I'm sure I'm getting too creative too fast but I'm making an oatmeal chocolate bourbon stout and I'm a week into fermentation and there is still a lot of foam. Is this normal?
To all of the above, yes. You've got 45 Tic-Tacs of BA on your belt and I don't know your brewing experience. I hope you're more qualified than I think you are. I generally give my beers 3-4 weeks in a primary fermenter, (no secondary), and go to keg/bottle. The first questions that I'd ask to help you better are to post a recipe, procedure, and gravity readings. Bourbon? I'm a fan. How are you adding this, and are you oaking? Also, indulge me by describing how you're adding chocolate.
My experience level is really low. I used a kit oatmeal stout, made the mash, put that in the lauter tun and started my boil for 60 min. While that was going I melted 1.5oz. of chocolate in a double boil. With 30 min left in the boil I added the chocolate and a tablespoon of knob creek smoked maple bourbon to the boil. Strained it through a funnel in to my gallon carboy then put a sanitized hose with the other end in sanitized water for 2 days and then added the air lock when the high krausen had died down. But the foam is still there. I have another week before bottling and hope it settles by then.
It sounds like you added the bourbon to the boil. Unfortunately you probably boiled off all of the bourbon (not that you would get much contribution from 1 tablespoon anyhow), so I doubt any of that will carry through to the final product. That said, you could always add some more later. As for the krausen sticking around, that isn't unusual. Sometimes it depends on the particular yeast strain you're using. I have an IPA using Wyeast American Ale II and that foam just WILL NOT drop, even after 2 weeks. I'll be moving it to a keg in a few days and I will probably just end up racking from under the foam, since I don't think it is going anywhere, lol. Just make sure you have reached terminal gravity and proceed as normal, foam or no foam.
Assuming they were flaked oats ( the only type I've ever used), they can leave a thick foam on top of the beer if they're not mashed. I've experienced this in the past; just had to rack from under it.
