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Help with XX stout

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Dee1963

Hello I am very new here. But I have a question about my XX stout. I made a 5 gallon batch from extract (L) and some grains.My fermentation went bonkers for 3 days then slowed for a couple days then stopped. I am now learning that may have been because I had a hard time controlling my temps. I finally kept checking my gravity and it was and still is stuck at 1.020 (FG) my (OG) was 1.063. Its been in my secondary for 5 days now but I have detected an odor of banana's. But not over powering. My first question is is there a chance it may go away?? Or is my stout ruined? Also how long should I leave in my secondary and how long should I age it? My directions said nothing really about how long. BTW.....We need a lot more women homebrewers. Some women like to bake cookies..I love home brewing.
 
Unfortunately you transferred your stout off the yeast cake. The yeast would have tried to clean it up but it would have taken a few weeks to clean up the banana esters. Isoamyl acetate can be a preferred trait in a Heffe, not so much in a Stout. If something goes awry during primary fermentation. Always leave the beer on the Yeast Cake for a couple extra weeks.

As you suspect it was most likely caused by high temps during fermentation. There is a "chance" that it will go away, but it will take much longer now that it is off the yeast cake. If you have an extra carboy, I would set this one aside for an extended period in the secondary (IMO 2-4 months, then again it may never go away) and brew again. That way you have something to occupy/distract you.

+1,000,000 on more females!  ;D

Welcome to the Forum!

Cheers
Preston

 
Agreed.  And 68% attenuation <(63-20)/63=0.68> is not bad in a dark stout, depending on the yeast you used. 

Control of ferm temps and speedy wort chilling are two big things that improve EVERY batch, regardless of extract/all-grain, style, ale/lager, what have you.  (If ferm temps are still an issue, you may want to watch the weather for more suitable conditions.) 
 
Thank you so much for answering my questions. What is good beers to brew in the warmer months ? I am still learning this craft.
 
There is a great variety of summer beer yeasts that like 70F+ temps. Wheat beer's are good summer beers, anything in the 15A to 15D range would be a good summer beer. You can also go with Saison's (I'v heard of Saison temps in the mid 90's) or lambic's if you like sour beers. I have a Citrus Hefe and a Citrus Wit that I make regularly with great success! The Wit is a scaled down version of the Hefe and is great for those hot summer days in Houston. I highly recommend the style!

If that's not for you, I have friends that use storage container's large enough to put a Carboy into (Houston get's pretty warm). They fill it with water and use frozen 2 liter soda bottles. This allows them to brew anything they want all summer long. For my personal setup I use the spare bathtub. It is in the middle of my house on a concrete slab and keeps my  fermentation temps around 65F most of the year round. I fill it with water add some Iodaphor, and let it sit for 7-10 days.

Ideally you want to stay on the colder side of the recommended yeast temp's.
 
Trust me I know Houston summers I moved here to Fredericksburg VA from Houston!! I miss the icehouses in the summer. Anyway I'll take your advice and try making the beers you recommended. Can I get those in extract and part grain kits? Thank you again.
 
Dee1963 said:
Trust me I know Houston summers I moved here to Fredericksburg VA from Houston!! I miss the icehouses in the summer. Anyway I'll take your advice and try making the beers you recommended. Can I get those in extract and part grain kits? Thank you again.
You should be able to find both extract, and partial grain recipes.

If you were to make a citrus beer, use fresh zest. Not the prepackaged dried fruit (Can you say YUK!). I would suggest using organic, it is a little more expensive, but does not have all those chemical's and pesticides (Still need to wash it tho). You want healthy beer right? For a 5G hefe I use the zest from 3 oranges, 1 lemon, and one grapefruit. I also crush 1/2 tsp of Coriander, all @15 min remaining. I use half that for a wit, since the wit is lighter on the malts.

Cheers
Preston
 
For brewing in warmer weather you might checkout this thread

http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php?topic=2361.0

You can get a sheet of the plastic insulation for about $20 - get a 120mm fan from a computer supply place $8 - the harder part is a older style thermostat (may have to seek out a "real" hardware store or an "old timey" one). I'll be assembling mine this weekend.

Good luck with your brewing
 
SleepySamSlim said:
..... the harder part is a older style thermostat (may have to seek out a "real" hardware store or an "old timey" one).

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=155770-79-40035&lpage=none

Yea, you only need a cheap "mechanical" heat/cool thermostat, and not the newer programable types.  Watch out for heat-only, but they may not even carry those in Houston. 
 
Good News!!! I got up the nerve to taste my stout..Its heavenly and I put it in the tube I do my (G) readings and we couldn't smell the banana's in there at all. And it was vert stoutly tasting. I am going to bottle it in a few days and let it finish up its magic in there. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you for all of the help!!
 
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