Maximum alcohol %

[yankoek]

Reading some mead recipes they say 22%alcohol is that possible most wineries say 14-15% is great but 18%max and the yeast company says 18%in perfect conditions,my guess is the step feeding is keeping the yeast aerobic but im still a novice trying to understand, in baby steps

 

[yankinoz]

Samuel Adams produces their Utopias beer using a yeast strain that ferments to 28% abv. I've had it: no carbonation, more like dessert wine than beer. Excellent, but very expensive.

https://www.inverse.com/article/38219-sam-adams-utopias-ninja-yeast
Using any alcohol-tolerant yeast, one might want to add some of the fermentables in the middle of fermentation, so that the sugar content is not so high it inhibits the yeast.

Even stronger beers have been made by freezing.

 

[yankoek]

Samuel Adams produces their Utopias beer using a yeast strain that ferments to 28% abv. I've had it: no carbonation, more like dessert wine than beer. Excellent, but very expensive.

https://www.inverse.com/article/38219-sam-adams-utopias-ninja-yeast
Using any alcohol-tolerant yeast, one might want to add some of the fermentables in the middle of fermentation, so that the sugar content is not so high it inhibits the yeast.

Even stronger beers have been made by freezing.

Nice 1 was told about that yeast but when checked it said 15% plus i thought it should be 18%plus so didn't trust the info,but checked your link,now i hav to try just need to get better temperature control than a blanket and position, worked so far but 2 degrees is a fine gap,I've heard about the freezing but i thought that was a bit like distilling instead of boiling of the alcohol they freeze and remove some wort and keep the alcohol?as i said novice,just trying to make some strong meads and dont want to waste honey,turning it to water.plus my brother would love to make that strength beer.Thanks heaps

Samuel Adams produces their Utopias beer using a yeast strain that ferments to 28% abv. I've had it: no carbonation, more like dessert wine than beer. Excellent, but very expensive.

https://www.inverse.com/article/38219-sam-adams-utopias-ninja-yeast
Using any alcohol-tolerant yeast, one might want to add some of the fermentables in the middle of fermentation, so that the sugar content is not so high it inhibits the yeast.

Even stronger beers have been made by freezing.

 

[yankinoz]

You partly freeze the fermented beer. Then the ice contains only a little alcohol, so the process concentrates the unfrozen beer.

Many people, including me, have drunk beer poured from a partly frozen bottle or can, left in the freezer too long. I don't know anyone who makes it a practice. The few commercial ice beers are probably brewed with that in mind.

.If you try it, don't freeze completely, or you can break bottles and swell cans. You may find haze and precipitated proteins in the beer as well as concentrations of hop and other flavours. Hop bitterness tends to become harsh; I;d experiment with a malty beer, not a hoppy one.

I knew a brewer of ice mead once. I didn't like it much, but I'm no fan of mead.

 

[GoodDuck]

White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity yeast can supposedly ferment to 25%
I have used it to make a decent Utopias Clone, and got to somewhere between 22 to 23%
It will take some coaxing, like making sure you have a big starter (I brewed a barleywine and then added the Utopias Clone wort to the yeast cake), oxygenating a few times the first few days and yeast nutrient additions.

 

[yankoek]

You partly freeze the fermented beer. Then the ice contains only a little alcohol, so the process concentrates the unfrozen beer.

Many people, including me, have drunk beer poured from a partly frozen bottle or can, left in the freezer too long. I don't know anyone who makes it a practice. The few commercial ice beers are probably brewed with that in mind.

.If you try it, don't freeze completely, or you can break bottles and swell cans. You may find haze and precipitated proteins in the beer as well as concentrations of hop and other flavours. Hop bitterness tends to become harsh; I;d experiment with a malty beer, not a hoppy one.

I knew a brewer of ice mead once. I didn't like it much, but I'm no fan of mead.

Yep my son is becoming an expert at freezing beers accidentally,he's been lucky only a couple of broken bottles and burst cans,always lots of mess,if i was to try probably try before bottling, thanks for the info

White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity yeast can supposedly ferment to 25%
I have used it to make a decent Utopias Clone, and got to somewhere between 22 to 23%
It will take some coaxing, like making sure you have a big starter (I brewed a barleywine and then added the Utopias Clone wort to the yeast cake), oxygenating a few times the first few days and yeast nutrient additions.

 

[yankoek]

White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity yeast can supposedly ferment to 25%
I have used it to make a decent Utopias Clone, and got to somewhere between 22 to 23%
It will take some coaxing, like making sure you have a big starter (I brewed a barleywine and then added the Utopias Clone wort to the yeast cake), oxygenating a

White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity yeast can supposedly ferment to 25%
I have used it to make a decent Utopias Clone, and got to somewhere between 22 to 23%
It will take some coaxing, like making sure you have a big starter (I brewed a barleywine and then added the Utopias Clone wort to the yeast cake), oxygenating a few times the first few days and yeast nutrient additions.

Have to try it soon but why does it say 15%+ not 18%+, anyway do you know when yeast go from aerobic to anaerobic all the strong recipes say to aerate but dont want to make water and if its changed to anaerobic wouldn't that make vinegar?can't find a straight answer on internet,what did the barleywine taste like something else I've yet to try?

 

[duncbrewer]

I've used the WLP 099 it's from the Yeast bay who seem to have stopped supplying homebrewers so it might be a little difficult to find.
As mentioned, big starter, lots of oxygen and then reoxygenate after a couple of days.
I partigyled a 1.041 beer off a barley wine and then pitched an imperial stout onto the yeast left behind. Then sequential feeding to 16 %.