Carbonation priming kinda failed on Russian Imperial Stout - fixes? Ne

[bingggo]

Hi folks,

I brewed my first RIS based on Dan Reyner's 3-can recipe: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/16289-russian-imperial-stout-dan-reyners-recipe/page-3#entry1226254 except I used 3x Nottingham, a bit less brewing sugar, and didn't add the Champagne yeast for priming.

In short:
- brewed 20L on 30 August. Stabilised at 1035 FG.
- bottled 15L on 30 September, and racked 5L off for ageing on wood/cherries/cacao
- bottles have been kept at 20ish degrees for six weeks
- test bottles on 14 November show minimal carbonation - taste good though!
- anything I can do for the bottles? should I add S-05 or something (and when) when bottling the last 5L?

Cheers,
B
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The longer version follows

By comparison, Cooper's RIS recipe is somewhat similar and just uses 3x kit yeast, so I thought I'd be ok.

It stabilised at 1035 (although I was expecting 1028) and I bulk primed on 30 September with dextrose for a target carbonation volume of 2.0 in a similar way I have done with other beers with success.

I bottled into glass, but had one PET as a tester for how quickly it was carving up. That said, I'm not sure what a PET at 2.0 volumes feels like! Six weeks later, and it feels firm but I can indent it without much effort.

I've cracked open a couple of the bottles this week, and neither have a head, and both have very minimal carbonation. To me it seems more like if I hadn't primed at all. To put it another way, it seems only slight more carbed than my cider goes when I bottle it without priming and it gets that slight bubbly mouth-tickle. So I'm guessing the Nottingham didn't make the distance.

At the time of bottling, I racked 5L off into a carboy with some cherries and cacao and that's ready to bottle.

Is it possible to uncap, add a yeast solution, and recap? Maybe it's better to just add a bit of mineral or soda water when drinking them!

For the 5L, I am thinking of adding more yeast before bottling, but not sure which yeast, and how long before bottling to add. Given the 1035 FG does this step restart fermentation before you prime, and lower the FG further?

 

[Mickcr250]

Maybe try taking a gravity reading from a sample bottle to see if the yeast really has kicked the bucket.

 

[yankinoz]

The reason the Notty is not doing much is likely intolerance to the high alcohol. Likewise the high FG. You could make a starter with an alcohol-tolerant yeast like champagne and add a little to each bottle, but if you have a lot of unfermented sugars in there, left over from incomplete fermentation and from priming, you could end up with bottle bombs.

I'd say leave it alone and enjoy. That style doesn't need much carbonation to be enjoyable, and the Notty might do a little more work at a slow pace. Drink it like wine.

 

[Markbeer]

Id leave it another month. High gravity beers can take months to carb. Only a few alcohol tolerant cells may be left but they will get there.

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Id leave it another month. High gravity beers can take months to carb. Only a few alcohol tolerant cells may be left but they will get there.

Have had the same issue although my RIS was around 8.5 - 9% Abv. A few months later and all was good. I tend to er on the side of caution when bottling big beers. Normally prime a lot lower os what I mean. Because I want the RIS to age over a period of time. They can attenuate marginally more over time as well.

BYB

 

[Markbeer]

I worry when they approach 12% but the yeast get there in the end.

It is a most beautiful style. Anything under 10% should carb up fine.

Many claim when enough yeast are pitched almost any ale yeast can go to 15%. I would not have thought so but I know they know better.

 

[bingggo]

Thanks for the encouraging posts