Bottling Sour Beer

[omega3]

My sour is 6months+ old and is where I want it and Im ready to bottle. I want to put some dry champagne yeast in to help with carbonation. Do i use the whole pack? Can i just put it in the bottling bucket. Should i rehydrate it and if so whats the best method?

Thanks in Advance

 

[Majafoo]

So is mine, but you have to wait. If there's still complex carbs to be broken down then the bugs will continue to munch on it and make CO2. If you bottle too early you will have bottle bombs, that's why you're told to wait a year before bottling.

 

[omega3]

I understand but this is done. it was a saison that I split and used white labs American farmhouse. I didn't make it for a sour so there wasn't a whole lot there in the first place. And it crystal clear.


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[BigPerm]

I understand but this is done. it was a saison that I split and used white labs American farmhouse. I didn't make it for a sour so there wasn't a whole lot there in the first place. And it crystal clear.


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What's your FG? How long has it been stable? If its stable for a couple of months, you're probably fine and it may mature in the bottle too.

As to your original question, half a pack is probably fine. No real reason not to use the whole thing though. All of this is of course contingent on your SG being sufficiently low that champagne wont attenuate any further.

Cincinnati? Bloatarian? Me too!

 

[omega3]

Yes it's been stable for some time now. Nothin happening it's crystal clear. And yes and yes. Would you rehydrate it just put it in the bucket


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[BigPerm]

Yes it's been stable for some time now. Nothin happening it's crystal clear. And yes and yes. Would you rehydrate it just put it in the bucket

I rarely rehydrate. I'll add mine as soon as the beer cools down the priming sugar in the bucket. It will rehydrate itself during the time it takes to rack and get set up for bottling.

 

[omega3]

Thanks man


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[sweetcell]

half a pack is fine. rehydrate by sanitizing a bowl, putting a little water (like a quarter cup) that is 100*F, sprinkle yeast on top, let site for 15 minutes, mix with a sanitized spoon, give it another 15 minutes, then pitch in to you bottling bucket

Yes it's been stable for some time now. Nothin happening it's crystal clear.

"crystal clear" doesn't mean much for a sour. mine have dropped clear before the bugs are done. don't depend on clarity. and bugs don't create krausen or visible churn, so "nothin happening" isn't indicative either. could be done, could not be.

 

[omega3]

I agree with that. But as I was saying the recipe wasn't for a sour. So there wasn't a lot of complex sugars. It was at 1.008 after primary which leads me to believe that there can't be much left after 6 months. I tasted it to it's got some funk to it.


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[youreanimpulse]

If it's American Farmhouse it could easily be done. Lots of folks bottle that at 4 mos. Just do the measurements. I'm drinking mine right now, a Citra Saison. FG reached at like 2 mos, bottled at 4 (2 more identical measurements later, 1.002). Love this blend. Mmmmm... Oh, and I didn't need more yeast, it carbonated correctly in a week and stayed there. But that was at 4 mos. primary.

 

[Majafoo]

I agree with bigperm, if the gravity has been stable for a month or so then it probably will be safe to bottle. I usually rehydrate with a very small starter and pitch it in the bottling bucket.