Bulk age barleywine, do I need to re-pitch?

[ewpert]

I am brewing a barleywine this weekend, with a target OG of 1.110-1.130, and I'm considering bulk aging in a secondary for 3-6 months. What I'm wondering is how will I know when I move to bottle it whether or not to re-pitch some yeast? I would hate to not have enough yeast to carb up the beer, but I would also hate to have 5 gallons worth of explosive beer bottles if I pitch unnecessarily.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[badbrew]

The stuff I read says to pitch yeast at bottling. I am curious if the yeast type matters seeing how I have a bunch of kit yeast packs sitting around.

BTW, pitching yeast at bottling shouldn't cause explosive bottles unless the beer hasn't finished fermenting. I would assume that wild yeast would go to town in that time if fermentation had not finished up at ale temps.

 

[XXguy]

No pitch or re-pitch.... potaytoe, patahto. Either one works. There's enough yeast left in suspension to create carbonation, but it might take a little longer without a re-pitch. But, after waiting 6 months, what's a few weeks?

It's your beer, you can do what makes you happy & lets you sleep at night.

 

[BradleyBrew]

I always re-pitch my extremely high gravity brews. Why not? The yeast will only consume fermentable sugars. At 3 to 6 months the yeast will have consumed all the fermentables available, fall out of suspension, and most likely die (not all of them). Get a pack of Windsor, S-04, or other high floc yeast and add it a few days before bottling. If the beer is done and you carb correctly you will not have bottle bombs.

 

[Revvy]

If you're doing a barleywine and you're bulk aging, you really should repitch at bottling time. Those yeasts are tired from brewing that big sucker. You can not repitch, but it's a crap shoot then, it could take 6 or more months for that yeast to chew the sugar you add at bottling time....so for big beers it doesn't hurt to add fresh critters.

 

[Ramitt]

Is there any issues with pitching a higher attenuating or more alcoholtollerant yeast at bottling than what was used for the primary fermentation? Re: bottle bombs

 

[BradleyBrew]

Is there any issues with pitching a higher attenuating or more alcoholtollerant yeast at bottling than what was used for the primary fermentation? Re: bottle bombs

If you did this you would want to add the yeast days before bottling. You would have to check the FG and make sure it is stable once again.

 

[Ramitt]

That makes a lot of sense.

 

[RIC0]

Im aging a tripel for 6 months an plan on pitching about 3 grams of T58 a few days before bottling. Anyone see a problem with that???

 

[2bluewagons]

I say repitch. I did exactly what you are doing, aged a barleywine in secondary while I dry-hopped it and crash-cooled it. I think it was only a month or two, and I even pitched a big of washed Notty in there at bottling time, and after years of waiting (I gave up a while ago) it is still flat, no carb.

I have heard that champagne yeast is a good bottling yeast. Your worry about bottle bombs is not really related to how much yeast you add, just how much fermentable sugar is in your beer. If your yeast poops out too soon, then maybe a second yeast will ferment some of that out in the bottle, but at that point it is quite an uphill battle for any yeast with all the alcohol in there.

More importantly, what is your plan for fermentation on this bad boy? You're going to need a huge starter for a beer that big, so focus on the now, man. Mash low, add sugar in the carboy, oxygenate like a mother f'er, etc. Hopefully if you're worrying about something that is 6 months or more down the road, you've got all your ducks in a row for the main event.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

Over the last couple of years I have been working on my bottling technique for vintage beers and I have been using cheap, dry champagne yeast for bottling. It's cheap, easy to use and reliable.

I rehydrate enough to pitch around 2 million cells per ml of beer. I keg also, so I have kegs around so I can mix the yeast and sugar solution with the beer in a purged keg. This allows me to gently roll the keg around to mix it all up good while not introducing oxygen. Then bottle as normal, although I use CO2 to push the beer into the bottles.

The key is to keep the bottles at 70-75 for 2-3 weeks. If you repitch and keep it around 70-75, you will have no problems carbing your beer up. I have carbed up 10%+ beers like this with zero problems. Most are carbed up within 1 week, but I usually let them set for a couple unless I need the temp chamber for fermenting.

 

[iowabrew]

I did Denny's Old Stoner last year and bulked aged for around 3-4 months. I didn't repitch and sort of just made sure i got some yeast cake to transfer into the bottling bucket. I didn't crack the first bottle open for around another 2 months and it had carbed right up.

If you don't want to repitch i say you're fine, just give the bottles plenty of extra time at the correct temps to allow it to carb up.

 

[RIC0]

Im aging a tripel for 6 months an plan on pitching about 3 grams of T58 a few days before bottling. Anyone see a problem with that???

Guess this was overlooked but advice would be great guys... Should I use champagne or the half pack roughly 5.5 grams of left over T58 which is what I used for fermentation?

 

[iowabrew]

Use the half pack! That'll be plenty of yeast to carb

 

[sweetcell]

Im aging a tripel for 6 months an plan on pitching about 3 grams of T58 a few days before bottling. Anyone see a problem with that???

what was the OG and your current FG? more to the point, what the calculated ABV?

if it's above 11%, you'll have to use something other than T-58. even in 10%-11% it'll be damn sluggish and you might be better off with a wine yeast, like champagne.

 

[RIC0]

The tripel currently sits around 8% I'm at work and don't have the OG and FG avail. I just remember it's right at the 8% mark.

appreciate the advice guys.

 

[Yankeepride15]

As neither yeast will contribute any flavor to the beer during the conditioning process; if I had the same decision, I would use the champagne yeast. You could then be confident in carbonation regardless of the ABV. T-58 has a high tolerance, but may be much slower to carbonate in the relatively high alcohol beer. Also, your packaged yeast, if the same pack you opened to use at fermentation, may have degraded. I may have misinterpreted this in your earlier post. . . good luck whichever way you decide to go.

 

[Sheldon]

I usually add a full packette of Lalvin EC-118 wine yeast to a barleywine, RIS, quads or any other high alcohol/bulk aged brews. Never had a problem with carbination and it dries out the beer really well.

 

[Calichusetts]

I never repitch...never had issues either. Even with 10%+ brews, months of aging and a few days of cold crashing. I cracked my first bottle from my recent barleywine three weeks after bottling and it had carbed up (granted it was 9.3%) Do what you want but I've never had issues

 

[sweetcell]

The tripel currently sits around 8% I'm at work and don't have the OG and FG avail. I just remember it's right at the 8% mark.

appreciate the advice guys.

so the T-58 will be viable at 8%. it won't be happy since that's a tough enviro to wake up to, but some portion of the cells will survive and start looking for food. carry on.

 

[RIC0]

Thanks guys....