The Black Chocolate Stout appears to have attenuated nicely. The starting gravity came in at 1.089, and the last check on the final gravity yielded a 1.019. My goals were 1.090 and 1.023, so not a bad effort. In terms of alcohol content, we should be looking at just over 9% ABV. Perfect for Dr. Beyer's visit at Christmas time. I've got in in the keg and am conditioning it for 6 more weeks before I partake. I've never been able to hold off that long on a batch; wish me strength.
I've been focusing on yeast performance as of late, especially since I detected diacetyl in my rye-wheat batch made over the summer. I'm lead to believe that petite mutants, those respiratory deficient little buggers with their impaired mitochondria, may have created the problem. I controlled the fermentation temps to lower levels, trying to maintain around 66 degrees for the first week, then slowly bringing it down to around 60 degrees before taking it off of the yeast cake. This, combined with a double sized pitch quantity from a healthy starter should do the trick for eliminating undesirable flavors. I also aerated the dickens out of the wort with my aquarium pump and stone.
Oh, did I say that it was BLACK chocolate stout. Check out my favorite coffee cup below. Hint: it ain't coffee in that cup.
I've been focusing on yeast performance as of late, especially since I detected diacetyl in my rye-wheat batch made over the summer. I'm lead to believe that petite mutants, those respiratory deficient little buggers with their impaired mitochondria, may have created the problem. I controlled the fermentation temps to lower levels, trying to maintain around 66 degrees for the first week, then slowly bringing it down to around 60 degrees before taking it off of the yeast cake. This, combined with a double sized pitch quantity from a healthy starter should do the trick for eliminating undesirable flavors. I also aerated the dickens out of the wort with my aquarium pump and stone.
Oh, did I say that it was BLACK chocolate stout. Check out my favorite coffee cup below. Hint: it ain't coffee in that cup.
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