My 14% stout is flat after 9 weeks

[Spol73]

My 14% imperial stout was aged in brandy barrel for 3 months with cayenne peppers. Awesome beer except it's still flat after 9 weeks in bottles. 5oz of priming sugar, 70 degrees room temperature, clean bottles. All check. Shook it every two weeks....
Considering adding us-05 (or champagne ?) to some of the bottles, move rest to warmer room. Any thoughts?

 

[Steveruch]

I'd keg and force carb a beer that strong.

 

[Spol73]

I would too. Not an option right now.

 

[hvjackson]

Champagne yeast should be able to survive that alcohol content. No need to add any more sugar.

 

[Mainer]

What yeast did you ferment on? Is it possible that the yeast's alcohol tolerance is less than your current 14%?

 

[Spol73]

Us-05

 

[jan_b19]

I think (not sure), US-05 has an alcohol tolerance of 12% so trying to carb with US-05 won't even make a difference. Go with the champagne yeast.

 

[Schecter]

Champagne yeast a bottle. Age it out 2 weeks to carb. I'd do literally one to avoid losing such a quality beer. What gravity is it sitting at? Champagne yeast could over do it...

 

[Steveruch]

I think (not sure), US-05 has an alcohol tolerance of 12% so trying to carb with US-05 won't even make a difference. Go with the champagne yeast.

I've read posts with people claiming over 15% with S-05.

 

[Spol73]

Did 2 6 pack batches with us-05 and champagne each. Will keep you posted. Thanks all.

 

[505-Brewer]

Lesson learned. Re-yeast big beers.

 

[jan_b19]

Well, you can go over alcohol tolerance if you keep your yeast healthy, and all that It's possible that the yeast wasn't that healthy after 3 months in a oak barrel.

 

[Spol73]

The attenution wasn't that great to start with. I never ariated the wort (nowadays I do). Added a pocket of champagne yeast after 2 months in barrel which helped with residual sugar. Sweetness is as expected in this type of beer.

 

[Cyclman]

Big beers take forever to carb IME. Reyeasting can't hurt, but with time I expect they'll carb up.

 

[Abrayton]

I had a Belgian Quad (12% ABV) that wasn't carbed after three months. I popped the tops, used a syringe to add a few drops of CBC yeast to each bottle, and recapped. Within a week the beer was fully carbed. Just had one last night after more than six months in the bottle and it's fantastic!

 

[oli-aus]

Champagne yeast?! Surely that risks drying the beer out in the bottle more and due to the big F.G of an imperial stout could definitely cause bottle bombs.

As I understand it champagne yeasts ferment super dry like saison yeasts and can access longer chain sugars/carbs than the majority of other sach strains.

 

[Chanoc]

I once bottled a mead that was too sweet adding water the dilution re-started the yeast and caused a couple bottle bombs.
No yeast or sugar was usesd.
The remaining bottles were consumed early and the two remaining uncapped and recapped.
They've been sitting down ok.
Yeast was S04. ABV was not recorded but must be around 12-14
It was a small 1 gal batch. 8 each 500 ml bottles.
No notes on this one as was sort of an experiment

 

[pdxal]

Champagne yeast?! Surely that risks drying the beer out in the bottle more and due to the big F.G of an imperial stout could definitely cause bottle bombs.

As I understand it champagne yeasts ferment super dry like saison yeasts and can access longer chain sugars/carbs than the majority of other sach strains.

Champagne yeast will only ferment the priming sugar and any remaining simple sugars in the beer, it won't go after dextrins and maltoses.
That's why it is a good choice for priming.
It does have a competitive factor, though, that will kill beer yeasts.

 

[Schecter]

Champagne yeast will only ferment the priming sugar and any remaining simple sugars in the beer, it won't go after dextrins and maltoses.
That's why it is a good choice for priming.
It does have a competitive factor, though, that will kill beer yeasts.

Due to the high alcohol percentage of the beer already, the original yeast may have dropped out due to tolerance. This means there could be residual sugar that is fermentable, which is why the concern of bottle bombs is a valid concern when adding a yeast with higher tolerance. It is a good choice for priming because if the beer fermented dry and the original yeast isn't healthy or seemingly active from prior carbonation attempts, the champagne yeast will usually fully ferment the priming sugar and at a quick pace to allow popping caps in 2 weeks. All hail S. cerevisiae!

