Do I need to add yeast for bottling?

[Northcalais40]

I've got 10 gallons of Septemberfest Ale that took 3 weeks to ferment down to 1.014 from OG 1.060. Used Wyeast Am Ale II that I washed back in May. Seemed like a very slow ferment. I am worried that the bottle conditioning will be super slow if I don't add some yeast.

Any advice? How much Safale US-05 should I add for each 5 gal. carboy?

 

[Reno_eNVy]

You're probably fine but the $2-4 for US-05 is probably worth the peace of mind. Just mix the packet it into your bottle bucket at bottling time and you'll be good to go! :rockin:

 

[3PegBrew]

I believe you should not add anything except your priming sugar concoction. The key to proper bottle condition is not to rush it. I've found that after a week of sitting I take each bottle and do a very slow 360 turn to loosen the sediment at the bottom to reaffirm proper utilization of conditioning. I mainly do this because of prior issues with conditioning. It doesn't hurt to do it either.

 

[ElDuderino]

I was hydrating and adding about a half packet per 5 gallon carboy at bottling time, but I've gone back to just adding priming sugar and letting the bottles sit for two to three weeks. Patience and 70 degree temps will take care of it. There is still yeast in the bottle...

 

[kanzimonson]

Normally I'd say you don't need to add any, but there's no reason that yeast strain should have taken so long to ferment unless you just didn't pitch enough yeast to begin with. There's really no harm in pitching half a packet per batch, but I do have one suggestion: since US05 is slightly more attenuative than Am Ale 2, you might want to pitch the (rehydrated) yeast in and let it sit for a day or two before bottling. The new yeast might find some extra sugars to ferment, and you don't want to accidentally overcarbonate your bottles. Waiting a few days shouldn't have any negative effects on the new yeast.

 

[doctorRobert]

I use the same yeast strain, another yeast strain could ferment different sugars in the wort, causing bottle bombs or over carbonation. One option would be to pitch the yeast a couple days before, giving it a chance to go through any residual sugars the new yeast might find appetizing, and then cold crash, then bottle.

 

[ChrisNH]

I just brewed a barley wine from a recipe that has instructions to add yeast 3 days before bottling. I was concerned about using a different strain (I pitched Wyeast Am Ale I). It also has a dry hop. Do I need to worry about an interaction there? That is.. should I rack again to get it off the hops before I repitch or can I just add the yeast at the end of the dry hop?

I was also considering racking into the bottling bucket and pitching the yeast into that.. waiting for 3 days.. then cooling and bottling.

Thanks for the help.

Chris

 

[joeldp144]

I wouldn't add anything except priming sugar. There should be adequate yeast for conditioning.....even after a secondary.

 

[ChrisNH]

I think the reasoning in the recipe was that since the OG was so high that the extra yeast at the end would help ensure good attenuation and avoid exploding bottles.. is this not a worry? I guess it would depend on the FG reading I get.

Chris