FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
This will be my first time attempting this, and just have a couple of questions. The first and most important being: should I do it?! Read on for details as to why I'm hesitant... (I've been reading and talking to people about it, and am getting mixed opinions, so I wanted to get some more of yours', loyal hbt readers)
I currently have an American Barleywine in primary fermenter (6.5 gal plastic pail). It started at at 1.084, and finished at 1.022 (well, I took a reading after airlock activity finished - which I know isn't always accurate! - at 9 days, and it was right where the recipe called for (it actually called for 87 and 25, but I was -3 on both)... So that's just an ASSumption that its finished - I could actually be a bit lower by now, as I never took another reading 2-3 days later. But I knew I wanted to leave it in primary 3-4 weeks, so I figure it doesn't really matter anyway. It's at three weeks right now, and I plan on transferring to carboy in about another week to bulk age in secondary for a couple months.
I pitched two vials of WLP001 (vs just one made into a starter - primarily b/c I'm new at this and didn't know how or have the equipment to make a starter). Fermentation seemed to go well, and I'm sure there is quite a population built up in the trub. But after having this 8.1% beer sitting on this yeast for a month, my question is how healthy or stressed the yeast may be, and if you think it's a good idea to pitch another 5 gal of wort onto it...
I've heard the rule of thumb is to go from lighter to darker beers when doing this, and also from lower abv to higher. I'm going to do a double chocolate stout (from AHS, similar to Young's) - the color direction will be "right", but the abv will be slightly backwards... It's listed at 5.8%, so I bought the 1% boost pack with this "problem" in mind (to get it to 6.8 - slightly closer to the 8.1).
So should this be an issue? Or should I just go back to the LHBS and get a new vial or smackpack (or dry - to avoid needing to make a starter?) of yeast (if so, I'd get the Irish ale yeast instead, I suppose) or two? The salesman there said he thought it shouldn't be a problem at all (just recommended a blow-off tube, as it may get a vigorous ferment going quickly - so I bought the materials and made a double L jointed PVC one, from a DIY project I saw on here). If I do repitch, I'm thinking of adding some yeast nutrient just to make sure my little guys are as healthy as they can be... Sound like a plan? What would be the downside if the yeast are unhealthy or not numerous enough - off-flavors, stuck fermentation, anything else? I obviously want to avoid these if possible. Also, for more info, I'm using a swamp cooler to control temps (trying to keep water in low 60s), as I don't have a chamber yet (but did just order the stc-1000! So it's in the works... Just need to find a good deal on a used chest freezer now!).
Also - aeration. Should I just aerate the wort before pitching onto the yeast cake, either in the kettle or in my bottling bucket? Or should I pour it onto the yeast cake (which will aerate it it some already, I'm sure), and then aerate it all together, to make sure the yeast gets mixed up into suspension well? I also bought one of those "vortex" paint mixers that attaches to a cordless drill, as I heard that's a good way to aerate (eventually I'd like to get an O2 bottle and a stone, but not there yet...). I'm not sure that the shaft of that is stainless steel (vortex spinner part is plastic), though (doesn't say on packaging anywhere, and no website to be found for the manufacturer, Workforce) - would this be an issue in sticking in the wort? Don't want any funky chemical reaction from sticking the wrong kind of metal into the wort. I got the idea to use one of those on here - anybody have one of those and have any problems using it?
Sorry I have so many questions, and posted them a bit rambling... I just have so much to learn, and am so enamored of this new hobby, I just wish I knew it all already! But learning through the experience is half the fun, of course. Anyway, TIA for any helpful responses!
Cheers!
I currently have an American Barleywine in primary fermenter (6.5 gal plastic pail). It started at at 1.084, and finished at 1.022 (well, I took a reading after airlock activity finished - which I know isn't always accurate! - at 9 days, and it was right where the recipe called for (it actually called for 87 and 25, but I was -3 on both)... So that's just an ASSumption that its finished - I could actually be a bit lower by now, as I never took another reading 2-3 days later. But I knew I wanted to leave it in primary 3-4 weeks, so I figure it doesn't really matter anyway. It's at three weeks right now, and I plan on transferring to carboy in about another week to bulk age in secondary for a couple months.
I pitched two vials of WLP001 (vs just one made into a starter - primarily b/c I'm new at this and didn't know how or have the equipment to make a starter). Fermentation seemed to go well, and I'm sure there is quite a population built up in the trub. But after having this 8.1% beer sitting on this yeast for a month, my question is how healthy or stressed the yeast may be, and if you think it's a good idea to pitch another 5 gal of wort onto it...
I've heard the rule of thumb is to go from lighter to darker beers when doing this, and also from lower abv to higher. I'm going to do a double chocolate stout (from AHS, similar to Young's) - the color direction will be "right", but the abv will be slightly backwards... It's listed at 5.8%, so I bought the 1% boost pack with this "problem" in mind (to get it to 6.8 - slightly closer to the 8.1).
So should this be an issue? Or should I just go back to the LHBS and get a new vial or smackpack (or dry - to avoid needing to make a starter?) of yeast (if so, I'd get the Irish ale yeast instead, I suppose) or two? The salesman there said he thought it shouldn't be a problem at all (just recommended a blow-off tube, as it may get a vigorous ferment going quickly - so I bought the materials and made a double L jointed PVC one, from a DIY project I saw on here). If I do repitch, I'm thinking of adding some yeast nutrient just to make sure my little guys are as healthy as they can be... Sound like a plan? What would be the downside if the yeast are unhealthy or not numerous enough - off-flavors, stuck fermentation, anything else? I obviously want to avoid these if possible. Also, for more info, I'm using a swamp cooler to control temps (trying to keep water in low 60s), as I don't have a chamber yet (but did just order the stc-1000! So it's in the works... Just need to find a good deal on a used chest freezer now!).
Also - aeration. Should I just aerate the wort before pitching onto the yeast cake, either in the kettle or in my bottling bucket? Or should I pour it onto the yeast cake (which will aerate it it some already, I'm sure), and then aerate it all together, to make sure the yeast gets mixed up into suspension well? I also bought one of those "vortex" paint mixers that attaches to a cordless drill, as I heard that's a good way to aerate (eventually I'd like to get an O2 bottle and a stone, but not there yet...). I'm not sure that the shaft of that is stainless steel (vortex spinner part is plastic), though (doesn't say on packaging anywhere, and no website to be found for the manufacturer, Workforce) - would this be an issue in sticking in the wort? Don't want any funky chemical reaction from sticking the wrong kind of metal into the wort. I got the idea to use one of those on here - anybody have one of those and have any problems using it?
Sorry I have so many questions, and posted them a bit rambling... I just have so much to learn, and am so enamored of this new hobby, I just wish I knew it all already! But learning through the experience is half the fun, of course. Anyway, TIA for any helpful responses!
Cheers!
