Sweet stout waaay overshot OG?

[Phreak]

Hey guys,

I brewed a 3.5 gal sweet stout kit that appears to came in way over the OG than the kit suggests. It was listed as 1.056 for OG (1.014 FG), but after the boil, I ended up with it at 1.074! Is this normal? I have 3.5 in the fermenter per the instructions so I don't think it's a water issue. The hydrometer's calibrated and temp on wort was correct before reading. Could it be that the kit's instructions doesn't account for the lactose addition before the OG? What should I expect out of this, since I pitched anyway? The kit had the following:

-1 lb Roasted barley (speciality grain steep)
-4 lbs DME
-1 lb lactose
-Glacier Hops
-US-05

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[steveoc]

I plugged the numbers into my software with a 4 gallon boil down to a 3.5 gallon batch and it gives OG 1.067. I upped it to 3.75 batch allowing for trub waste and got 1.063.

Not sure exactly how you brewed it, but these numbers give you some reference points. If you got 1.074 and make it down to 1.014, you're going to have a pretty strong sweet stout!

 

[Phreak]

Thanks for the input. I just used the stovetop method for brewing it. Filled my kettle to 4 gals, steeping grains until it hit 170. Pulled them out, continued until boiling. Pulled kettle off heat, added DME, stirred like a mofo, and returned to boil. Added hops and lactose, continued to boil 30 mins. Ice bath and pitched at 68.

Yeah, seems odd to me I'd hit that high OG, but I suppose it's a learning experience. I probably should have added more water past the 3.5 gals to hit the lower OG? Ah well, I'm guessing that at most, it will be maltier? Or is that just a mash temp thing for AG brewing?

I don't mind bigger stouts if the FG manages to hit that low. These are going to be for the winter so I'll probably condition them for a few months, so hopefully that will meld the flavors nice with the higher ABV.

I guess we'll see what happens. Thanks again!