Fermentation stopped a bit early

If you really want the extra 3 points you could add something like US 05 to finish it off. I'd rather reuse the yeast though. Krausen doesn't mean much. It's a sign of active fermentation, but I wouldn't be measuring trub. I'd stick with what you've got. Most Irish beers don't taste great to me until they are a few months old. Warm unbubbly readings will only mislead you.

Oaking this beer will probably thin the body out. Another reason to keep whatcha got.

P.S. You don't want krausen going through your blow off tube, if you can help it. That's the best yeast of the bunch and you want to keep it on top of your beer. Proper head space, antifoam, and coolish fermenting temps can help prevent blowing off yeast, FWIW.

Same problem here:

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=119610

 

I agree with inchrisin about "keeping whatcha got"

I would say there is more risk than reward at this stage and chances are you will likely be pretty happy with the end product despite the numbers.

Was your yeast a little older when you started? just curious.

 

Ok, good to hear!

I clearly didn't check out the link. My bad.

 

Live with it...FGs quoted are often unattainable (especially with that maltbill)

edit: fwiw...nix the Black Patent and see how much better it is next time

 

1.015 sounded really low for this recipe. So I popped it into BrewCipher, and it predicts 1.020. I'm guessing it's done.

 

BP goes in all of my stouts, which for some reason come out amazing.

I'll take you up on a stout recipe that you think is good with just RB and chocolate.

 

How much Black Patent malt do you use?

Cheers!

 

Was shooting from the hip a little...when I said "Stout" I meant Dry Stout...Sweet Stouts might require a little BP, IMHO

For the record my dry stouts aren't just chocolate and RB : )

 

More often than not it's 1/2# and usually accompanied by 1/2# RB. I'll go up to 3/4# in bigger beers. The RB would be equal or up to a pound here though.

I tried a dry stout similar to JZ's dry stout with a full pound of BP. It tasted kind of like licking an ash tray. It has its limitations, but it can go in any of my stouts or porters.

Strangely enough I read another article today on stouts v. porters. and they're still the same damn beer. Edit: Have I been doing stouts wrong for 4 years?

 

Was perusing JZ and JP's BREWING CLASSIC STYLES and the only stout that had black patent in it was their sweet stout...dry, oatmeal, American, Foreign Extra, and Russian Imperial were all sans BP.

 

It's always around the house and seems to slip into a lot of my dark beers. I never really thought that much about it. It's kind of like how carapils goes into just about everything.

On a more interesting note, why would the ash grain go into a sweet stout? Yin to yang?

 

Yes ...won't seem so acrid (I guess)...cheers

 

I use Black Patent when I brew my Oatmeal Stouts; 1/4 lb. I never use more than 1/4 lb. in any beer that I brew; that is my limit.

Cheers!

 

I'm hardcore like that. Also see, " Ferm Cap is for *******" Et al. my response.

 

Your gravity is well within the pocket for the style. I wouldn't stress over such a small difference at this point.
Use now as the what if I did this this way and ask those questions for next time you brew.
What was your mash temp? and also, damn that's a lot of black patent malt. Study some other recipes because a little goes a very long way.

I wouldn't expect a beer coming in at 1056 to go screaming during peak. I'd expect a steady race and be surprised if I had to use a blow off tube.

I'd skip the oak and possibly maybe the vanilla as well. Just looking at the grain bill, you might want to study this beer for what it is before riffing and making it something else.

 

OP didn't do a mash with those ingredients.

 

Oh, right. You extract brewers chilling there on easy street.