RIS Conditioning Time-Frame

[tolkheleknar]

Set-up: We've got a RIS (OG: 1.096, Recipe here [over sparged, heh], pitched with a starter that was a mixture of White Labs Super High Gravity yeast and British Ale yeast, as our Dry English Ale yeast came spoiled in the vial) which has been fermenting for about three weeks now and I have a couple of questions for the learn-ed beer wizards of this esteemed forum.

1) I know three weeks is about the time-frame for bottling for lesser beers, but (obviously,

I know I should let this one go for longer because it's huge. How long much further do you think I should let it go for until bottling? A couple of side notes: I am terrified of opening it up to check the gravity multiple times lest I infect it somehow and ruin it. I cracked the seal on a (pitched with a dead WL hefe vial, ugh, we are making a starter EVERY time from now on) weizenbock we had going and the sucker has lactobacillus forming a pellicle in secondary out the wazoo now. Hoping it magically turns into a decent sour, but that's beside the point. I'm also leery of taking the RIS off the primary yeast cake because I want the majority of the fermentation to go along as much and as quickly as it can.

2) So I guess thoughts? Comments? Tell me I'm a derp in need of some serious brewing therapy? Our next beer is (probably) going to be a barleywine, so general advice for conditioning out HG beer would be most welcome from you, esteemed colleagues.

 

[el_kirk]

I wouldn't hesitate to give it three weeks more, if you've only had it on the yeast for three so far. The beasties will do plenty of good in the time they're in there, and big beers usually take longer to finish when I make them.

Are you going to pitch extra yeast when you bottle it? It's not uncommon for folks to do that for bigger beers, either.

Generally for bigger beers you need lots of healthy yeast, good temperature control and patience. Then you should age the beer for a good long time. I know you didn't want to hear that, but I have a RIS that I brewed in early June that just keeps getting better. Some details on that beer are here...

Half of it has been put away for a while, and the other half gets pulled out for special occasions from time to time.

 

[Polboy]

I brew RIS last night, im going to keep in in primary for 3-4 weeks than 2ndary with oak for 3 months or so, than bottle with some yeast addition (yet not sure what kind) and wait... wait...wait till cold days of 2012