Group Barley Wine

[joshuahardie]

I've now read a bunch of stuff about adding a small amount of yeast when bottling, a couple of people even suggesting champagne yeast.
But at Beer & wine Journal, Chris Colby said not to use a bottling yeast more alcohol tolerant than your beer yeast.

So now I'm in a quandary.

Advice?

-kt

My feeling is that you will not need a bottling yeast. Seeing that you will be priming with sugar the yeast should have no trouble getting through that simple food source. Also at 9.8% you still have a fair amount of room to move before the yeast hits its limit of alcohol tolerance.

 

[joshuahardie]

Oh and BTW, I have been too busy / lazy to put mine down.

I really hope to be able to get to it tomorrow.

 

[mr_wibble]

Ok, I've been thinking about this all night.

The beer is only 3 weeks (plus a bit) old, so even though it's relatively high alcohol, it should still have some active yeasts.
Most of the barleywines I read about had been batch-conditioning in secondary fermenters for months.

Thus I conclude, perhaps incorrectly, that it should be OK to bottle without adding more yeast.


Edit: I only 1/2 wrote this post before stopping for breakfast, good this Josh has read my mind and agreed with me

 

[pmastello]

Yeah, I would agree with Josh. The High tolerance yeasts like forbidden fruit won't need any additional yeast.

However, my lager yeast only has a listed tolerance of 9%, so I am pushing it to its max with our 9-10% beer. I will be adding some more yeast tonight (Some rehydrated US05 which has a tolerance of 12%). I am intentionally adding it before it finished to get the yeast working before it runs out of juice.

 

[brockerst]

I bottled yesterday at 1.013. Was steady for a couple of days and wanted to keep the yeast on a roll and not give in. I primed very lightly. Tastewise it is very intense alcohol, esters and bitterness as you'd expect. Should be a nice complex beer once it smooths out with age.

 

[stakka82]

You guys are getting some good attenuation there. I've not brewed one but I hear it's common for barleywines to stop between 1020-1030

 

[mr_wibble]

You guys are getting some good attenuation there. I've not brewed one but I hear it's common for barleywines to stop between 1020-1030

That's 'cause we made it with extra love.

 

[mr_wibble]

I press-ganged my crack team of mini-brewers into helping with the bottling this morning.
Filled every bottle I owned, took 3 hours including the initial washing... must build a bottle washer.



Broke two bottles hitting the bottle-capper thing with a lump of wood - the kitchen really does smell like a brewery now, but in a good way.

The fermenter is awfully crusty, summoning up the enthusiasm to clean it, and the exploded kräusen out of the fermentation chesty.

I was listening to a Basic Brewing Podcast on Barleywine this morning on the way to a meeting.
Chris Colby said that you don't need such extended conditioning if you had a really good ferment... which is good, 'cause I really want to taste this.

 

[pmastello]

Don't drink too much too quick KT, one of the goals of a Barleywine is to taste the differences as it ages, you'll be regretting it if you get to 2 years down the track and you've got a fantastic, complex beer with only 1 stubby left.

 

[joshuahardie]

Ok well I have only pitched mine today.

OG was 1088

I split the batch
10l of White labs 007 Dry English
10l of Fermentis T58 dried blegian

fingers crossed for a good ferment

 

[Goldenchild]

Guys i still havent picked up my cube!! Seriously slacking I know but i havent been back on the coast since before the brew day.

Really hoping to get an old ale down in the next few weeks and shift it to a keg to age and chuck the BW on the cake.

From reading up on my yeast selection I won't be bottling for upto a year after putting it down to allow the full cake of brett to get to business and do its thing.
Saying this I understand most of you would like to do the trade before then and I am fine with sitting out on that.
Perhaps in a year when I do bottle I can post on here and trade a few bottles with those interested.

 

[pmastello]

Marc, I don't know about the rest of the guys, but I'd be happy to wait out the year and get my hands on a 6pack of your old ale version.

As for my beer, I got my hands on CBC-1 Cask & Bottle Conditioned Beer Yeast, a dry yeast especially designed to referment high gravity ales for Cask and bottle conditioning. Perfect.
I added that a few days ago and took a gravity reading at 1.020. Probably a bit lower than I would have liked for pitching my second strain but it should be ok. I'll give it a week at 15C to completely finish out, then I'll bottle it.

 

[Jaynus]

Pete do you know if Duane has that yeast available? Sounds perfect!

 

[pmastello]

Hey Jay,
No I don't think Duane has it. I got mine from Mark at Newcastle.
If you used US05, you don't need to worry about adding more yeast, it can do it on its own. It's only because my yeast was at its alcohol tolerance of 9% that I needed to pitch more yeast. US05 has an alcohol tolerance of 12%

 

[Jaynus]

Ok sweet, might have to bottle this weekend!

 

[pmastello]

Has anyone got any spare stubby bottles? I've been collecting as many as I can but am still quite short on bottles to stick this thing in. I would have it in bottles by now if I had enough, but its still sitting around in the fermenter until I can get more bottles.

 

[mr_wibble]

You can buy bottles at Dan Murphy's - they're 1.75 each in a pack of 24, but you need to wash the VB out of them.

Actually, I wonder if you can get them at the council recyclers ?
Or a local pub ?

 

[Jaynus]

How many do you need Pete? I might be able to spare a carton of 330s?

 

[joshuahardie]

Looks like I have stalled out at 1022, which seems to be a fair bit higher than you guys
Still will be a 9.2% beer after secondary fermentation.

Taste seems quite good

The Belgian yeast is very spicy, with a pronounced belgian phenolic
The English yeast is a little hot with alcohol, but within range of the style

 

[pmastello]

I spent last night scavenging and consolidating my bottle collection and I think I have a solution.
I have enough bottles so everyone will get 4x330mL stubbies, 1x 500mL or Pint bottle and 1x Champagne bottle or longneck for a special occasion/sharing.
Does anyone have a issue with that?

I'm with you Josh, last I checked I was sitting around 1.023. It certainly seemed finished, but I've since added new yeast for bottling and have given it an extra week if it needs to attenuate further and I don't get overcarbed barley wine.