Milk stout recipe help please?

[suffolkbeer]

Hi there,
I’m trying a new recipe which will be a milk stout but am worried that something’s gone wrong somewhere.....

I formulated the recipe on brewers friend and broadly speaking it’s a fairly standard milk stout recipe taking inspiration from others including mikkeller.

It’s my second attempt at the recipe.

Attempt 1:
I used Crossmyloof pale ale yeast.
Vigorous fermentation for first couple of days then airlock stopped working.
I checked gravity after a week and it had only gone down to 1.030
I tried all known methods to rouse the yeast (including pitching more) and nothing. Left for a further week then found batch was infected so ditched it.

Attempt 2:
A week ago i we tried the recipe.
This time with us05 yeast.
Basically the same in terms of vigorous ferment formday or so then nothing at airlock.
I’ve just checked SG and it’s at 1.030!
Is there something up with my recipe?

Note: FV is in a temperature controlled environment at a steady 20deg C.

I’m planning on leaving beer in FV for another week anyway, but am
Worried by gravity as it should be down to near FV by now?

 

[MyQul]

13% lactose is a decent amount . I used 5% when I made a milk stout

 

[suffolkbeer]

13% lactose is a decent amount . I used 5% when I made a milk stout

I know it’s quite a lot!
I’m fact it’s right at the upper end, lol. I was using a recipe from the mikkeller book of beer for my inspiration, they had about 18.5% lactose in there so I though I’d toned mine down quite a bit .

Still I should be down to 1.019ish for my FG unless I’m missing something?

 

[MyQul]

Looking at your reciep, you've got a lot of specialty grain/adjuncts in there. I dont normally use more than 9% flaked barley or oats in a recipe, you have 21%. You have over 17% chocolate malt in their too, along with all the lactose. Im thinking this why its stuck

 

[suffolkbeer]

Looking at your reciep, you've got a lot of specialty grain/adjuncts in there. I dont normally use more than 9% flaked barley or oats in a recipe, you have 21%. You have over 17% chocolate malt in their too, along with all the lactose. Im thinking this why its stuck

Ah I see!
Recipe is at fault, more work needed there then!!

 

[MyQul]

Ah I see!
Recipe is at fault, more work needed there then!!

Yes, I think so. When I saw mikkeller in your OP a little alarm bell rang, as he does seem to like to go big on his specialty malts/adjuncts and if you get this wrong you'll end up with a stuck ferment

 

[suffolkbeer]

Yes, I think so. When I saw mikkeller in your OP a little alarm bell rang, as he does seem to like to go big on his specialty malts/adjuncts and if you get this wrong you'll end up with a stuck ferment

Do you think this is likely to work (or have you got a reliable recipe I could try? I’m planning on adding coffee once fermented but have a plan for how to do this so just need a reliable milk stout)

 

[MyQul]

Here's one that might fit your bill as it has coffee in it too

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...late-milk-stout-branns-breakfast-stout.71978/

 

[BeerCat]

I would say it finished about right with the large amount of roast malts and lactose.
If you steep roast barley on its own you will be amazed at the sugar content.
Most milk stout recipes I have seen are around 8% dark malts and I have never seen any more than 500g of lactose in any recipe. You could add it at the end once you know your FG. A little goes a long way.
I have made a RIS with 20% cold steeped roast malts and I had to make sure I mashed everything else low and had a vigorous fermentation to end up with a drinkable beer.

 

[suffolkbeer]

Here's one that might fit your bill as it has coffee in it too

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...late-milk-stout-branns-breakfast-stout.71978/

Thnks for the link,
That’s a good looking recipe but a little complex on the grain bill for what I was hoping for....
Is there a simpler one out there that you could recommend for a plain milk stout?

 

[MyQul]

Thnks for the link,
That’s a good looking recipe but a little complex on the grain bill for what I was hoping for....
Is there a simpler one out there that you could recommend for a plain milk stout?

I made a milk stout that I enjoyed which was pretty simple. I'll post the recipe later

 

[suffolkbeer]

So what about his recipe then?
Apparently it’s a clone of Left Hand milk stout

 

[MyQul]

Looks good, similar to mine, same grains (apart from I didnt use munich) but the amounts are different on my recipe

 

[MyQul]

Here's Mine

Hecete Queen of Midnight Milk Stout

12L

Original Gravity (OG): 1.055 (°P): 13.6
Final Gravity (FG): 1.014 (°P): 3.6
Alcohol (ABV): 5.40 %
Colour (SRM): 34.9 (EBC): 68.7
Bitterness (IBU): 46.9 (Average)

2.347kg Lager Malt
300g Flaked Barley
156g Chocolate
156g Crystal 60
156g Roasted Barley
170g Lactose added @10min

11.5g Magnum (11.1% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at about 20°C withUS-05