High-grav fermentation question

[stjackson]

This weekend I'm going to brew up my first really big beer. 5 gallons of a barleywine that should start out around 1.118 (recipe from BCS). I'll be harvesting WLP001 from a blonde ale on Friday to use in the batch. Here are my questions:

1. I usually ferment in a 6.5-gallon bucket; will there be enough head space for this fermentation? I have a 5-gallon carboy as well, so I could split the batch into two vessels to avoid a messy accident.

2. Is my yeast likely to be too stressed to bottle condition after such a heavy fermentation? I don't plan to open a bottle of this for at least 6 months after packaging, so I don't mind if it takes a long time to carbonate; I just want to make sure I have healthy enough yeast to make it happen.

Thanks for the help!

 

[stjackson]

I'm not usually one to shamelessly bump one of my own threads, but seeing as no one has even looked at it since I posted this afternoon...bump.

 

[bcgpete]

1. The 6.5 gal bucket is pushing it, but you should be fine, just rig a blow off tube. Splitting it into 2 vessels isn't a bad idea either, I've done this, works fine.
2. You might want to pitch some dry yeast at bottling just to be safe. I've made barleywines/stouts with similar OGs, and both have carbed up just fine without extra pitching, so it really depends on the type of yeast and how healthy they are to begin with.

You said you are harvesting from a blonde ale. Just one bottle? Making a starter? You'll need a pretty large starter, and a good week or two to get the starter large enough, especially if harvesting from just one bottle, that takes a bit of time.

edit: everything cmybeer said. temp control is important. and for some reason I didn't even think that you would be pitching onto a cake.

 

[cmybeer]

1. You could do a 6.5 gallon fermentor but put a blowoff tube on. And at the very, very least put it in a swamp cooler and keep the initial fermentation temperature down low. I'd say around 60* to start with. Use some ice if you need to. Then let it go up a bit after a few days. If you have a fermentation chamber, obviously use that. Either way, blowoff tube right off the bat. Don't even think about it.
2. It can't hurt to add a little yeast at bottling for this. Maybe a half package.
3. (That's right, bonus info of things that I didn't do on my first horrible barleywine) If you are using used yeast I would just pitch this one on the entire yeast cake. Others may disagree, but at least that way you know you have enough. This beer is big enough to do it. After the initial active fermentation has slowed down, I would lightly swirl the carboy two or three times a day for a week or two in order to keep the yeast in suspension so they can properly finish the job. Temp control, temp control and temp control right away. I know I already said this, but especially if you pitch on the yeastcake these huge beers can get away from you in quickly in the first day or two and you don't want those problems in your finished beer.