Carbonation Options

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Iordz

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I have a 14.5ABV beer that has been sitting in a secondary carboy for 6 months. Will the beer carbonate properly if I add some fresh champagne yeast and sugar or should I just keg it? I would prefer to bottle the beer so that I can stash the bottles for further aging, as opposed to having to tap the keg and drink it faster.
 
This will carbonate properly. but you might want to look at some different high tolerance yeasts for it.
 
Rather than assuming that the yeast in it are dead, you might take a small sample and feed it some sugar, then put it in a plastic soda bottle (if you want quick feedback, since you can feel the bottle for firmness) or bottle it normally (if slow feedback is fine) and see if it carbs.

Adding new yeast might result in problems, if the new yeast eat things the old yeast gave up on, so you get the effect from your priming sugar _and_ the effect from residuals that the previous yeast did not eat.
 
I saw someone in another thread (Revvy I think) suggest giving a small swipe on the bottom with your racking cane to bring a few extra yeast into suspension at bottling time. If you're worried about it I would probably try that before adding a different yeast to bottle.
 
From your posts, I am not certain if you fermented this beer already with champagne yeast or if you are considering adding champagne yeast for the first time to this beer. Do not introduce a new yeast to the beer at bottling unless you are very, very familiar with what it may do. If you get more attenuation than you expect, you will have bottle bombs.


TL
 
The beer was fermented with German Ale yeast up to 60%AA, champagne yeast was then added to further attenuate the beer to an 80%AA, so the beer has had champagne yeast. The fermentation took place over a month or so and the beer has been aged in a carboy for an additional six months. I don't think any yeast in the beer is viable enough to properly carbonate the beer and I don't think any new champagne yeast added for carbonation purposes will further attenuate the beer, so I don't fear bottle bombs. Besides, I plan to bottle in Belgian style bottles with corks.
 
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