Barrel Aged Barleywine--Priming Sugar and Yeast?

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Franktalk

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I have had a five gallon batch of 8.5% barleywine in a bourbon barrel for 6 weeks, and it's ready for bottling. A sample has convinced me that it's ready, and that it has the perfect amount of bourbon and oak flavor and aroma.

So, will I have to add yeast with my priming sugar to carbonate it or just priming sugar? I fermented it with S04 yeast in primary before racking to the barrel.
 
6 weeks? You're just fine not adding additional yeast. Long term aging is more what you're looking at when needing to reyeast. Four months and beyond is when I start to consider it.
S04 is high flocculating. High gravity does not help vitality.
 
If it makes you feel better add it at the rate noted above. That said, proving you pitched enough yeast to begin with for a big barleywine (ie.more than one package) you should be just fine at six weeks post-brewday. It doesn't matter how flocculate the beer is, even if it's crystal clear, they're still some yeasties in there.
 
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