Belgian Golden Strong Ale Bottling Time

[sleepspeaking]

So i have a Belgian Golden Strong Ale that I am bottling today.

Basic batch backstory.... (alliteration ftw)
White labs Belgian Golden Ale Yeast used (WLP570)
OG 1.077 on 2/19/16
last sg reading was 1.015 on 2/27/16
I'm hoping we get down around 1.005 when I take my reading at bottling time.

It has been bulk aging for 3 months at 74-75° and I'm curious about the health of my yeast. Everything looks fine, no fuzz, no clear plastic-y surface. There has been no airlock activity for 2.5 months.

The bottle conditioning phase is planned to be 3 weeks ramping from 75° to 80°, then 3 weeks ramped down to 68° and then 4 weeks at 39° or so.

Should I throw in some yeast nutrient to kick start the little guys to make sure it carbonates?
I up sized the starter when I brewed this, and saved some yeast, would adding some of that in when I prime help?

 

[Build]

Can you still see any yeast in suspension or has it flocced completely clear? Usually mixing in priming sugar will get them started again. It doesn't take much yeast to carbonate the bottles. I've never had any problems with brews that sat for months before bottling. Last weekend I bottled a 1.086 that was brewed in March and my sample last night was carbed. Another month or so of aging and it'll be ready.

 

[sleepspeaking]

looks like there is still a good amount in suspension.:rockin:

 

[Build]

It should be fine. Will you cold crash it before bottling?

 

[sleepspeaking]

Should work out, next time maybe I'll cold crash, and repitch.

It tastes pretty good though. But in 3 more months I hope it improves. I also hope it doesn't explode....:what:

View attachment 1464471690994.jpg

 

[sleepspeaking]

Today I'm just wishing it would carbonate. It has sat at 78° since the last post, opened a bottle last night, it's still not bubbly... was hoping to let it cold condition...

 

[m00ps]

There is no reason to ferment a beer like this for 5 months. This is likely why the bottles havent carbed yet. Too much yeast settled out of suspensions and/or died out while it just sat there for so long.

I regularly give mine 1 full month and bottle. Its carbed within 2 weeks but I give it another 2 months of conditioning before I really get into them

Maybe try flipping each upside down to try and stir up yeast sediment

 

[sleepspeaking]

I've stirred the bottles every month. And I've opened 3 now(spaced about a week apart) with in the last month trying to see if they'd finished. But I agree, I should not have let them sit so long in the secondary.

 

[Kee]

You can always sprinkle some champagne yeast in each bottle and re-cap.

 

[sleepspeaking]

You can always sprinkle some champagne yeast in each bottle and re-cap.

Tempting

 

[secondbase]

I always reyeast higher gravity beers and definitely anything that has sat in secondary for more than a month. It's just a little extra insurance. I would recommend opening them and tossing in a little champagne yeast, like another member mentioned. I like ec-1118 for bottling.

 

[sleepspeaking]

So how does that look, I mean logistically what are the steps.
Sanitize the caps, lay them out, sprinkle the yeast, cap and shake?
Or sprinkle straight in, and cap with sanitized caps?

 

[Kee]

So how does that look, I mean logistically what are the steps.
Sanitize the caps, lay them out, sprinkle the yeast, cap and shake?
Or sprinkle straight in, and cap with sanitized caps?

There are other methods, but I just cut a corner from the dry yeast packet (the mentioned 1118 is what I use also) and sprinkle in a little yeast, and recap with the sanitized caps.

 

[sleepspeaking]

Thanks I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[sleepspeaking]

Okay so I finally got around to opening these, dropped some yeast in about 6 of them and then the seventh one was almost carbonated right. I don't want to open the rest and add yeast if most the sugars already been consumed. I thought for sure I had stirred enough when I added the priming sugar at bottling but maybe I didn't and that's what's causing the lack of carbonation in a few. Right now I think I'm just going to take the temperature down into the sixties for a few weeks and then try cold crashing them and hope it all works out for the best.

 

[sleepspeaking]

Tastes right... could use more carb.

Yeast?
More sugar and yeast?
Time and juju?

View attachment 1469749311191.jpg

 

[Rosmucman]

Lallemand CBC1 is what i used after lagering a Golden strong for too long,
I was very pleased with the results

 

[Kee]

Okay so I finally got around to opening these, dropped some yeast in about 6 of them and then the seventh one was almost carbonated right. I don't want to open the rest and add yeast if most the sugars already been consumed. I thought for sure I had stirred enough when I added the priming sugar at bottling but maybe I didn't and that's what's causing the lack of carbonation in a few. Right now I think I'm just going to take the temperature down into the sixties for a few weeks and then try cold crashing them and hope it all works out for the best.

If you added the right amount of priming sugar and the yeast is not working it will taste sweet. If it is not carbonated and not sweet, maybe the priming sugar was not sufficient. How much priming sugar did you add?

 

[sleepspeaking]

what BeerSmith 2 said to add.
But because 6 were under carbonated and one was just below the level I'm looking for, I'm tempted to leave it be.
I think i just had weak yeast or low population.
But I don't want to open a mostly carbed bottle, release the built up CO2 and add yeast to a bottle that doesn't have enough sugar anymore to reach its proper carb level..
it seems like that would just give me an under carbed beer.
I do appreciate the help, and I'm not trying to be obstinate. I'm just over worried on a 6 month batch of beer.

 

[sleepspeaking]

This one was perfect.

View attachment 1469831863533.jpg

 

[sleepspeaking]

Maybe just didn't stir the sugar enough

 

[sleepspeaking]

for the record, that was the only perfect one.
Maybe a sanitation issue.
Now it just tastes bad.
still have a few bottles rolling around, that I can't bring myself to pour out.
Everytime I open another i think, pour this **** out...
But then, no... time heals all...
But really its awful.

 

[JohnSand]

A sad ending. At this point I doubt it will improve. Make another.