Stuck Secondary?

[BeerPirate]

I've got a question about Champaign Yeast in the secondary. I'm brewing a Christmas ale that is supposed to reach around 13.5% alcohol. The primary firmentation went great and was over in just about a week. I tested the alcohol content by checking the gravity, I got around 8.5%, 1.125 after boiling and 1.060 when I transfered from the primary to the secondary. The recipe calls for a package of Champaign Yeast to be pitched into the secondary. So far I've seen no activity. I don't know how Champaign yeast acts, if it is slow or if the firmentation looks much like a primary firmentation would appear. Any suggestions?

 

[PT Ray]

Lack of aeration, or viable champaign yeast? Maybe try making a starter with champaign yeast with yeast nutrients and pitch. If it is a recent brew with that high of a gravity and plans on it being ready for Christmas would be a hard act to accomplish. This would be something I would leave in the secondary and forget about it. Only after at least six months would I even judge the final gravity.

 

[SwAMi75]

You didn't mention your current gravity. Have you checked it recently?

 

[trailmix]

and a recipe PLEASE!!!

 

[david_42]

Champaign yeast is much slower than ale yeasts. It starts slowly and generates very little CO2. 'Methode Champenoise' sparkling wines can take three years. Your secondary fermentation will probably take 4-8 months to use up as much sugar as the primary did in a week.

I've got a barley wine, which I finished with champaign yeast, that is still burping after 2 1/2 years in the keg.

 

[ScottT]

I've got a question about Champaign Yeast in the secondary. I'm brewing a Christmas ale that is supposed to reach around 13.5% alcohol. The primary firmentation went great and was over in just about a week. I tested the alcohol content by checking the gravity, I got around 8.5%, 1.125 after boiling and 1.060 when I transfered from the primary to the secondary. The recipe calls for a package of Champaign Yeast to be pitched into the secondary. So far I've seen no activity. I don't know how Champaign yeast acts, if it is slow or if the firmentation looks much like a primary firmentation would appear. Any suggestions?

O.K. the reason for adding the Champaign yeast in the secondary is to continue firmentation of the sugar after the ale yeast has reached it's alcohol limit. I would Pitch a starter at peak firmentation due to the fact that you won't have an oxygen stage in the secondary.

For future brews, may I suggest White Labs WLP099 http://www.whitelabs.com/gravity.html instead of a seconday addition of Champaign yeast. Both will firment out your sugars and finish dry but you can accomplish it with one yeast running it's cycle.

 

[The Happy Mug]

Using a stainless steel airstone and bottled O2, you can pump enough oxygen into your brew to provide enough O2 for another yeast pitch, in this case the champaigne yeast. Due to the lack of O2, it probably didn't do much but flocculate.

And, to second what Trailmix asked, a recipe would be nice for the rest of us!

 

[ScottT]

Using a stainless steel airstone and bottled O2, you can pump enough oxygen into your brew to provide enough O2 for another yeast pitch, in this case the champaigne yeast. Due to the lack of O2, it probably didn't do much but flocculate.

And, to second what Trailmix asked, a recipe would be nice for the rest of us!

I'm sorry but I must disagree with this advice. You never want to introduce oxygen into a secondary. You will cause your brew to oxidize and stale. The only time to ever introduce oxygen is during the very first stages of primary fermentation.

Repitching yeast in a secondary to try and attentuate the small amount of available sugar that your first pitching didn't get is just that, not another primary. Due to the lack of available food, the yeast won't propigate enough to use up the available oxygen and this will stale your batch.

 

[The Happy Mug]

Crap. Sorry, I was pretty drunk that night. Ignore my advice, I was thinking primary.