Pitching into a higher gravity Stout - Need clarification on starter requirements

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vast_reaction

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Hi there. I am planning to brew a 5-gallon batch of Blackberry Stout, and I have a couple of questions. I never knew that I was so OCD until I tried to brew some beer. :cross:
Here we go:
BeerSmith gives my recipe an OG of 1.078, and an FG of 1.020. This however, is before the addition of 5lbs Blackberries, which I plan to do during Secondary fermentation. I hear each pound of Blackberries adds ~.007. Question 1: Should I add this resulting .035 to the OG? An OG of 1.113 sounds outrageously hard to pitch into.

The MrMalty Pitching Calculator recommends using 1 yeast packet in a 3.85L starter for an OG of 1.078. Will I need to repitch at all once I add the Blackberries? Am I reading too much into this? Just slap me. :drunk:

-Matt
 
Well, since you're adding the blackberries to secondary, your pitching rate is based on the OG of 1.078. Once that's done, there will be more yeast in the fermenter and you can rack onto your blackberries. Since the yeast multiply before fermentation, you should have plenty of yeast to work on the blackberries. The only issue could be the ability of the yeast strain to attenuate that much- from 1.078 to 1.022 is 70% attenuation and over 7% ABV. You may have a hard time pushing it any further, depending on the yeast strain you choose. Some strains might only get you 68% or so. Some may go closer to 80%, so if you want some fermentation of the blackberries you may want to chose a highly attenuative yeast strain. What strain are you planning on?

Beersmith is USELESS in predicting FG. That's up to you to predict.
 
I was planning on using Wyeast 1318 - London Ale III. The product description listed Sweet Stouts as one of the styles, and listed approximately 10% ABV tolerance, but I see its attenuation is only 71-75%. Do you recommend another yeast strain that can push this to 10% or higher ABV? I'm sort of looking for a brew that will warm people's cheeks and make them fall out of their chairs.
 
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