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

I had a 13-14% Imperial Porter fail to carb last year. Wound up making a starter of CBC-1 and adding about 1 ml to each bottle. That fixed it.

I'd suggest that over champagne yeast.

 

[myndflyte]

Maybe it goes without saying but if you are going to add yeast, don't add any more priming sugar. If they are still flat, I'm willing to bet the sugar is still in there ready to be eaten.

 

[olotti]

CBC-1 is all you need to know. Half a packet rehydrated added to 5 gal at bottling solves any guessing. I've had big 11-14% ris carbed in 2-4 weeks. Heck I even add it to my 9% ris just to be on the safe side since I always let my ris sit in primary for atleast 1 month and the bigger ones I secondary and add adjuncts for 6 months to a year, never had an I carbed beer yet.

 

[Spol73]

CBC-1 is all you need to know. Half a packet rehydrated added to 5 gal at bottling solves any guessing. I've had big 11-14% ris carbed in 2-4 weeks. Heck I even add it to my 9% ris just to be on the safe side since I always let my ris sit in primary for atleast 1 month and the bigger ones I secondary and add adjuncts for 6 months to a year, never had an I carbed beer yet.

Beer or wine yeast?

 

[z-bob]

I would probably pop the caps and add a few drops of hydrated Premier Cuvee or EC-1118 yeast to each one.

I've never used CBC-1, but that's a good choice too if it has high enough alcohol tolerance.

 

[jwelch1103]

Practically every over 10% ABV beer I have made and bottled failed to carbonate even after waiting several months. This lit a fire under my butt to move to kegging. Recently I decided to try an experiment since I have many cases of flat big beers in my cellar. I bought dry champagne yeast and with a helper opened one bottle at a time and using a very small stainless measuring spoon put in approximately 1/16 teaspoon of yeast in each bottle and recapped immediately with an O2 absorbing cap.
I gave them a good shake after capping and can report that the small amount I did this with (one 6-pack from each of 4 batches) are now carbonated. It was a pain in the neck but better than dumping the beer. Now I need to do this to the rest of them.

 

[olotti]

Beer or wine yeast?

CBC-1 stands for cask bottle condition yeast made by danstar, it's specifically made for beers like long conditioned or high abv beers that are going to be bottle conditioned for a length of time and need a yeast to referment in the bottle, keg or cask to provide carbonation.

 

[Spol73]

CBC-1 stands for cask bottle condition yeast made by danstar, it's specifically made for beers like long conditioned or high abv beers that are going to be bottle conditioned for a length of time and need a yeast to referment in the bottle, keg or cask to provide carbonation.

Thank you

 

[olotti]

Practically every over 10% ABV beer I have made and bottled failed to carbonate even after waiting several months. This lit a fire under my butt to move to kegging. Recently I decided to try an experiment since I have many cases of flat big beers in my cellar. I bought dry champagne yeast and with a helper opened one bottle at a time and using a very small stainless measuring spoon put in approximately 1/16 teaspoon of yeast in each bottle and recapped immediately with an O2 absorbing cap.
I gave them a good shake after capping and can report that the small amount I did this with (one 6-pack from each of 4 batches) are now carbonated. It was a pain in the neck but better than dumping the beer. Now I need to do this to the rest of them.

Again like I suggested to the op use 1/2 pack CBC-1 rehydrated in 2 oz boiled and cooled water, I cool to 90 add the yeast then let it cool on its own to about 70 then add to the bottling bucket with my priming sugar if bottling, if you keg then just let it sit somewhere at 70 deg and in 2-4 weeks your beer will be carbed.

 

[jan_b19]

Oh before i forget. Was there any yeast on the bottom of the bottles? If not there's no yeast in suspension if there was then they just need way more time to carb. The longer your secondary or agin the longer it might take for the beer to carb.

 

[Spol73]

Update. Over a month after starting this thread the beers are still flat. That's like 3 month + since bottling! Even the 6 pack with champagne yeast (few grains) and Belgium yeast are flat. Damn! Loosing my patience. I think I'll add more champagne yeast...or buy a keggetor perhaps.

 

[Chanoc]

Put beer on soda bottles with Carbonating arrangement and give them a shot of CO2
I did mine with a Tire Inflating valve from a Motorcyle wheel.
Not long term or proper solution.
But may allow you to drink them.