Stout fermentation

[BradleyW]

Good question, adding malts like chocolate, roast, some crystal, you are adding unfermentable sugars. Though the sugars are soluble they are unfermentable giving you a higher final gravity, the main reason I suspect of so many folk complaining of a stalled ferment.
Two ways to get around this, cold steep or hot steep those grains, filter and add to the boil, my preferred method perform mash out at 77 C for 15 minutes adding the above grains at the start of mashout.
Makes salt additions a lot easier, makes for a smoother tasting beer and largely decreases any chance of astringency from the roasted grains.

I'm about to dip my toe in and make my first stout and I think I'll try your mash out method. When you say it makes the salt additions easier do you treat the water the same as you would for a paler beer because the darker grains aren't going in till later?

 

[foxy]

Correct, its the grains in the mash which dictate the salts.Brewers Friend, if you use it, put in none fermentables as late addition.

 

[NPi]

Still stuck at 1.033 after a week... I re pitched the least, added 100g of dissolved sugar to the mix and even carefully changed fermenting vessels to see if that did anything. It is stuck at around 2.8% so think I will have to get rid of the lot. Thinking my temp regulation at the mash and being unable to get a full rolling boil was the downfall here for some reason... might have to buy a gas burner rather than using my induction hob for my 35L malt miller pot. thanks for the help guys

Don't chuck it! It might be a lesson in bad beer making but time being the healer of all wounds it is likely still drinkable. Who knows you may have just made the best 2.8% stout out there

 

[Badgersack]

I'm brewing the same stout this weekend. Also new to all grain brewing. Hope you managed to salvage yours!

 

[Pablosaurus]

I hope it didn't go down the drain. I love a dark mild, and have never tried 'stout mild'. Reckon it could be great! And would be ready now too...

 

[Sandimas]

Yeah, never chuck a beer until you actually taste it. My last Porter went wrong and got stuck at 1025 after 20 days fermenting, I nervously bottled it and it turned out great, just weak 3.4%.

 

[Zephyr259]

@jonnyjarman Just in case, you're not using a refractometer are you? This beer only hit 40% apparent attenuation or 46% if you account for the lactose, I'd imagine that it should still taste really sweet and weird. Also you could have mashed at 70c the whole time and it wouldn't have caused that amount of unfermentables. Bit of a strange on to finish so high.