65 replies to this topic

[ColdAssHonky]

I know I should have been keeping tabs on my child, but I thought it was responsible enough to be left unattended. Sadly this is not the case with my first barleywine. After fermenting (or not) in the back hall at about 60 degrees for the last month it has dropped from 1.102 to 1.060. I dumped in a packet of Nottingham I had laying around and am attempting to bring the heat up a little bit with a space heater. $400 heating bills are not conducive to keeping any room in the house over 63 degrees (and that's only for about 6 hours a day).The full recipe is below... any suggestions? Since it's already gone a month sitting on the original yeast am I going to have issues leaving it there along with the new yeast? I don't have any other fermentation vessels to rack it to.Thanks!Recipe: EAD Bitchin' BarleywineBrewer: EricAsst Brewer: Style: American BarleywineTYPE: All GrainTaste: (35.0) Need to ferment a little warmer and pitch from a large starter, not cold slurry.Recipe Specifications--------------------------Batch Size: 5.00 gal Boil Size: 6.69 galEstimated OG: 1.117 SGEstimated Color: 16.2 SRMEstimated IBU: 97.5 IBUBrewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %Boil Time: 80 MinutesIngredients:------------Amount Item Type % or IBU 9 lbs 15.2 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) (FH Jan-09) (2.0 SRM) Grain 45.23 % 9 lbs 3.2 oz Maris Otter (NorthCountry Feb-08) (3.0 SRMGrain 41.82 % 13.6 oz Victory Malt (FH Nov-08) (25.0 SRM) Grain 3.86 % 8.0 oz Brown Malt (Home Toasted MO Feb09) (65.0 SGrain 2.27 % 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (FH Nov-08) (12Grain 2.27 % 1.00 oz Centennial (HD Sept-08) [10.26 %] (80 minHops 24.3 IBU 1.00 oz Nugget (Freshops June-08) [11.50 %] (60 mHops 23.5 IBU 1.00 oz Chinook (Freshops Oct-08) [12.74 %] (60 mHops 26.0 IBU 1.50 oz Cascade (HopsDirect Feb-08) [8.00 %] (20 Hops 14.8 IBU 1.50 oz Cascade (HopsDirect Feb-08) [8.00 %] (10 Hops 8.9 IBU 0.25 tsp Olive Oil (Primary 5.0 min) Misc 1.00 tsp Cinnamon (Ground) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 1.00 tsp Foam Control - Boil (Boil 60.0 min) Misc 1.00 tsp Foam Control - Fermenter (Primary 0.0 min)Misc 1.00 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 1 lbs Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 4.55 % 1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale 1 Pkgs SafAle S-05 American Ale Slurry (DCL YeastYeast-Ale Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash OutTotal Grain Weight: 21.00 lb----------------------------Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash OutStep Time Name Description Step Temp 80 min Mash In Add 36.75 qt of water at 161.1 F 150.0 F

[dagomike]

All I got is try warming it up to 68-70 for a week or so and see if it budges. From there, maybe make up a starter and pitch it while active. If you're going to repitch, I guess might as well rack it to a new container. If you get activity, you might be in for a few more weeks and that yeast is probably pretty beat up.

[jwatkins56550]

did you oxygenate at all, or just rely on the olive oil?

[ColdAssHonky]

All I got is try warming it up to 68-70 for a week or so and see if it budges. From there, maybe make up a starter and pitch it while active. If you're going to repitch, I guess might as well rack it to a new container. If you get activity, you might be in for a few more weeks and that yeast is probably pretty beat up.

Hopefully the pack of Notty will do something, but if nothing after a week a may have to convert a keg to a fermenter in order to rack to new yeast from starter.

[ColdAssHonky]

did you oxygenate at all, or just rely on the olive oil?

I did a fairly lackluster aeration job, just whipped up the kettle to a froth and poured into fermenter.

[jwatkins56550]

did you pitch the right amount of yeast?

[ColdAssHonky]

did you pitch the right amount of yeast?

It wasn't an active starter, but I used 2 cups of S05 slurry from a recent cake.

[Bearphin]

I'm guessing the temp had the biggest effect on this. If you can get the temp up to the high 60s, it should help with the addition of the Nottingham, although the dry yeast may have issues without much 02 in the mix.

[Cheatin Bastard]

All the answers above are good tips.I have found good results with barleywines by using a $25 heat wrap. A good investment.Uses very little electricity and with a temp controller you can dial it in.Start low and keep ramping up the heat after hitting the yeasts peak.C.B

[ColdAssHonky]

Thanks for the tips. Late last evening and into this morning there is consistent airlock activity, so I have to imagine there's something going on in there. I'll take a gravity reading in a couple days to see if it's budged at all.At what point, if at all, would you say it's time for champagne yeast or beano?

