# Champagne Yeast In High Fg Porter



## jeddog (15/12/09)

I have a AG Porter in the fermenting fridge at the moment and have ramped up the temp from 22C to 24C over the last two weeks. The yeast I use was wyeast 1968. 
Og was 1.053 and the FG has not moved in days from 1.020.
I would like it down to 1.016.

Does anyone have experience with adding champagne yeast to lower FG?
Will it impart any noticable flavours to the Porter?
And how much to use?

jeddog


----------



## RetsamHsam (15/12/09)

jeddog said:


> I have a AG Porter in the fermenting fridge at the moment and have ramped up the temp from 22C to 24C over the last two weeks. The yeast I use was wyeast 1968.
> Og was 1.053 and the FG has not moved in days from 1.020.
> I would like it down to 1.016.
> 
> ...



Don't do it!!

I haven't any experience with this, but I remember reading one of the questions on the byo website about the same and the results were not desirable (beer ended way to dry and the balance was all out of wack)

I think you would be better off brewing another beer with a yeast known for high attenuation (Nottingham for instance) and either top cropping a good amount of yeast from this and add to your porter, or dump your porter onto the resultant yeast cake.


----------



## dr K (15/12/09)

1968 is highly flocculent and is helped by rousing early in the process. if you did not rouse your beer over the first few days you have almost certinly hit terminal gravity, if you did rouse then it would not drop much below 1016 anyways..
do not use champagne yeast, its an old kit myth that it helps, it is inappropriate in an AG
if you want to add another yeast and i strongly reccomend that you do not, then use us05

K


----------



## white.grant (15/12/09)

1968 or ESB is highly flocculent and will often drop out prematurely. You might want to try agitating the fermenter to get some yeast back into suspension and fingers crossed on dropping those extra points.

I'm with Rets on using the champagne yeast, don't. If you can't rouse the original yeast back into life you will have better luck using an ale yeast to finish it off.

cheers

grant

edit too slow


----------



## jeddog (15/12/09)

I'm gonna add a small starter of 1968. 

See how that goes?


----------



## droid (20/12/14)

how'd it go?

has anyone (read - else) experimented with champagne yeasts to drop the gravity to a desired level if the ferment has stopped?
has anyone used it in some small amount to get a dry finish?
it is the silly season afterall...

how do you get a big mouth-feel with bubbles that isn't just over-carbonated beer? i'd like to get a beer to have a Fanta styled mouth feel and flavour...within reason! just during part of the mouthful and wondering how to do that

I read that boston brewery/weihnstephan (spelling) used it (champagne yeast) in a tripel

I have had some trouble getting 9% beers to finish, should I just use more yeast in the first place or is there a place for some champagne yeast?

wot say ye

sorry for the hijack but 5 years should be somewhat acceptable


----------



## Spiesy (20/12/14)

Has anyone tried using something more beer-centric, like White Labs Super High Gravity Yeast, for this purpose?


----------



## doon (20/12/14)

Yep i did and my efforts failed


----------



## mje1980 (20/12/14)

For a high gravity ale that doesn't drop, Brett's the best.


----------



## HBHB (20/12/14)

mje1980 said:


> For a high gravity ale that doesn't drop, Brett's the best.


If you like the taste of Brett.

Another option.....simple, cheap and reasonably effective is to add a touch of alpha amylase (sold as dry enzyme in any HBS) and wait it out for a week.


----------



## manticle (20/12/14)

Spiesy said:


> Has anyone tried using something more beer-centric, like White Labs Super High Gravity Yeast, for this purpose?


Closest for me was adding an active starter of 1388 to a belgian quad stuck at 1030. Worked beautifully.

Also added brett to a 1030 stalled brew and yes it worked and yes it was wonderful and yes you would need to like brett.


----------



## MHB (20/12/14)

Both Saf T-58 and S-33 are recommended for restarting stalled ferments, as is Lallemand _CBC._
Champaign can be used but keep the temperature down and I would only use it in an active starter, once the beer yeast has finished what it can do.
Mind you if we are only talking about a 9% beer and you have pitched the right amount of yeast into a well aerated wort, fermented at the right temperature... you really shouldn't be having much trouble, 9% isn't really all that big an ask.
If it isn't attenuating I would be looking at my mash technique.
Mark


----------



## droid (20/12/14)

in my case I think if has been under pitching, I've been getting over carb in the bottle, does that sound right ? 


Seems an active starter (finisher) is the go if an insufficient amount of yeast was originally pitched?

CAn anyone comment on getting a spritzy mouth feel ?


----------



## droid (20/12/14)

I'll pop that into another thread

"Spritzy mouth feel"


----------



## MHB (20/12/14)

Don't


----------



## droid (20/12/14)

huh?


----------

