

I will let you know if it improves with age.