Bottling a 12%RIS question!...Help!!

[Hoofer]

6 gallons of RIS has been bulk aging for 1 mo at 60° and another month at 72° on bourboned madagascar vanilla beans and oak. It tastes great and I dont want to muck up the final step which is bottling. After 2 months will I still have enough yeast in suspension to just add priming sugar and bottle as normal? Should I add some dry yeast to the solution and if so how much?
Thanks for the help cause Im really paranoid about bottling this batch. This is the first time Ive bulk aged before bottling a big stout and I want to be ready for the holidays.
If I was gonna keg it would be EZ!

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

I would suggest mixing a packet of CBC-1 in along with the priming sugar, based on my experience and the alcohol content.

 

[Kent88]

I've helped a friend brew a big RIS before. I believe he used S04 and gave it a few months to carbonate and I think if it had been any more carb'd they would have exploded.

 

[Easycreeper]

I've had success with EC-1118 (champagne yeast) carbing big beers as have others who frequent the forum. It's only going to consume the priming sugar unless you have any other unfermented simple sugars left over. High tolerance means it should carb very quickly.

It's less expensive than CBC-1 too... Cheap insurance if your primary strain is pooped out.

Don't forget to rehydrate before pitching at bottling time. That will help distribute the yeast better when transferring to the bottling bucket.

 

[Hoofer]

Added a pack of CB1 to cooled priming solution, let the yeast rehydrate for 20min and gently stirred into the RIS and bottled. But before all that I poured and enjoyed myself a half glass of the uncarbed stout!

 

[Calder]

You didn't say what yeast you used. At 12%, it will be weak and will take a long time to carb, if it ever does. Add rehydrated champagne yeast to bottling bucket as insurance. It will still take a while, but will eventually get there.

 

[olotti]

I would suggest mixing a packet of CBC-1 in along with the priming sugar, based on my experience and the alcohol content.

This^ I brew a big 11-12% every year on my sons bday and let it age on oak and other adjuncts for up to 6-9 months then bottle it on his bday and brew the next batch a month or so later. I always use 1/2 pack CBC-1 rehydrated along with the priming sugar and I'll have bottles carbonated in a month if not just over. Use the CBC-1 and you'll have no probs.

 

[Hoofer]

I added a pack of CBC1...thanks everyone!

 

[troxerX]

I would suggest mixing a packet of CBC-1 in along with the priming sugar, based on my experience and the alcohol content.

+1, super late to the conversation!. The approaches recommended here will work for regular stouts. From my experience, for pastry stouts (>11%) with FGs above 1040 and other higher alcohols (bourbon, rum, others) you will need a small strong yeast starter with servomyces, lots of nutrition and CBC-1, F2 or any other stronger tolerance yeast. The density and viscosity of the beer will prevent anything from working and spreading uniformly on the beer if not pitched on a starter. Reason is that your original yeast will be already too weak or dead after a couple months and you will need a new yeast population before bottling. Once you pitch the starter and the 2nd mini fermentation of the whole beer is over then you add your priming sugar or carb tabs and proceed with bottling. Another added benefit of CBC-1 or F2 is that these are the identified yeasts used by Tree House to condition their beers and you might get their creamy carbonation profile as well. Cheers!