Corking Belgian Ales

[smokinghole]

To ensure carbonation you can always add a touch of champagne yeast at bottling. I do that on my bigger brews as added $1 per packet insurance.

 

[Golddiggie]

To ensure carbonation you can always add a touch of champagne yeast at bottling. I do that on my bigger brews as added $1 per packet insurance.

I added some yeast a couple of weeks back, since I wasn't sure if the original yeast was done, but there was still fermentable sugars left. Doesn't look like it did too much (if anything) to the FG numbers.

Since this is my first time using the Belgian style bottles, I'm learning what needs to be done to get them right. Next batch should be much better. I figure that if the cork is a little low, the carbonation will push it up a hair (to where the cage can really grip)... I do plan on adding something to help stop the corker when it's at the correct depth for next time.

I'm actually looking at bottling up an old ale in some more of these bottles (pretty cheap for a case, so why not) next weekend. The old ale is in the 8-9% ABV range... Thinking that I can add the EC-1118 yeast to it a few days before I rack to the bottling bucket. Or would you just add it along with the priming solution? With the old ale, I am going after more carbonation (about 2.2-2.4 volumes)... I'm planning on taking a SG reading, and taste within the next couple of days. If it still isn't where I want it (more for flavor) then I'll let it ride another week (it's sitting on oak chips right now)... I've had it on oak since 1/14/11, so another week (or two) shouldn't hurt... Looking at a total of at least a month with medium toast oak for that one.

 

[smokinghole]

I add the yeast right in the bottling bucket. Not an entire packet about a half teaspoon. Based on the assumption there's approx 20billion cells of yeast per gram of dry yeast so even using as little as 1g measured you'd have plenty. I never measured a half teaspoon of dry yeast but it isn't much.

 

[BierSnob]

I added a whole propagator to the bottling bucket of the original Wyeast strain what was used during ferment.
According to Brew Like a Monk Belgian brewerys add around 3 million cells per milliliter. Most strains of beer yeast are good to about 10% the Belgian strongs are a bit more. At least the ones I've used.

 

[Sheldon]

So I asked for and was "given" a hand corker for my belgian style bottles. Now, after reading I get the impression that you really need a floor/bench corker to get the cork into the bottles. Can I get some insight from those that have worked with a hand corker? Is it hard/worth the effort or should I just go and buy the larger capping bell for my hand capper? I appreciate the difference in appearance between a capped and wired cork, but I am after ease rather than toil.

Thanks,

Sheldon