Cold conditioning

Hi all,

I am working on brewing a strong ale with an OG of 1.070. I have been doing a bit of reading and have noticed that some people, especially those who brew higher gravity beers, recommend re-pitching yeast before bottling. Is this really necessary? Would I especially need to do this if i were to cold condition at about 35 degrees for 1 week? My original plan was secondary fer for 7-14 days and then one week in cold conditioning. Any thoughts? Some guidance on this would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

With an OG of 1.070 I'd leave in primary for 2 weeks, then secondary for 3 weeks at a minimum. You could then do a week or two of cold conditioning.

As for adding yeast when you bottle, I have never done this with my high gravity ales (even the ones that have secondaried for 6 months) but I never cold condition so I don't know what effect that would have.

So I gather that even after 6 months of racking there is still enough yeast for bottle conditioning?

In regard to secondary: do you usually pull it when you see the Co2 release taper off?

Yep, even after 6 months there was plenty of yeast for bottle conditioning.

The amount of time I leave in secondary has to do with how long I want to bulk age my beer and not so much to do with actual fermentation or CO2 production. Most beers under 1.070 I ferment for 3 weeks to a month minimum, typically not longer than 6 weeks. For something really big, over 1.080, that's when I let it sit for months. The longer bulk aging lets the malt flavors really do their thing.

So does anyone else out there have any experience with cold conditioning high gravity beers?

Again on cold conditioning or cold aging as I've heard some people call it.

After a good three to four week cold conditioning at 35 degrees F should i re-pitch yeast for bottle conditioning or will there be enough suspended yeast left to carbonate in the bottle? I've read conflicting posts so I'm hoping y'all can help me with this.

I can't really comment on high gravity beers, but I recently bottled a cream stout that had an OG of 1.060. It was in primary for 4 weeks at 65F then cold conditioned for 2 months at 38F. 2 weeks after bottling they were perfectly carbed with hardly any sediment layer. I guess there was plenty of yeast suspended. If you're worried, just suck up a tiny bit of the slurry at the bottom when you rack to your bottling bucket. You don't need much, just a tad bit of it.

For general cold conditioning, which is better - cold conditioning in the secondary (glass carboy) or cold conditioning the bottles? If there is no clear winner (and I suspect that is the case), what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

I have also searched for a step-by-step guide for both/either, and I haven't found any that have answered my questions (being a n00b, I may have read the answer, but it was worded differently so I didn't pick up on it). You know, simple things like - 1 week at 40 degrees, then rewarm your carboy, rack, and bottle, etc.

Side note - I am not trying to start another "vs" thread. I am just looking for good information so I can make my own decision.

Thanks

Whta I've found from personal experience is that you should cc in the carboy and prime/bottle while the brew is still cold.