Adding champagne yeast secondary

[retief]

When i do this, will it get really active, should i start with a blow off, or will an ailock be ok?

 

[BansheeRider]

I've never heard of this method. Why would you add champagne yeast to secondary?

 

[GASoline71]

Curious too...

Gary

 

[MrBrown]

i think someone is trying to get a higher alcohol% than ale/lager yeast will work for.

 

[BansheeRider]

i think someone is trying to get a higher alcohol% than ale/lager yeast will work for.

Wouldn't that change the flavor profile?

 

[Calder]

There really is no reason to add champagne yeast, and it can cause a problem if the initial yeast had a stuck ferment.

Champagne yeast will not ferment any of the sugars left behind by the ale yeast, as a general rule, wine/champagne yeasts will not ferment complex sugars.

The reason some recipes call for adding champagne yeast is if the recipe is a high gravity beer and there is a chance the primary yeast can reach it's alcohol limit, or get too tired to carb when bottling.

In reality, most of the time the primary yeast is still viable unless the alcohol is getting above 10%.

If you really want to use it to help carb in the bottle, rehydrate it and add it to the bottling bucket rather than secondary.

 

[retief]

Well, its in the directions on my imperial stout recipe kit from midwest, thats why im doing it. And yes its because its a very high acohol beer.

 

[BansheeRider]

Well, its in the directions on my imperial stout recipe kit from midwest, thats why im doing it. And yes its because its a very high acohol beer.

Well I just read the instructions for this kit and it says to age in secondary for 1-4 months. I would just follow those instructions and add the yeast to secondary rigged with a blowoff tube. You'll know within 24 hours if you can use a regular airlock. Good luck with this big beer, I bet it'll be delicious!

 

[retief]

No blow off tibe needed. Minimal activity. What a relief after how big a mess the primary made

 

[Spazmodo]

retief I'm making this beer also. I just transferred to secondary on Sunday and have seen little to no activity either so your not alone. I plan on leaving it in the carboy until October then bottling for Christmas beer.

 

[retief]

Thats exactly what i plan on doing with it also. I added a little bit more of a coffe specialty grain to it also.

 

[Spazmodo]

After seeing this post from you the other day and being the curious type that I am (I like to know how stuff works) I contacted Midwest. The explanation was this is expected if your FG falls within the range noted on the directions (mine does). The Champagne yeast additive is basically to ensure some viable yeast availability for carbonation purposes on bottling and further fermentation isn't expected.

 

[jdlantian]

Midwest's barley wine recipe calls for champagne yeast added to the secondary. Primary yeast is Cali - American Ale yeast. I brewed it last year and it turned out great. I brewed it again a couple months ago and accidentally over diluted the 6.5 gallon carboy since it was my first time using it (whoops!). The gravity was still on target, despite my error. I racked and filled up a 5 g carboy with rehydrated champagne yeast and put the extra gallon in a 3 g carboy with no champagne yeast.

All that to say that the beer turned out great and has aged well over the past year. I'll find out when I bottle this new batch whether or not the champagne yeast affects the final product.