Bottle Conditioning a Carboy Aged Barleywine

[Fugglupagus]

Wine yeasts can't consume maltose (or other more complex sugars) that make up the majority of the fermentables in beer (Shea Comfort show 11.23.08 = awesome). They can only eat simple sugars. So even if your original beer yeast quit early, whatever sugars that may be left won't likely be consumed by the champagne yeast. In other words, the champagne yeast is only capable of eating your priming sugar, nothing else.

FWIW, I don't think any yeast strain is "tolerant" of going from 0% abv to 10% abv. To survive that kind of shock I tend to think yeast health would be more important than yeast strain.

If you're thinking about doing another barleywine (or other big beer), pulling some healthy krausen from one to prime the other might be fun . . . . . .

Northern Brewer has recommendations on pitcing rates. Looks like they suggest 100k cells/ml. Anyone know if that should be more for a high alcohol brew?

[brewinhard]

I will always pitch 2.5-5 grams of rehydrated champagne yeast (I prefer Lalvin EC-1118) along with my cooled priming sugar solution into my bottling bucket with any beer that is 8% ABV or higher. The champagne yeast only costs about $1 and it is quite alcohol tolerant and can work well in low pH environments (think fermented beer). It just gives me that little bit of extra insurance knowing that there is fresh yeast willing and able to consume the priming sugar to bottle condition a beer that much time and money was spent on producing. Believe me, you will be glad you did. I learned the hard way by having to open up a 5 gallon batch of RIS and innoculate it with fresh yeast slurry in each bottle just so it would carbonate properly. Sheeeesssshhh....What a PITA!

[Tygo]

For my annual super wee heavy (1.126 - 12+% ABV) I bottle after about 6-8 months in the secondary. I usually throw in a pack of US-05 along with the priming sugar. Overkill probably. Half a pack would probably work just as well.

It takes at least two months in the bottle before it's starting to come up to the proper carbonation level.