65 replies to this topic

[earthtone]

lol nuclear, ok well I'd get it into the mid to high 60's. Champagne yeast doesn't put up much krausen or anything so you probably won't notice a ton of activity but give it some time. It took 3 weeks for my liquid stupid to drop from 1.096 to 1.010 and I had to rouse the yeast with a gentle swirl every day to get it there.

[pods8]

Its been warmer up here, did you guys get the snap down there? If so any notable progress on this?

[ColdAssHonky]

Its been warmer up here, did you guys get the snap down there? If so any notable progress on this?

We also got some much warmer weather here, though it's gone now. I strapped a heating pad to the outside of the fermenter and between that and the recent heat, it has had constant airlock activity. Since it needed to come down from 1.060 I've just left it alone and will probably take another gravity reading this week and if it has finished will bottle this weekend.

[pods8]

We also got some much warmer weather here, though it's gone now. I strapped a heating pad to the outside of the fermenter and between that and the recent heat, it has had constant airlock activity. Since it needed to come down from 1.060 I've just left it alone and will probably take another gravity reading this week and if it has finished will bottle this weekend.

Yeah it left here too. Keep those yeasts warm enough and they'll treat you right. After it finishes let it rest in secondary for a bit, the age will help plus if you still have a point or two to ferment out slowly you'll avoid possible bottle bombs.

[ColdAssHonky]

When I'm comfortable that it has attenuated as low enough, I have the option of either bottling with some new yeast to carbonate or kegging it and bottling from the keg. Given that I'll be aging this for about a year would there be arguments to one direction or the other?

[DubbelEntendre]

My first barley wine is finishing up right now as well. I plan on bottling it because I don't want it to take up room in my keggerator. Also, I will be too tempted to drink it if it is kegged. Also, I will be able to save some for years to come.If I had a beer gun or a counter pressure filler, I might force carbonate is and then bottle it. But, I don't have that, so I'm adding yeast, bottling it, and letting nature run its course once they are capped.

[pods8]

When I'm comfortable that it has attenuated as low enough, I have the option of either bottling with some new yeast to carbonate or kegging it and bottling from the keg. Given that I'll be aging this for about a year would there be arguments to one direction or the other?

If you have easy means to bottle off the keg I'd just do that. If not bottle it ahead of time but I don't really think even more yeast is needed since it sounds like you tossed in some champagne yeast already. Just keep them warm (70 shouldn't be an issue with summer coming) and realize it could take a month or two to carb up.

[earthtone]

If you have easy means to bottle off the keg I'd just do that. If not bottle it ahead of time but I don't really think even more yeast is needed since it sounds like you tossed in some champagne yeast already. Just keep them warm (70 shouldn't be an issue with summer coming) and realize it could take a month or two to carb up.

+1

[ColdAssHonky]

I'm leaning more towards bottling from the keg at this point just to be done with this one and not worry about bottle conditioning. As long as I'm capping on foam, there shouldn't be much of an issue with prolonged storage...?

[pods8]

I'm leaning more towards bottling from the keg at this point just to be done with this one and not worry about bottle conditioning. As long as I'm capping on foam, there shouldn't be much of an issue with prolonged storage...?

What means are you using to bottle off the keg? Are you just using a tube off the tap and filling a bottle up or using a CPF or beergun? If doing the basic tube type thing you're likely going to have lower than desired carbonation levels. A CPF or beer gun would be fine for long term storage in my book. Its a bit more hassle bottling off keg but you get guaranteed carbonation levels and I usually wait till the beer has been on tap for a bit and is cleared up so I'll end up with a more or less sediment free fill.

[ColdAssHonky]

What means are you using to bottle off the keg? Are you just using a tube off the tap and filling a bottle up or using a CPF or beergun? If doing the basic tube type thing you're likely going to have lower than desired carbonation levels. A CPF or beer gun would be fine for long term storage in my book. Its a bit more hassle bottling off keg but you get guaranteed carbonation levels and I usually wait till the beer has been on tap for a bit and is cleared up so I'll end up with a more or less sediment free fill.

