Help with barley wine secondary

[hlmbrwng]

I am making an English-style barley wine. Some details:
OG 1.119
Mostly UK 2-row
Mash at 153
Primary yeast: WLP005 (British Ale Yeast)
Secondary: ?? something neutral with slightly higher attenuation

I made a 2L starter and oxygenated (pure) twice. Once before pitching and once at about 18 hours. The yeast starter slow, but then started going crazy for a few days. After a week, the gravity is now 1.038. That's about 66% attenuation and WLP005 is rated at 67-74% attenuation between 5-10% ABV.

I like a semisweet barley wine, and more so the English style than American. I don't like the bitterness levels in American versions. I think the barley wine is a little too sweet and would like to get maybe 70% attenuation. So, I really don't want to pitch a second yeast that will dry it out. Any recommendations of a yeast strain that will only attenuation a little bit more, but not too much? And one that handles up to about 12-13% ABV.
Should I wait until the end of 2 weeks to see where it's at? Yesterday (day 8) I increased the temperature from around 68F to about 70F.

 

[cubalz]

I cant imagine another 4% attenuation will do much for changing the sweetness profile all that much for a big beer such as yours. Regardless, instead of re-pitching more yeast I recommend letting it go for at least another 2 weeks if not more. Keep in mind that carbonation will make the beer taste less sweet.

 

[MaxStout]

With a 1.119 OG and 1.038 gravity now, you're just a shade over 10% ABV. That yeast is on the upper end of its alcohol tolerance. It might be weakened. Then again, it's only been in primary 1 week. That's a big beer. Give it another couple weeks, and take a gravity reading.

 

[jekeane]

I have a 1.112 E barleywine that finished at 1.024 and it is plenty sweet.

 

[Kent88]

Why not the ever-popular WLP001?

And just for reference: WLP005.

I usually don't encourage adding more yeast after so much of fermentation is finished, but it looks like 005 isn't recommended for something this strong.

 

[hlmbrwng]

Why not the ever-popular WLP001?

And just for reference: WLP005.

I usually don't encourage adding more yeast after so much of fermentation is finished, but it looks like 005 isn't recommended for something this strong.

My intention from the beginning was to use a second yeast to finish out fermentation. I like the esters from the WLP005...i.e. I didn't want something as clean as WLP001. I was recently at White Labs in San Diego and they had a split batch of barley wine, one with WLP001 and one with WLP005. I preferred the WLP005 over the other. I had a feeling I would need to add the WLP001 or something similar after a week or so. But I wasn't sure if I should wait longer or pitch something now. And secondly, I'm hoping for advice for which yeast to use.

How does attenuation work as far as a second pitch with a different strain? If, for example, the first is rated at 70% and the second is rater at 80%, will there just be an additional 10% potential? Or are we not talking 80% of the new gravity, i.e. attenuation 80% of the 1.038?

 

[Kent88]

How does attenuation work as far as a second pitch with a different strain? If, for example, the first is rated at 70% and the second is rater at 80%, will there just be an additional 10% potential? Or are we not talking 80% of the new gravity, i.e. attenuation 80% of the 1.038?

Well you went from 1.119 to 1.038, that is 66% attenuation and 10.63% ABV. You're within one point (0.001) of the lower end of the usualy attenuation of that strain.

If you we were to pitch WLP001 into new wort with a gravity of 1.038, we'd expect it to tear through that pretty well. A FG of 1.01 would bring that to WLP001's lower range of the expected attenuation.

But for one yeast to go from 1.119 to 1.01 would give it an attenuation of 91% and an ABV of 14.31%. WLP001 is actually rated to handle 15%, according to White Labs (though I doubt that many homebrewers could get that high of an ABV, or if they are, I'm not getting invited to those parties).

But consider the environment you'd be putting a new yeast into. Probably a low cell count of new yeast, low oxygen, high alcohol, and all of the easiest sugars to ferment have already been fermented out.

I'd guess that racking onto a WLP001 starter could bring it down to somewhere between 1.030 to 1.022, and at 1.022 you're looking at an ABV of 12.73%. But that is just a guess.

Here is something just for fun, they talk about a 14% barleywine (recipe):

 

[hlmbrwng]

Thank you for the video.

The BCJP guideline for English barley wine is:
Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.080 – 1.120
IBUs: 35 – 70
FG: 1.018 – 1.030
SRM: 8 – 22 ABV: 8.0 – 12.0%

So I think I will add WLP001...probably another 2L starter decanted.

 

[Kent88]

Be sure to follow up when the gravity stabilizes, I'm interested in hearing how this goes.