First stout in the primary - easy questions

[Mark_]

Hey folks,

I've done a couple SMaSH brews, a pale ale and a cream ale but never anything so dark as a stout until now. Using a Left Hand Milk Stout clone recipe it has now been in primary for a week and is still bubbling away.

I really don't have any concerns, just curious if the fermentation, carbing or conditioning will take longer than my previous "lighter" beers.

IBUs should be about 20 or so, OG was 1.071 after I added about 10 points of lactose and I'm using S05 at a 65-68 degree (ambient) fermentation.

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I leave my Milk Stout in the primary for 3 weeks then transfer it for bottling (in fact I will be bottling my latest batch this weekend). It always seems to take 3 weeks for my bottles to carbonate properly as opposed to my pale ales, Belgians and blondes that carb in about 10 days or so. Just remember to condition slightly warmer than your fermentation temps. Of course my Stout is my most popular brew and I milk (pun intended) it for time otherwise everyone would drink it before I got any.

 

[Mark_]

I leave my Milk Stout in the primary for 3 weeks then transfer it for bottling (in fact I will be bottling my latest batch this weekend). It always seems to take 3 weeks for my bottles to carbonate properly as opposed to my pale ales, Belgians and blondes that carb in about 10 days or so. Just remember to condition slightly warmer than your fermentation temps. Of course my Stout is my most popular brew and I milk (pun intended) it for time otherwise everyone would drink it before I got any.

Thanks Mouse! That helps!

 

[CA_Mouse]

I have learned over the last year that my 'darker' beers are always better as the age. For my Stout, I have found that it ferments out in the typical 10 days or so, but I leave it for 3 weeks to make sure it the yeast have finished cleaning up and dropping out. That means less yeast for bottle conditioning, which is why it takes 3 weeks to carbonate properly. When I start kegging, this will be the only beer that I will not switch, since I have found my sweet spot (pun intended again) and do not want to mess with it.