Big Belgian Bottle Conditioning - Yeast Question

[Gytaryst]

I'm getting ready to brew a Belgian Quad with an estimated OG of 1.090 and an estimated FG of 1.012. I'm fermenting it with WLP500.

I want to add fresh yeast when I bottle it. I've never tried this but from what I've read it seems like a good idea. I was thinking of using Safbrew T-58 for bottle conditioning just because it's quite a bit cheaper.

My question is - How much yeast do I add for a 5 gallon batch? Is it possible to add too much? I know it's only going to eat whatever sugar I add, but my concern was that if I add too much will I end up with an abnormal amount of sediment in each bottle?

 

[couchsending]

1-2g is all you need, maybe err towards 2 for a big beer. Rehydrate it if you can. CBC-1 is great as well as T-58

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

+1 CBC-1

 

[Gytaryst]

Sounds good. I talked to the guy at my LHBS and he also recommended CBC-1. Since it comes in an 11g packet and you say I only need 2g, I asked him about storage once it's open. He said once it's open, if I'm careful to seal it back up as airtight as possible and store it in the fridge it will probably be good for another 2 weeks.

Not exactly the answer I was looking for but oh well. It's $5 a pack. Even if I have to throw most of it away I suppose it's a small price to pay if it benefits the end result.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Sounds good. I talked to the guy at my LHBS and he also recommended CBC-1. Since it comes in an 11g packet and you say I only need 2g, I asked him about storage once it's open. He said once it's open, if I'm careful to seal it back up as airtight as possible and store it in the fridge it will probably be good for another 2 weeks.

Not exactly the answer I was looking for but oh well. It's $5 a pack. Even if I have to throw most of it away I suppose it's a small price to pay if it benefits the end result.

I fold the packet and seal with tape, then it goes in a ziplock and back in the fridge. If you are successful in keeping the moisture out it can be viable much longer that two weeks. I used this for a stuck fermentation on a quad and it worked beautifully, it is meant for cask conditioning, but will work fine without adding flavors.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I top-cropped the yeast right after high krausen and saved it. When it came time to bottle, I made a 2L starter, used some slurry in my bottling bucket for the quad, and then used the rest for a Belgian blonde at the same time.

Bottled in Belgian-style 750ml at ~3 volumes. Cracked the first one at two weeks and it was glorious.

 

[NTexBrewer]

EC-1118 is another good dry yeast to use.

$0.99 a pack

 

[Jayjay1976]

Make a small starter with the remaining dry yeast, hop it a bit for the preservative effect then decant and store in small jars under a layer of starter beer. Keeps for months and months in the fridge.

 

[Gytaryst]

I top-cropped the yeast right after high krausen and saved it. When it came time to bottle, I made a 2L starter, used some slurry in my bottling bucket for the quad, and then used the rest for a Belgian blonde at the same time.

Bottled in Belgian-style 750ml at ~3 volumes. Cracked the first one at two weeks and it was glorious.

I thought about that. I brewed yesterday. OG was 1.085 and I still have a pound of D-180 to add @ high krausen. I decided the WLP500 is too beat up. Most of what I found said to use fresh yeast to bottle.

From what I understand the yeast used at bottling doesn't have a huge impact on the flavor initially, but it never really stops working so after about 18 months or so it will start to affect the character of the beer slightly. I've never had one make it to 18 months, but I'm going to set some of these aside for that experiment.

My palate is too unrefined to taste big beers at two weeks. I get that alcohol hot boozy thing and that pretty much overpowers anything else that might be going on. That usually mellows out at 4, 5 or 6 weeks and then I can actually start smelling and tasting the other aspects.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I decided the WLP500 is too beat up. Most of what I found said to use fresh yeast to bottle.

That's why I made a starter (for both bottling and re-yeasting at bottling). Pitching a bit of slurry from a fresh starter is going to be the freshest yeast possible. At some point, dry yeast is so cheap that it is largely a personal choice, and for me at least, the cost is negligible since I was making the starter anyway for the wit beer. The fact that I only made the wit because I needed to re-yeast is, um, besides the point It is amusing in a way - making the quad actually involved making two smaller beers plus the quad - a tripel with the yeast for the first time, then harvesting its yeast for the quad, then building the wit for when I re-yeasted. Once I do a dubbel then I will have finished the set!

My palate is too unrefined to taste big beers at two weeks. I get that alcohol hot boozy thing and that pretty much overpowers anything else that might be going on. That usually mellows out at 4, 5 or 6 weeks and then I can actually start smelling and tasting the other aspects.

I was surprised at the smoothness at two weeks in the bottle (after 4-6 weeks primary and another 60 days in secondary). The booziness is pleasant and background, and it was not hot/fusel at all.

Dang it, now I want to do a Belgian amber/dubbel.

 

[Gytaryst]

... (after 4-6 weeks primary...

WOW! 4 weeks is the longest I've ever kept something in primary and that was lighter beers I didn't plan to secondary. I'm just paranoid I guess.

The booziness is pleasant and background, and it was not hot/fusel at all.

Dang it, now I want to do a Belgian amber/dubbel.

The quad I brewed Saturday is the first big beer and the first Belgian I've brewed in almost a year. It was undoubtedly the best brew day I've ever had. Everything clicked exactly as planned, (a first). I can't think of one glitch I ran into. I just added the last pound of D-180 to the primary this evening.

I wasn't sure how to calculate OG since I'm adding the candi syrup at high krausen, so I used Beersmith to figure it with the late addition of D-180 and then figured it without. Without it the estimated OG was 1.086 and I hit 1.085. With the late addition the estimated OG is 1.092, so I'm just going to assume I'm pretty close to that.

I hear ya though! Since everything went so smoothly now I wanna brew a Tripel this weekend. I got a DIPA in secondary I just dry hopped and the Quad in primary so I'm not sure where I'd even ferment another batch. I sure hate to sit back while I'm on a roll though.

 

[snowtiger1987]

I use Red Star Premier Blanc (formerly Pasteur Champagne) for all my bottle conditioning. $0.59 per pack.

 

[bigdawg86]

I use Red Star Premier Blanc (formerly Pasteur Champagne) for all my bottle conditioning. $0.59 per pack.

This is what I used for my BCS clone (1.135OG) and it carbed right up!