Carbing up a big Belgium.

[Jeepaholic]

I have a 15.5% ABV Belgium I'm planing to bottle in about a month. I have no doubt the yeast that I fermented with is dead and gone by now. My plan is at bottling time when I add the priming sugar to also add a rehydrated packet of EC-1118 yeast. does this seem like the best choice? Or is there a better option? (Don't say kegging, even if I had a kegging system I would still bottle this one.)

 

[homebrewdad]

I'd love to see the recipe and process you used to get a 15.5% beer. What yeast did you use to even get that high?

Sounds to me like adding some champagne yeast is probably your only hope.

 

[Jeepaholic]

I used Wyeast 3787 trappist high gravity. Here is a thread I wrote about using it. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/wyeast-3787-email-wyeast-381535/

Here is what I did. I pitched a 2 liter starter that was stepped up once, after pitching it I put 2 liters of fresh wort back in the flask to grow off the yeast stuck to the sides still and stepped it up 1 more time. I added the second starter 5 days latter when I added 4 pounds of various sugars as I did not want to add the sugar to the boil to make it easier on the yeast. Now the part that some people may not believe the aeration I did was to shake the car boy for 30 seconds and let the wort drop from the top of the carboy and splash. What I did do was add a drop of olive oil to the wort as I transferred from the boil kettle to the carboy.

 

[Jeepaholic]

I'd love to see the recipe and process you used to get a 15.5% beer. What yeast did you use to even get that high?

Sounds to me like adding some champagne yeast is probably your only hope.

I just now realized you asked for a recipie. I will post it up after I have a chance to get it off of beer smith.

 

[carlsonderek]

As long as you have another alcohol tolerant yeast for this, then yeah use it to bottle condition BUT I would either 1) rehydrated the packet as you mentioned then throw HALF of the slurry in, or 2) reduce the amount of bottling sugar used. Option is better. Throwing in a lot of yeast at bottling, I'd be quite worried about the excess CO2 blowing up so nicely aged bottles. Option one is what me and another friend do for long-aged lagers when bottling.

 

[carlsonderek]

Correction to last post "option ONE is better". That was an important word to leave out;-)

 

[Jeepaholic]

As long as you have another alcohol tolerant yeast for this, then yeah use it to bottle condition BUT I would either 1) rehydrated the packet as you mentioned then throw HALF of the slurry in, or 2) reduce the amount of bottling sugar used. Option is better. Throwing in a lot of yeast at bottling, I'd be quite worried about the excess CO2 blowing up so nicely aged bottles. Option one is what me and another friend do for long-aged lagers when bottling.

I appreciate the feedback but I'm confused. How does the amount of yeast effect the pressure? No matter how much yeast you use it will give the same volumes of Co2 depending of the available sugar.

Unless I'm wrong, if I am please explain how more yeast = more pressure.

 

[Cyclman]

Yeast can only eat available sugars, it is likely that much of the remaining FG is unfermentable. You certainly wouldn't want to use a much higher attenuating yeast, it could dry the beer out.

I just added a 1/2 pack of rehydrated dry yeast for my much lower alcohol belgian, plus sugar, took awhile but carbed very nicely.

 

[Jeepaholic]

The beer has already has gone from 1.126 to 1.020. I think it is done with what's left. So the yeast will only be eating the priming sugar.

 

[carlsonderek]

I appreciate the feedback but I'm confused. How does the amount of yeast effect the pressure? No matter how much yeast you use it will give the same volumes of Co2 depending of the available sugar.

Unless I'm wrong, if I am please explain how more yeast = more pressure.

I very well might be wrong too the more I think about it. I was thinking along the lines that less extra yeast added would mean less yeast activity completed before the high alcohol content did them off, therefore less chance for problems. I dunno. I'm not claiming to be a chemist. Or yeastologist.

 

[Herky21]

any word on the recipe?

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

I just add 1 million cells per ml of dry (rehydrated) champagne yeast along with the appropriate amount of priming sugar. You will be fine with this route as I have done it many times.

 

[TyTanium]

...I have no doubt the yeast that I fermented with is dead and gone by now. ...

Why? How old is it?

...My plan is at bottling time when I add the priming sugar to also add a rehydrated packet of EC-1118 yeast. does this seem like the best choice? Or is there a better option?

Adding fresh yeast is a good idea, but add a similar strain. I would not add a higher attenuating strain.

The beer has already has gone from 1.126 to 1.020. I think it is done with what's left. So the yeast will only be eating the priming sugar.

The existing strain is done with what's left, but a new strain, a higher-attenuating strain, may find additional sugar to munch on.

I very well might be wrong too the more I think about it. I was thinking along the lines that less extra yeast added would mean less yeast activity completed before the high alcohol content did them off, therefore less chance for problems. I dunno. I'm not claiming to be a chemist. Or yeastologist.

Yeast count does not affect pressure produced. It's only the amount of sugar consumed that determines the amount of CO2...yeast do not create mass out of nothing; they simply convert existing mass. The number of cells determines the rate at which they do it.


Oh, also, it's Belgian. Belgium is the country.

 

[tennesseean_87]

Adding fresh yeast is a good idea, but add a similar strain. I would not add a higher attenuating strain. The existing strain is done with what's left, but a new strain, a higher-attenuating strain, may find additional sugar to munch on.

Champagne yeast only eats simple sugars, so it's great for this.

Oh, also, it's Belgian. Belgium is the country.

+1!!

I just add 1 million cells per ml of dry (rehydrated) champagne yeast along with the appropriate amount of priming sugar. You will be fine with this route as I have done it many times.

+1