" Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

[Morkebla]

Dare I ask but what OG's are people getting from Ditches Stout brewed to 20l, and what is the final % ABV? Thanks

[Ditch]

Morkebla; Of course ye can ask. Why shouldn't ye?

Can't help ye myself though, mate. I simply don't use a Hydrometer. Simply found it all too complicated and confusing. I'd guesstimate though that a mug of sugar brings my stuff to about the 4.5 mark? Let's see what the testers have to say about it

[Marshbrewer]

I brewed mine to 18 litres (by mistake ~ over estimated how much of the froth would settle down to liquid), using the Coopers Original Stout kit and 1 Kg Medium Dry Malt Extract ( 2 * 500g bags of Muntons), 250g Unrefined Demorera Sugar. I got an OG of 1056, and by Tuesday this week, after 11 days in the FV, it was 1012 ish. I won't touch it till Saturday, which will be 2 weeks in the FV, and I don't expect it to have dropped much more, if at all. I'll prime the barrel with 40g of dissolved normal sugar, simply because generated CO2 is free, where as the stuff out of my CO2 cylinder costs, and I figure it's much more easy to let a too gassy beer settle than somehow inject CO2 into one that is as flat as a pancake. Assuming this will give me another half a percent or so, that will make this brew around 6.7% if it finished at 1010, but I'll report back with an actual measurement.

[Morkebla]

Thanks for the replies. I suspect 4.5% is a little on the low side. I imagine it will be 6-6.5% with that length and those fermentables. I am trying to get it to 4.5%!

[Paddy Bubbles]

I got:

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.9%

Had a sample after 2 weeks in the bottle and it tasted pretty pants IMO. So I'm leaving it to age another month.

[Paddy Bubbles]

I brewed mine to 18 litres (by mistake ~ over estimated how much of the froth would settle down to liquid), using the Coopers Original Stout kit and 1 Kg Medium Dry Malt Extract

Shouldn't be a problem. Take a look at these recipes on the Coopers website:

Stouter Stout (18 litres)
http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-g ... uter-stout

Irish Stout (23 litres)
http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-g ... rish-stout

Best Extra Stout (20 litres)
http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-g ... xtra-stout

[Marshbrewer]

Got mine barrelled today. Down to 1012, so with priming, will be about 6% give or take. Not as strong ABV as I feared. Tastes pretty good straight out of the FV, can't wait to see what it's like after 2 weeks in the King Keg.

Makes a right old dirty mess of the FV, though!

So far, very impressed with this adaptation / recipe / whatever you want to call it. Nice one Ditch.

[Ditch]

Makes a right old dirty mess of the FV, though!

Nail Brush!

[Shaun21]

On day 5 now and the foam has finally settled , glad I put some bin liners down on the floor. Just a quick question to those who prime their barrels, I like to have a head on mine but I don't want it to be fizzy so how much do you think I should use? I was leaning towards the 2oz kind of mark. That sound okay?

I meant to add, that this is for when it's ready, not now. So on Thursday afternoon

[Marshbrewer]

Nail Brush!

You under-estimate how lazy I am, sir...

Pressure washer!

[Shaun21]

On day 9 now and curiosity got the better of me... I just had to try some to see what it is like. Amazing! But after reading this post I can see the banana taste you were on about...

It's like a little after taste but I don't know where it's come from. Weird.

[Ditch]

Now, that's interesting, Shaun. As it happens, I spent a long and drunken night in here, some time ago. And I cropped and edited the entire conversation about the banana taste issue. I still have it, on Notepad. In fact, I ran the idea of publishing it, as a separate thread, past Andy. But, I think it fried his mind. He probably couldn't get his head round what the hell I was on about, so f**ked me off

Thing is; I suspect we may have come to a conclusion about it? Buggered if I remember now. And, like Andy, I have a life. So, I too can't be arsed with reading back through reams of dialogue

Wonder what the hell it is. I certainly haven't had it lately.

[6470zzy]

Thing is; I suspect we may have come to a conclusion about it? Buggered if I remember now. And, like Andy, I have a life. So, I too can't be arsed with reading back through reams of dialogue

Wonder what the hell it is. I certainly haven't had it lately.

If memory serves me you all decided that the yeast was the source of your banana flavour. Which to me makes perfect sense, I have had this many times in the past when making Belgian style ales.

Cheers

[Ditch]

Ozzy; If it's the yeast ~ and I use the kit supplied yeast every time: How come it's not a constant result? Why should consistently used yeast throw such inconsistent results?

I'd stab at temperature. But, then, I ferment at boringly consistent temperatures too.

Might it be leaving fermented out beers on the yeast sediment?

I guess I could check the discussion I have on Notepad. Only, I'm up to my bloody ears here right now

[6470zzy]

"Isoamyl alcohol and acetic acid can combine to form isoamyl acetate, which can give beer a banana-like flavor. Since a given yeast strain can uniquely determine which acids and alcohols are produced during fermentation (and in what quantities), it makes sense that ester production is also a characteristic of a given yeast.

Ester production increases with higher fermentation temperature, lower levels of dissolved oxygen, higher gravity wort, and lower pitching rates. If you’ve noticed fruity, solvent-like, or banana flavors in your beer, try brewing a few mid-gravity beers with original gravities around 1.050 or below, aerating well (better than you have been), and using an adequate pitching rate."

That info is what I just lifted from an article in BYO magazine and I believe that it adds to the discussion, what do you think?

Cheers