Tripel Trouble

[Markonthebus]

In my first attempt at home brewing I got a bit cocky and went with a belgian tripel extract kit from Northern Home Brewer...I used the Wyeast smack pack as recommended, however, I only used one. The primary fermentation went well, the specific gravities measured where they were supposed to...racked to secondary and am ready to bottle...my question is, should I be concerned about under carbonation? Is there a way to make sure there is enough yeast to carb? I would hate to have this batch turn out flat.

Thanks,

 

[Fionnbharr]

You can always simply *wait* several months, and let the yeasties do their dance of love -- even if there isn't a lot of them around. Eventually, they will grow and carbonate and everything will turn out well.

Eventually.

And then they'll reach a point where the in-bottle CO2 and other (yeast) waste-products balances their growth, and the process will stop.

It may not be quick enough to your liking, but it will all turn out OK in the end.

And, yes; a Belgian Tripel for a first-time brew is very cocky. Very Do-able, but cocky nevertheless. Cockiness, er, I mean "Fearlessness", in a brewer is a good thing.

 

[coypoo]

As long as fermentation is complete you could add some more yeast at bottling time. Higher alcohol brews actually hinder yeast, so if it's big enough you might have killed all the yeast. S04 is a good re-yeasting yeast as it is very flocculant. Use about 1/4 or less of the pack and add it to the bottling bucket. Make sure that you gently stir it in to make sure it is evenly distributed. Good luck