Not sure if my barley wine is finished.

[JefeTheVol]

I brewed up a Northern Brewer Barleywine partial mash back in January. I got an OG of 1.089. I pitched an 11g pack of S-05...yes I know now that it was underpitched, but I figured I was just gonna do it anyway. It bubbled for about 4 days and stopped, and I figured that I stressed the yeast but I was going to let them do their job for 4 weeks anyway.

I continuously roused them about everyday and I checked the gravity about 5 weeks into the fermentation. You guessed it 1.045. I went to the LHBS and the guy told me to pitch 2 more 11g packs of S-05, which I did.

That was 2 weeks ago, and I checked the gravity today and it was 1.029, I transferred it to a glass carboy for aging for about 6 months. I know that some BW's finish around that high, but I dont know if that is too high, I dont want to make bottle bombs. What do you guys think? I tasted it and it tastes really good. I searched the forum and couldnt really find a thread with a similar situation. Maybe Im no good at searches.
-Jefe-

 

[Pappers_]

There will still be yeast in suspension in the glass carboy/secondary, so if there is more work for them to do in lowering your fg, they'll do it. But, as you said, 1.029 might be it - the combination of the initial underpitching, we don't know what the expected fg was (you could look at the instructions NB gave you or call them) and with your mash, there is always the possibility that you extracted more non-fermentables then you intended (higher than anticipated temperature).

You're going to age it for 6 months anyway, relax, don't worry, have a home brew - as someone once said

 

[wyzazz]

What a coincidence, I just took my SG on my barleywine and it's at 1.029 as well, that means I'm currently at 13.88%ABV! ;0) Mine has been at it for almost 4 weeks now, and it's expected to go down to 1.018. I'd leave it for a week and take another gravity reading, if it's stable for a few days then rack it!

 

[david_42]

Regardless of where it finishes, after 6 months in the carboy, you won't have to worry about bottle bombs.