Fermenting a Big Beer

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FluffyMuffins

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So, how exactly is brewing and fermenting a big beer different opposed to a "small" beer?
I've heard it can be harder, but how much harder? Yesterday I brewed an Imperial Rye IPA with an OG of 1.122. As of now, the airlock shows fermentation. Will it keep on going as my others have, or will it just stop? What can I expect? What can go wrong? How easy will it be to save it if things go wrong?

Thanks.
 
I wouldn't call it "harder" - hey the yeast are doing all the work, not you! ;).

But there are a few tricks:
- if you mash high, you could get a very unfermentable wort that finishes really high, possibly excessively sweet depending on your goal.
- not uncommon for attenuation to drop, again leaving a relatively sweet beer.
- pitch a big yeast starter. Use mrmalty or yeastcalc.
- may want to aerate again, after either 12 or 24 hours, I forget the timing offhand.
- may want to warm up slightly as fermentation slows, just to help the yeast out. IME, optional.
 
I have a 6.5 gallon bucket and I only got 4 gallons out of this batch. I didn't mash high(temp I'm assuming?). If anything I was a few degrees under my target. I did not make a yeast starter, I used Wyeast 1056. I also have some champagne yeast, should I throw a little of that in as well?

My main concern right now is the airlock. I've been told multiple times that it doesn't really mean anything, but activity has slowed down a bit. It's been 24 hours since I pitched the yeast. About 10 hours in it was slowly bubbling. Now it's even slower.

I know I probably shouldn't worry about it, but I can't help it.
 
Well, you drastically underpitched if you didn't make a starter, so the yeast probably aren't too happy. If it's only been 24 hrs since pitching, I would definitely re-aerate. And pitch another smack pack of 1056.

Regarding airlock bubbles, that's just dogma here because so many folks use buckets. Is your airlock reliable for your equipment? I use glass carboys and orange caps, and in many dozens of batches, my airlock has been 100% reliable. But buckets are leak-prone.
 
I won't be able to make it out the the store to get more yeast, so that's out of the question. I'll re-aerate though.
My airlock has been pretty reliable so far.
 
One smack pack of yeast with no starter is likely going to give attenuation issues with a massive OG of 1.122. Adding more yeast now may help, but it will get increasingly more difficult as the alcohol begins to rise.

A barleywine or RIS can still be very tasty with a FG north of 1.030. I don't imagine an IPA would.
 
The problem is that over the next week the alcohol will be pretty high, so that another dose of yeast will be severely stressed from the get go. I don't think it would be worth the $6 of yeast. If I were you, I'd take gravity readings every 2-3 days to see how its progressing.

If you are stalling out high, maybe you could get an active strong yeast starter going once you can get more yeast. Make a yeast starter by adding 1.5 quarts with 1.2 cups of DME, boil, cool, and pitch smack pack (this is a little stronger starter than usual, ~ 1.050). Wait until it hits peak activity. Then pitch it all as the yeast will be in optimum condition and ready to finish your IPA. Not the optimum practice, but maybe would get you out of a bind.
 
sorry, missed your previous post where you mentioned that you used on pack of 1056, no starter.

that is indeed an underpitch, and a pretty big one at that. MrMalty (http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html) says that even if your yeast was only a week old, which is very fresh, you would need 3.5 packs (or 6.38 liters of starter).

do not add the champagne yeast - they will kill the ale yeast (look up: "killer yeast", "competitive factor") and wine yeasts can't digest maltose.

you should get some more beer yeast in there as soon as you can. make a starter and pitch it at high krausen (at its most active).
 
Big beers require big yeast starters, aeration and yeast nutrient. If you ask yeast to multiply a great deal, they will tire out with a big beer. I also believe that they create more esthers, phenols and higher alcohols if you ask the yeast to multiply numerous times. For aeration, I have gotten better results with pure oxygen. Temperature control is important. You need to keep the temperature within the yeast's recommended zone. If you get 70% attenuation, you are doing very well. I love RIS. I want it to finish at about 1.030 so it has that great rich body. Also, big beers can start like a freight train. A blow off tube is a necessity. It may slow after that and take a month or more to finish. They also have to age before they hit their peek. I brewed my RIS for the winter holidays in January.
 
Hey man. These guys are right about aeration, under pitching and temp control. I have made beers super sketchy and made them properly, and there is a difference that just takes your beer to the next level.

That being said, I've been where you have been... And you will make beer. i would bet the beer won't be too bad either, just not as good as it could be. Sounds like you can't really pitch more yeast... So my advice is to just make sure you wait it out. At least 1 month in the fermenter if not more. I just made a barleywine which was slightly (not as bad as yours) under pitched and after a 3 weeks I transferred it off its yeast bed to clear. 3 weeks later there was a brand new yeast cake in its place. Wait it out, make better beer every batch you make. Cheers
 
Hey man. These guys are right about aeration, under pitching and temp control. I have made beers super sketchy and made them properly, and there is a difference that just takes your beer to the next level.

That being said, I've been where you have been... And you will make beer. i would bet the beer won't be too bad either, just not as good as it could be. Sounds like you can't really pitch more yeast... So my advice is to just make sure you wait it out. At least 1 month in the fermenter if not more. I just made a barleywine which was slightly (not as bad as yours) under pitched and after a 3 weeks I transferred it off its yeast bed to clear. 3 weeks later there was a brand new yeast cake in its place. Wait it out, make better beer every batch you make. Cheers
 
K, here's where I'm at right now. My OG was 1.122 on Wednesday. Now, four day later, my gravity is 1.071. Now, I was thinking about making a starter with the package a champagne yeast I have and pitching that once my current yeast stops. Thing is, I've heard different things about this. I've heard it will work fine and ferment the rest, or that it will barely do anything, and that it will do nothing at all. Which is true? Are all true?
Right now my ABV is 6.69, nowhere near where I want it to be, but it will do if that's all I can get. If it doesn't ferment anymore, how will it taste? Off flavors, grainy or w/e?

Thanks for all of your help thus far.
 
at 1.071 the beer will be extremely unpleasantly cloyingly sweet. Do not throw the champagne yeast in there. My personal best bet would be to make up a large starter of 1056 and throw it in at high krausen.
 
save the champagne yeast for later. wine yeasts can't digest maltose so that will be left behind. champagne yeast is also a "killer yeast", it will kill any sacc in there.

as suggested above: get a high gravity yeast (wlp090, wpl099, 1056, some of wyeast's belgian strains, etc), make a starter, and pitch that at high krausen

I won't be able to get out to the store till Saturday. Will that be too late?
sooner is better, but you should be fine.
 
FluffyMuffins said:
I won't be able to get out to the store till Saturday. Will that be too late?

After a week and a half, the beer will probably be either done or stuck, and pitching more yeast at that point may not help much. Can't hurt though.
 
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