Re-dosing w/ yeast before bottling big beer?

Tess and Mark Samskjefcnksjdhfgkvbnjsdhfsky, in Clone Brews, recommend "adding an additional dose of yeast 3-4 days before bottling" high-gravity beers that have been in extended secondary.

Has anyone done this? I just racked my tripel, and I have plenty of harvested yeast. I'm not exactly sure how much a "dose" is--I'm guessing about the amount that comes in a WL vial.

I certainly wouldn't want to agitate the carboy too much: it seems like most of the yeast would just fall quickly to the bottom if you don't, though.

I'd like to try this--they say it helps carbonation, and that's important in a tripel.

cweston said:

Tess and Mark Samskjefcnksjdhfgkvbnjsdhfsky, in Clone Brews, recommend "adding an additional dose of yeast 3-4 days before bottling" high-gravity beers that have been in extended secondary.

Has anyone done this? I just racked my tripel, and I have plenty of harvested yeast. I'm not exactly sure how much a "dose" is--I'm guessing about the amount that comes in a WL vial.

I certainly wouldn't want to agitate the carboy too much: it seems like most of the yeast would just fall quickly to the bottom if you don't, though.

I'd like to try this--they say it helps carbonation, and that's important in a tripel.

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Not sure about the "3-4 days" thing. Though, I suppose that would eliminate the possibility of the new yeast eating leftover sugar in the bottle and creating gushers. I guess. But not sure.

Personally, it's not so much "big beers" for me, as it is time spent in secondary. If I've had a brew aging in carboy for 6 weeks or more, just to be safe, I'll add a few pinches of rehydrated dry yeast to the cooled priming solution, then add that to the brew. Ever since my Wheat Doppelbock didn't carbonate (had a long time in secondary), I've stuck to this practice, and everything has carbonated fine since.

Literally a few pinches, like 1/5 of a package or less?

This poses a few questions.

When aging a big beer, such as a Wee Heavy, what is the best place to age? I know these beers need a lot more time, but is that time best spent in the bottle or in a carboy?

It would seem to me that if one could age it in the bottles, then this yeast issue isn't going to be a big deal.

I ask because of the wee heavy I have in the primary right now. I don't have any of the yeast I used to pitch it. I can, and if necessary, will, get more but If I bottle age, will that simply take care of the issue.


Man, I gotta learn to keg......



Gedvondur

When I bottled my Chardonnay Oaked Tripel (13.2%) I added a full cup of corn sugar and 1/3 of a packet of Saf-ale T-58 dry yeast. I proofed the yeast in the priming solution and added to my bottling bucket. I bottled in heavier Belgian bottles to avoid bottle bombs. So far, 5 weeks in the bottle and little to no carbonation. I'm just going to squirrel them away for a year and see what heppens.