Adding Yeast when bottle conditioning?

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Piglet_Beer

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I have a 30 gallon whiskey barrel of stout that was brewed in... November 2019(?) Do I need to add some yeast when bottle conditioning?

My co-brewer (And brains behind the operation) passed away in November of 2020 from cancer, so he is unavailable to ask what to do next.

Deets - This is the second batch to run through this barrel. When we bottled the first batch, we added a small amount of yeast along with the canning sugar to each bottle. I got the impression that either all the yeast had fallen out of suspension or the % alcohol was high enough that everything was dead inside. It is a stout with a very high ending abv. I do not have access to the recipe we used. It has been in a whiskey barrel since we made it.

Sappy ending - G----- was just the best. I'd ask him some minute question about a brew, and he'd get back to me 20 minutes later having done 15 minutes of research and found 5 different sources. It hurts that he's gone, but I know I took every opportunity to spend time with him when he was around. (notice the 60 gallon sour barrel in my garage anyone?). I'm trying to not mess this up out of respect for him, but also because I want to not mess it up and drink some! Next up for that barrel was a BIG barley wine which I am open to recipe suggestions.

Cheers people!
- Piglet_Beer
 
I am sorry to hear about your brew friend.

About the yeast--yes, you should pitch some neutral dry yeast before bottling, as the previous yeast is probably shot after 2+ years.

Check out the recipe section on the site for barleywine recipes. Other members may chime in with theirs.
 
Yes. 2g per 5gal with CBC-1 and you're golden (12g for your 30gal barrel). General rule of thumb I use: anything aged over 6 months gets new yeast; especially so if it's a harsher beer (i.e. high alcohol, very acidic, etc.).
 
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30 gallons of whiskey barrel stout and then 30 gallons of barleywine

That is going to be some heavy duty drinking.

Also a lot of work brewing 30 gallons to fill it up.

Enjoy ! ! !

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

The only suggestion I could provide is, it might be time to buy some kegs and a kegerator to make packaging easier.

If you are not doing it already, on the sour barrel, brew up say 5-10 gallons, pull a like amount then add in the fresh to replace it, it's called a solara.
This is what I do with my sours.
 
🤘🤘

I think I will grab some packets of safale 04(?) A guy helping with the brew works for a yeast company, and he offered to
30 gallons of whiskey barrel stout and then 30 gallons of barleywine

That is going to be some heavy duty drinking.

Also a lot of work brewing 30 gallons to fill it up.

Enjoy ! ! !

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

The only suggestion I could provide is, it might be time to buy some kegs and a kegerator to make packaging easier.

If you are not doing it already, on the sour barrel, brew up say 5-10 gallons, pull a like amount then add in the fresh to replace it, it's called a solara.
This is what I do with my sours.
 
30 gallons of whiskey barrel stout and then 30 gallons of barleywine

That is going to be some heavy duty drinking.

Also a lot of work brewing 30 gallons to fill it up.

Enjoy ! ! !

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

The only suggestion I could provide is, it might be time to buy some kegs and a kegerator to make packaging easier.

If you are not doing it already, on the sour barrel, brew up say 5-10 gallons, pull a like amount then add in the fresh to replace it, it's called a solara.
This is what I do with my sours.

Re: Kegerator- Had a kegerator setup for years. That was a fun project! I did the classic "Add a collar to a deep freezer, with a CPU van inside". I just can't drink beer like I used to these days and have switched mostly to wine. It was definitely a game changer tho for the brewing experience. Washing bottles is for the peasants.

Re: Sour - Yes, that's the plan. Will probably do 15 or 20 gallons at a time taking it off and fruiting before bottling.

RE: "30 Gallons"... update - His widow just texted me a photo of two more 5 gallon buckets full of this stout. I had forgotten that we overfilled the barrel and he let these two sit in the plastic buckets fermenting. Some people keep secret wives/loves/families hidden. G****** kept barrels of beer and stashes of supplies throughout his house and the greater Denver metro area.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! Appreciate ya!
 
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