Adding additional yeast before bottling

[westwardclock]

Now I know this has been covered thousands of times over. Whether making ales or lagers(up to 2 months lagering) there is supposed to be plenty of yeast in suspension, therefore, additional yeast at bottling is not required. I have read it everywhere.

My first 2 were ales. I felt like I did everything by the book. I treated both the same. After approx 2 weeks in he primary and FG was correct they went to a secondary. I cold crashed them 40F for 14 days. Added biofine clear to both of the with 3 days left. Bottled them and a month later no carb. After that month I had to pop all the caps off and sprinkle yeast in each one and recap. They carbed up <1 week. What gives. I thought maybe it was the temperature of the wort when bottling. After cold crashing it went straight to bottling(bottled with wort at 40F). 2 batches later I tried it again this time I let the wort come to room temperature after cold crashing before bottling. I also didn't use biofine clear. Same result no carb. Uncap them all and sprinkle yeast again and recap. 3 times I've done this. I need help. I can't possibly think of what I am doing wrong. I am positive I added priming sure and the bottles were all at 70F while bottle carbonating otherwise I wouldn't have had success sprinkling yeast and recapping.

The Hefeweizen I made didn't require additional yeast because I never dropped the wort temperature <68F. My problem is related to temperature, just sure why most can cold crash or lager without needing to re-pitch yeast at bottling

Now I have 2 lagers. I still have a month to decide, but, I am scared to bottle without adding yeast again.

I understand its cheap insurance to add yeast before bottling, but more important to me is why it is happening. Everyone is positive that yeast will not be needed prior to bottling but I seem to fail.

Please any help is greatly appreciated. I don't want to add yeast prior to bottling if its not necessary.

 

[Pratzie]

Try keeping the bottled beer a little warmer. Ive always been told 72 degrees or higher while bottle carbing. Ive had mine in an area that is roughly 75-80 and have had no carbing issues at all using just regular corn sugar. That also includes my Dubbel which i had in secondary for three months. It carbed nicely (which is on the higher end) after about 4 weeks.

 

[westwardclock]

I did move them to a 76f room and swirling them up prior to popping the caps and repitching. Maybe I needed to wait longer.

 

[Pratzie]

What kind/how much sugar are u using for priming?

 

[westwardclock]

Corn sugar and used a calculator. I had approx 4.5 gallons to bottle and it was a pale ale so 110 grams is what I used. I felt that my sugar was right because after un capping and adding yeast it carbed up correctly.

 

[biodarwin]

I cold crashed them 40F for 14 days.

Isn't this long for just a cold crash? At this point in time too much of yeast have already dropped out? I usually only cold crash for a couple of days.

 

[westwardclock]

Maybe it is too long. I was under the assumption that it didn't matter. As long as it was under ~ 2 months there should be plenty of yeast.

 

[Big_Belgian]

I'm not much of an expert, but for what its worth I do agree that 14 days at 40 degrees plus a fining agent is an extreme cold crash, and may be removing so much yeast that is a factor affecting your bottle conditioning. Most homebrewers I know cold crash for a day or two.

 

[WesleyS]

Isn't this long for just a cold crash? At this point in time too much of yeast have already dropped out? I usually only cold crash for a couple of days.

I'm not so sure it's the cold crash that's doing it.
I've cold crashed for a week at 36 degrees (stuck the carboy in keezer, then got sick the next day and couldn't bottle until the next week) and the beer carbed up just fine, even after just 1 1/2 weeks in the bottle. And some of my lagers have spent 4-6 weeks hovering just above freezing and I've never had to pitch additional yeast at bottling.

 

[biodarwin]

What kind of yeast? Maybe its a combination of the cold crash and a higher flocculant yeast strain?

 

[westwardclock]

When I've had problems I used wyeast 1056 and white labs california ale v

 

[el_caro]

Now I have 2 lagers. I still have a month to decide, but, I am scared to bottle without adding yeast again.

I understand its cheap insurance to add yeast before bottling, but more important to me is why it is happening. Everyone is positive that yeast will not be needed prior to bottling but I seem to fail.

Please any help is greatly appreciated. I don't want to add yeast prior to bottling if its not necessary.

With a lager that has been at low temperature for a prolonged period and has been treated with finings my advice is to add a half pack of highly flocculant yeast to the priming container.