Re pitching yeast before bottling

Hello, I am using a recipe for a big Belgium beer clone (Rochefort 10) and it says to re pitch another dose of yeast 3 days before bottling. I am brewing only 3 gallons. When I pitched the yeast I used a whole vile of White labs Belgium yeast. I figured this would be fine because of how much fermentables I used. I am worried about bottle bombs if I pitch in more yeast before bottling. I will also be conditioning these during the summer and it will be keeping the temp between 70 & 75 deg. Do you think I should pitch again or just bottle?

as long as your final gravity is low enough, you should pitch the extra yeast, it won't add any extra sugar, and will simply ensure that there is enough yeast to allow them to thrive and carbonate the beer, as well as keep up their work as it ages.

the only negative possible result from overpitching is more yeast flavor...bottle bombs are caused by too much fermentables left in the beer when it is bottled.

Thanks,
this is only my second batch and I haven't started doing gravity readings yet. The recipe said to secondary ferment for 6 weeks, I figure this is long enough. I was thinking of only re-pitching half of a vile since it's only 3 gallons.

make sure you taste it before you bottle. i'd get a hydrometer as well. if it tastes too sweet (if the gravity is too high) when you bottle, you could get some exploders. How long was it in primary?

It's been in primary 1 week.

I'll play devil's advocate here. There is almost no reason at all to pitch more yeast at bottling time. Save your money and yeast for another batch of beer. There will be enough yeast suspended in your beer to carbonate it, even if it's perfectly clear.

Also, to reiterate, more yeast will not contribute to bottle bombs, only too much sugar.

Yuri_Rage said:

I'll play devil's advocate here. There is almost no reason at all to pitch more yeast at bottling time. Save your money and yeast for another batch of beer. There will be enough yeast suspended in your beer to carbonate it, even if it's perfectly clear.

Also, to reiterate, more yeast will not contribute to bottle bombs, only too much sugar.

Click to expand...

I agree. Also, if it has been in the primary for only 1 week, there is probably plenty of yeast there for bottling.

Yuri_Rage said:

I'll play devil's advocate here. There is almost no reason at all to pitch more yeast at bottling time. Save your money and yeast for another batch of beer. There will be enough yeast suspended in your beer to carbonate it, even if it's perfectly clear.

Also, to reiterate, more yeast will not contribute to bottle bombs, only too much sugar.

Click to expand...

I must concur with my fellow brewers comments and also add that with that much yeast in a 3 gallon batch you should concider the possibility of nasty flavors due to autolysis. That much yeasts means a big yeast cake on the bottem of the fermenter and thus dead yeasties. My advise , Don't do it.