[pods8]

At what point, if at all, would you say it's time for champagne yeast or beano?

I wouldn't even come close to thinking about either of those till you've had that carboy up to atleast 68 degrees for a while. A big beer like that isn't going to want to ferment nicely at cool temperatures using an ale yeast, they get tired out in the cold/alcoholic environment. You can only stack so many hurdles in front of yeast before they crap out. I got money that it'll ferment out just fine if you warm it up. If you're worried about the heat bill just put an adjustable temperature heating pad (for you back or whatever) under the carboy and wrap it in a blanket.Edit: Or if you're wanting to work with the space heater but the fermentor/heater into a closet of such so you're not having to heat a whole room. When I first started and had less equipment I'd use my hot water heater closet a lot in cold weather.

[ColdAssHonky]

I wouldn't even come close to thinking about either of those till you've had that carboy up to atleast 68 degrees for a while. A big beer like that isn't going to want to ferment nicely at cool temperatures using an ale yeast, they get tired out in the cold/alcoholic environment. You can only stack so many hurdles in front of yeast before they crap out. I got money that it'll ferment out just fine if you warm it up. If you're worried about the heat bill just put an adjustable temperature heating pad (for you back or whatever) under the carboy and wrap it in a blanket.

*gives up man card*I may steal the heating pad from my fiancee's hairless chihuahua...

[earthtone]

I wouldn't consider beano but the champagne yeast can be a nice trick to dry out a big beer without altering the flavour profile you have already achieved. Wait and see how the notty does and if it poops out still in the 30's or something IMHO it's fine to add half a pack of rehydrated champagne yeast to finish the work!

[Jimmy James]

One of the Brett strains - can't remember which - was found in casks used to age Old Ales I think. Maybe trying to take it down from 1.060 with Brett alone won't lead to a very true-to-style BW, but at some point you might consider Brett to help get it down to where you need it. As long as there's no oxygen you shouldn't get too much sour, just more barnyard/funk. Just a thought.

[ColdAssHonky]

One of the Brett strains - can't remember which - was found in casks used to age Old Ales I think. Maybe trying to take it down from 1.060 with Brett alone won't lead to a very true-to-style BW, but at some point you might consider Brett to help get it down to where you need it. As long as there's no oxygen you shouldn't get too much sour, just more barnyard/funk. Just a thought.

I have yet to fool with the funk, but I'll keep that suggestion in my pocket for down the road.

[Deerslyr]

*gives up man card*I may steal the heating pad from my fiancee's hairless chihuahua...

There is something wrong when the chihuahua has a heating blanket but the beer doesn't!!!I made an Old Ale wit the 05 yeast, but I racked it directly onto the entire yeast cake. Fermentation was fast and furious. Give the other recommendations a shot, but if need be try the champagne as a last resort and then when you go to bottling, add back in some lactose to bring back some body and sweetness that you are probably looking for.

[pods8]

One of the Brett strains - can't remember which - was found in casks used to age Old Ales I think. Maybe trying to take it down from 1.060 with Brett alone won't lead to a very true-to-style BW, but at some point you might consider Brett to help get it down to where you need it. As long as there's no oxygen you shouldn't get too much sour, just more barnyard/funk. Just a thought.

Oh there are different tricks up the sleeve like this we can bust out if this truly gets stuck but this is like the human hypothermia adage: "They're not dead till they are warm and dead." Warm it up first and foremost. If its still stuck we can get it rocking again. A 1.102 beer stuck at 1.060 isn't a big challenge.Now if anyone has an idea on the 1.210 beer that I got stuck at 1.060 when the WLP099 crapped out at 18% alcohol on me...

[earthtone]

Now if anyone has an idea on the 1.210 beer that I got stuck at 1.060 when the WLP099 crapped out at 18% alcohol on me...

hit it with a pack of lalvin 1118!

[pods8]

hit it with a pack of lalvin 1118!

Lalvin EC-1118 (Prise de Mousse)This is the original, steady, low foamer, excellent for barrel fermentation or for working on heavy suspended pulps. It is one of the most popular wine yeasts in the world. It ferments well at low temperatures, flocculates well, and produces very compact lees. It is good for Champagne bases, secondary (bottle) fermentations, restarting stuck fermentations, and for late harvest grapes. It is also the yeast of choice for apple, crabapple, cranberry, hawthorn, and cherry wines. It has excellent organoleptic properties and should be in every vinter's refrigerator. Alcohol toxicity is 18% and it ferments relatively fast. It tolerates temperatures from 39-95° F. It is not, however, tolerant of concurrent malolactic fermentation.

Already at that point. The environmental conditions to try and kick off a yeast is not a good one...

[japh]

Well, being in Portland, it got much warmer the last few days, has it done anything?