Imperial Stout Question

[krduckman]

So, a month ago I brewed an Imperial Stout. It has been in the primary and getting ready to rack it to secondary. The kit it came in had a packet of champaign yeast that is supposed to be added at secondary.

The question is, does this champaign packet really need to be added? I think I know the purpose of it but wondering if it's really necessary.

 

[JonM]

Huh. That's odd.

Check your gravity. If it's where it's supposed to be, skip the champagne yeast. My hunch is that the yeast is in the kit in case you get a stuck ferment.

 

[krduckman]

Will do. I was thinking about that.

My thought behind the champaign yeast was that because the alcohol % was higher in the stout, it would kill off the yeast. Therefore, not completing the fermentation. When the champaign yeast was added, it would continue the fermentation because it would be able to handle the higher alcohol %.

 

[commonsenseman]

Is this the Midwest Supplies kit? If so, I brewed it & I believe the Champagne yeast is help it carbonate after aging for several months (I think they recommend about 6 months total). Probably not necessary, but it will help it carb more quickly. If you're going to bottle it after a month, definitely not necessary. Most ale yeast can easily go way above 9%ABV.

 

[krduckman]

Is this the Midwest Supplies kit? If so, I brewed it & I believe the Champagne yeast is help it carbonate after aging for several months (I think they recommend about 6 months total). Probably not necessary, but it will help it carb more quickly. If you're going to bottle it after a month, definitely not necessary. Most ale yeast can easily go way above 9%ABV.

Yes it's the Midwest Kit. I plan on aging it for 6 months and then bottling for at least a month before trying it.

So you say to help carb it. I thought sugar helped carb it with the yeast that was already in the beer?

Btw, did you use the Champagne yeast in your batch?

 

[dukeredhair]

Champagne yeast has a higher Alcohol tolerance than a standard ale yeast so if you age for 6 months at 9% or so there is a chance the yeast that is already in there won't come back for carbing even though you've added the sugar. That said I've brewed bigger beers and never needed a 2nd yeast packet to carb. Be forewarned that larger beers also just take longer to carb. When I was starting out I brewed a barleywine that I tried after 3 weeks in the bottle and it was flat. Figured the yeast was bad and did all this research into stuck fermentations. Turned out it just needed more time. I think it fully carbed after about 4 months in the bottle but it tasted best about 1 year later.

 

[commonsenseman]

I did use the Champagne yeast in mine. Now that I think about it, the benefit is probably how quickly it carbs up. It was fully carbed within the standard 3 weeks. The thing about this recipe is that it's on the bottom end of the guidelines for a Imperial Stout, it comes in at 9% or even a little less. I bet it would carb just fine without the extra yeast, just might take a few extra weeks.

 

[krduckman]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice guys!