help with first stout attempt

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by DVoors, Nov 15, 2014.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. DVoors

    DVoors Zealot (627) Jan 6, 2014 Indiana

    I brewed my first attempt at a stout two weeks ago. It was based off a recipe for Yeti Imperial Stout, but I undershot my target OG. I was going for an OG of 1.095, but I ended up with an OG of 1.083. This should put my final ABV at around 7.8% instead of the 9.0% I was shooting for. In the past, all I've brewed is APA's, IPA's, and DIPA's, all of which are best with very little aging. I normally do one week in primary, dry hop in secondary and bottle 14 days after brewing. After 2 weeks of bottle conditioning and 2 weeks of cold-conditioning in the bottle, they are good to go. Since this is my first stout, I wasn't sure how long to keep in the carboy versus cold-conditioning in the bottle.

    My questions are: How long should I leave the beer in the primary fermentor (it's been two weeks as of today)? Is there any reason to rack to secondary? At what point should I bottle? Should I cold-crash before bottling? If so, for how long? How long should I cold-condition in the bottle before it is ready to drink? Thank you!!!
     
    #1 DVoors, Nov 15, 2014
  2. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    I wouldn't treat it any different than most beers that you aren't adding anything after fermentation.

    Ferment it in primary, until the gravity is stable, like usual. I don't see the need to transfer it to secondary, for most any brews.

    Bottle it when you can get to it. Carb for a couple weeks, and cold condition the bottles for a week or two atleast.

    It's a stout, so it'll be roasty, and the hops will be prominent if you used a fair bit early on. It'll change and mellow with time.

    Point is.. it's just like the rest of your brews you've done. It's ready when the gravity is stable. Now, how will it taste, and will it taste right.. thats subjective. You'll have to taste one to find out if you like it fresh, or if you want to sit on them.
     
    #2 FATC1TY, Nov 15, 2014
    PapaGoose03 and DVoors like this.
  3. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    [random thoughts]

    I commonly leave most of my beers in primary for four weeks without issue (certain styles less time, i.e. IPAs, hefs). Whether it needs a secondary, I don't know, probably not, but many people who do imperial stouts do a secondary to give them a chance to mellow. That probably depends on the recipe and ABV. Yours doesn't sound too scary. Also they may mellow in the bottle every bit as good as a secondary, in which case it would be better to bottle because you'd skip an extra step, extra chance for infection and oxidation etc.

    I would be hesitant to try and clone yeti because it's sooooo damn good, I'd be afraid of disappointment. But then I did a PtE clone without this hang-up and it wasn't an issue, so ignore me. Yeti has remained my go-to imperial stout for quite a while because it's got the perfect blend of roasty/dark/burnt flavors (for me) and it's sold in four-packs (or at least it was last time I was in the mood for an imperial stout).
     
    #3 AlCaponeJunior, Nov 15, 2014
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.