Barleywine Assistance

[BryanJ]

I made a barleywine about three weeks ago and hit an efficiency I wasn't expecting which is creating this post. My og was 1.140 and after pitching US-05 im down to 1.050 which is close to 12% beer. I'd like it to finish a bit dryer around 1.030 but since this is my first barleywine im not sure which route to take.

I can either leave it or pitch some wlp 099 super ale yeast. I'm not sure which route to take or if its even possible to get a second strain of yeast going for what im looking for. What would you guys suggest I should do in this case?

 

[Nateo]

Rack the beer onto a yeast cake from another beer. You're gonna need a lot of yeast to jump-start fermentation, if you fermentation is really "stuck." Attenuation does tend to drop off with bigger beers. You're sitting at 64% attenuation, which isn't great, but depending on your mash schedule, might be all the more it'll go.

http://beerdujour.com/Howtobrewabigbeer.htm

That's the advice I follow for making big beers, and it's served me well.

 

[BryanJ]

The yeast isn't stuck, it finished at 12% which is the tolerance for us-05. I mashed low at 150. I don't have another yeast cake i can pitch onto.

Any other ideas besides pitching onto a yeast cake?

 

[Shinglejohn]

Make a new very big strater and add it to the beer with some yeast energizer, aerate the **** out of the starter and give the carboy a little shake before adding. might be able to force that 05 back into action.

 

[Hermit]

I think your first instinct is probably the correct one since your current yeast is now kinda at it's ABV limit. I'd probably try something like champaign yeast that you can get dry and probably less expensive. Then just sit and wait for another month.

 

[Nateo]

Alcohol tolerance isn't magic. There is an 'ideal' range for maximum performance, but I've regularly pushed yeast well beyond it's "tolerance" range. I've easily gone beyond 13% with that strain and also S-04.

 

[indigi]

If you don't want to go the champagne yeast route and don't mind some extra frutiness, you could get the Trappist High Gravity yeast and pitch that. I think that tolerates 15%+.

 

[Gregscsu]

Move the carboy to a warmer location about 70F, and rouse the yeast several times a day by swirling the carboy. Do this for at least a week and take another gravity reading to see if you knocked any points off.

 

[BryanJ]

Update: I moved the fermenter to a much warmer room and am going to take a grav reading tomorrow before going to the lhbs.

Would you recommend using the chico yeast strain with a large starter to try and get the fg down more or use a different yeast?

Thanks for the tips.

 

[kanzimonson]

I'm thinking the only way you're going to get any significant extra fermentation is with the 099.

I highly recommend that you don't use champagne yeast. I think this is a misunderstood strain. People see "18% alc tolerance" and think that's good enough - but keep in mind that this yeast is used to fermenting grape sugars. These are the simplest sugars in nature, and the strain of yeast that you already used is also quite adept at scavenging for simple sugars. The sugars that ARE left in your beer are more likely to be complex sugars, and for that you need strong BEER yeast.

If you do end up adding another strain, it is imperative that you make a starter and pitch it while the yeast is active. They will be at the peak of their nutritional health and will be ready to ferment some more.

 

[indigi]

Champagne yeast is completely capable of fermenting maltose and other beer sugars, but its inclusion will definitely impart a different final flavor and FG than you'd get with a beer yeast.

Personally I've only heard horror stories about WLP099 and how hard it is to work with, so unless you're able to hit it with pure O2 I wouldn't even attempt it. WLP099 needs incremental feeding and constant aeration to work well and it can put off bad flavors when stressed; pitching it into a mostly-fermented barleywine at full volume sounds like a recipe for disaster.


You could always go with some Brett and call it a traditional old ale.

 

[BryanJ]

Should i look for a certain strain of champagne yeast?

What can i expect after using it?

 

[Hermit]

Should i look for a certain strain of champagne yeast?

What can i expect after using it?

If you have a LHBS I'd talk to them about this. It might depend on what they have. Your flavor profile is pretty much set at this point. You really don't have much left to ferment. I should ask at this point, have you tasted it? I know it is early but if you pull a bit out and cold crash it you should be able to determine if you really want to change it. This is cooking, you can only go by the numbers to a certain extent.

 

[indigi]

All champagne yeasts are designed to be pretty flavor-neutral, so I don't think choosing between the few commercially available dry strains will impact much.

I should ask at this point, have you tasted it? I know it is early but if you pull a bit out and cold crash it you should be able to determine if you really want to change it. This is cooking, you can only go by the numbers to a certain extent.

Also, this.

 

[BryanJ]

I took a gravity reading last night and it dropped to 1.040 making it a 13% beer. It wasnt as sweet and had a nice flavor rather then when i first tried it so i went ahead and racked it to a secondary. I found out there was about a gallon and a half of trub on the bottom so the yield is a bit lower than i expected at 4 gallons. Now we play the waiting game.

Thanks for all the help, this has been a learning experience as my first barleywine.

 

[Nateo]

Re:trub, I always forget about how much those really big beers make. My yield was like 25% lower on my last batch than usual with lower grav beers.

 

[jmferris]

Re:trub, I always forget about how much those really big beers make. My yield was like 25% lower on my last batch than usual with lower grav beers.

Yep. I just bottled my batch tonight and after a four week primary, I lost almost one and a half gallons. I adjusted my recipe to six gallons, though, and was able to pull 45 bottles off of it. Now, the waiting game begins. Is it June yet? :cross: