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Champagne Yeast

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songman

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Am brewing a Russian Imperial Stout and a Barey Wine. My question is regarding adding Champagne Yeast to the secondary fermentor. Do you just hydrate it and add to the wort or can you make a starter for this yeast strain?
 
What's your primary yeast? Target ABV of the batch? IMO/IME, adding champagne yeast won't do much if the recipe is made right. I used Wyeast 1728 in a wee heavy that went to 12.5% ABV. If your target is far above the beer yeast tolerance, then you'll need to add more yeast. You'll also need to acclimate the yeast to the batch it's going into. A modified starter will do that for you (different than a standard beer starter).

Personally, I would give the batch more than enough time in primary and then see if it even needs more yeast.
 
I used white labs British ale yeast for the stout. OG was 1.086. I would like the FG to be at least 1.010. The barley wine yeast is white labs calfornia ale 001 and is in the starter flask right now started it Sunday and stepped it up Monday. I will probably brew it on Thursday.
 
Chances are, champagne yeast won't be able to eat anything the ale yeast didn't already. If it finished too high, then it's more along the lines of the recipe you used. You can try using champagne yeast, but I seriously doubt it will do anything for the batch.

I made an old ale early in my brewing life. I wanted it to finish with a lower FG, and added a packet of EC-1118... Didn't do a damned thing to the FG. Carbonated up quickly, in bottles, but otherwise zero benefit.

Proper recipe formulation, and yeast selection, will do MUCH more for the batch than trying to band-aid it with champagne yeast.
 
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