Conical "re-pitching"

I have porter that finished a bit high. 1.070-ish to 1.025. It's still pretty sweet, and I'd like to get a little more attenuation out of the yeast. I know that racking sometimes induces a little extra fermentation activity, but my beer is in a conical, and I don't have anything to rack 15+ gallons of beer into.

So, here's what I did: I dumped the yeast into a sanitized flask, then immediately poured it back into the beer (avoiding aeration at this stage). Hopefully I reinvigorated it a little, and it drops a few more points. As soon as it's below 1.020, I'll be happy.

If what I did affects nothing, it's still a decent beer. 6% ABV is nothing to scoff, and it does taste pretty nice.

I'll keep you posted.

at 64% attenuation, i'd say you've got a ways to go.

so just to make sure i understand...you dumped some of the yeast cake from the bottom of the conical and repitched it, correct?

i'm not sure without more agitation that it will really get much of the yeast back into suspension...it may just drop again...but i'm just speculating

what kind of starter/yeast count did you start with and how long has it been fermenting?

DeathBrewer said:

so just to make sure i understand...you dumped some of the yeast cake from the bottom of the conical and repitched it, correct?

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Exactly.

I'm not sure that I've affected any sort of activity at all, but I don't think I hurt anything, either. I started with a 3L starter - not quite as big as I should have, but it was pretty healthy. It's been a little over 3 weeks, and activity has ceased. Gravity is constant over several days.

The fermentation was VIOLENT, but petered out pretty fast. It was a yeast that I've been re-using a ton. I think it's spent. The beer has an almost Belgian quality to it from the yeast, but it was supposed to be clean PacMan. I guess a bunch of batches over a year is enough.

You may try some Beano, it sounds a bit nutty but i had some luck with it in a batch of saison that i did, it stalled out around 15 and i was really wanting to dry it out and get the FG down around 8 so, on the advice of a way more seasoned homebrewer than myself i crushed up two beano tablets and added them to my secondary. it took a few days to get rolling but it got my FG where i wanted it. One of the only things is that you have to get the beer into a keg as soon as it gets to the gravity that you want because the beano will keep working and the only way to stall the extra fermentation is to get the yeast to go dormant. I am actually having a pint of the Saison right now. hope it works out for you,

Cheers

Actually, I put two Beano tabs in along with the yeast. I just failed to include that info in the OP. I hope something happens, but I won't be too disappointed if the yeast is just plain done. I'm over 5% ABV right now, and it tastes decent.

if you're bottling, i'd worry about them going boom. if it tastes alright and you're kegging, then i guess it'd be ok

I'm kegging. Good point on bottling for the Beano proponents out there.

whats the recipe?? maybe your fementiable sugar is gone and there is nothing more for the yeast to eat.
JJ

I got good conversion on the AG Pilsung Porter recipe in the database. I think there's some sugar left. If it's not fermentable, a little Beano should change that.

Yuri_Rage said:

I got good conversion on the AG Pilsung Porter recipe in the database. I think there's some sugar left. If it's not fermentable, a little Beano should change that.

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I am not really up on the Beano addition... Whats it do to the unfermentiables??
JJ

The beano breaks down complex (unfermentable) sugars into simple (fermetable) sugars.
Yuri, it seemed like it took mine about aweek for it to really get going after the beano addition, so it may just take a little time for them to start working and actually convert the sugars.

Cheers

wop31 said:

The beano breaks down complex (unfermentable) sugars into simple (fermetable) sugars.
Yuri, it seemed like it took mine about aweek for it to really get going after the beano addition, so it may just take a little time for them to start working and actually convert the sugars.

Cheers

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question??? if you break down unfermentable sugar to a fermentable sugar what is left of the sugar??
JJ

Jaybird said:

question??? if you break down unfermentable sugar to a fermentable sugar what is left of the sugar??
JJ

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It's exactly what happens in the mash:

(to paraphrase and butcher the chemistry pretty badly

Enzymes take relatively long carbon chains of starches and "snip" them into shorter chains that make up sugars. Some of the sugars are still too complex ("long") for yeast to eat. More enzymatic activity will further "snip" the long carbon chains into simpler sugars (the long chains become two shorter chains of simpler sugar molecules).

Jaybird said:

question??? if you break down unfermentable sugar to a fermentable sugar what is left of the sugar??
JJ

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Same thing that happns to the rest of the sugar it turns in to alcohol. thats how yeast works:
1. Eats sugar
2. Poops Alcohol
J/k

Cheers


I think that i know what you are asking, about residual sugars? I am not quite sure but i know that beano does a good job if you are trying to dry out a beer.

wop31 said:

Same thing that happns to the rest of the sugar it turns in to alcohol. thats how yeast works:
1. Eats sugar
2. Poops Alcohol
J/k

Cheers


I think that i know what you are asking, about residual sugars? I am not quite sure but i know that beano does a good job if you are trying to dry out a beer.

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yes.. But do you loose the flavor that is imparted in the brew? if You ferment a complex sugar will you still have the flavor that, that sugar adds to the beer?? or do you loose the complexity of the sugar altogether
JJ