Bulk priming high(er) gravity beers

[Chris79]

I bought it a few months ago, and kept it in my bar fridge.

I rehydrated the yeast in water, that I had boiled and cooled to room temp.

So my FG is probably due to under pitching? Does Beersmith have a yeast cell calc? Still getting to know the software.

 

[Rocker1986]

There is a calculator in Beersmith for yeast pitching, it's in the tab along the top called 'starter' or something I think.

 

[Chris79]

Cheers Rocker. Just saw that in the last day or so.

 

[Inconceivable]

To reply to the OP

I brewed the Doppelbock from Brewing Classic Styles OG 1086 (8.7% ABV). I bottled in late June after fining with Gelatin and did not add any yeast at bottling time. Bulk primed with sucrose aiming for 2.5 volumes, according to my notes I forgot to gently stir the bloody mix in the bottling bucket so the priming sugar may not have been as evenly mixed as it should have been....

Anyway after 1-2 months of the beer stashed around 16-20c in the cupboard I was drinking fairly flat Doppelbock bottle after bottle and feeling pretty depressed about it but after 3.5 months I've finally had a bottle where the carbonation seems to be a bit more robust, the head retention is much improved and it looks like my patience will be rewarded.

Long story short: if I can fine with Gelatin, not top up fresh yeast at bottling, and fail to mix in my priming sugar properly but still looks like I'm finally going to end up with OK carb'd beer in the end then you probably don't need to go the extra mile when priming high gravity

 

[Chris79]

Interesting post Inconceivable.

Maybe this is just the way things are with higher/high gravity beers, and that they do really take months to carbonate properly.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Maybe this is just the way things are with higher/high gravity beers, and that they do really take months to carbonate properly.

I find no great difference in CO2 accumulation rates in beers with approx 5.5% ABV and approx 8.5% ABV, they both take about 3-4 days to max pressure with enough viable yeast present. Above 10% you might strike problems with brewing yeasts, in which case use PDM.