I'm using a DIY method I found on another site.Force carb to desired level or a touch moreInsert piece of racking cane through drilled stopper that fits in bottle and the end touches the bottom of bottleInsert top end of racking cane in cobra tapFill and relieve pressure as needed by "burping" the stopperPlace cap on filled bottle, tilt back and forth a bit to get some foamCap on foamDoing it this way, I've opened bottles a month later that had great carbonation and no apparent adverse effects. My only doubts here are about long term storage though I've read about others doing it this way and not have issues.

Edited by MyBeerPants, 23 April 2009 - 08:44 AM.

[earthtone]

I dunno, maybe it's because I bottle all the time and don't have kegs as an option yet..... but your DIY method sounds like it'll take more work than just priming and bottling would....You're going to wanna age this baby for a while longer anyways so why not just bottle condition and let the magic happen in bottle?

[ColdAssHonky]

I dunno, maybe it's because I bottle all the time and don't have kegs as an option yet..... but your DIY method sounds like it'll take more work than just priming and bottling would....You're going to wanna age this baby for a while longer anyways so why not just bottle condition and let the magic happen in bottle?

The process is actually pretty smooth when you get the hang of it. I'm on the fence with this one. One one hand, I could transfer to a clean keg for bulk aging, force carb after 6 months or so and use the DIY method or bottle it up now with a bit of sugar and let it condition.Either way, it'll be beer. Maybe not the finest example of a barleywine, but it sure has been a huge learning experience for me. The next one will benefit from all of this.

[pods8]

As long as your DYI method doesn't foam over a ton then it should be decent. However if you don't plan on drinking any off tap just bottling it might be easiest.

[ColdAssHonky]

As long as your DYI method doesn't foam over a ton then it should be decent. However if you don't plan on drinking any off tap just bottling it might be easiest.

Heh, I know some people do it, but having barleywine on tap around my place would be a really bad idea.

[pods8]

Heh, I know some people do it, but having barleywine on tap around my place would be a really bad idea.

No having a belgian strong/tripple on tap with people that can't tell its deceptively strong it a bad idea... I run 5 taps so I'll usually sneak a BW in or such on at least one, just remember to "play the field" so to speak if you're hitting the taps hard.

[earthtone]

haha yeah no kidding, having BW or a nice strong belgian bottled and in the fridge is bad enough!!I can imagine things get ugly with something deceptively strong on tap! I guess we could call out AlphaMale and ask how he's holding up - I hear he just cracked a year old keg of Liquid Stupid....

[ColdAssHonky]

haha yeah no kidding, having BW or a nice strong belgian bottled and in the fridge is bad enough!!I can imagine things get ugly with something deceptively strong on tap! I guess we could call out AlphaMale and ask how he's holding up - I hear he just cracked a year old keg of Liquid Stupid....

Yikes, I have the recipe logged in the to do pile, but it'll get bottled for sure.

[pods8]

haha yeah no kidding, having BW or a nice strong belgian bottled and in the fridge is bad enough!!I can imagine things get ugly with something deceptively strong on tap! I guess we could call out AlphaMale and ask how he's holding up - I hear he just cracked a year old keg of Liquid Stupid....

You can ask my buddy if he ever got all the puke out of his passenger window track while his wife drove him home from my place one night... We had been drinking a bit over dinner and then hit my pad for some more drinks. As he was pouring his third or fourth pint of a Belgian Strong I had on tap I said "you do know that is a 10+% beer right?", he didn't. They are divorced now... Not my fault I swear!

[Mudd]

I'm leaning more towards bottling from the keg at this point just to be done with this one and not worry about bottle conditioning. As long as I'm capping on foam, there shouldn't be much of an issue with prolonged storage...?

Do you have a keg with the pressure relief valve? (can't rember if they all do)I thinking about fermentable sugars that still may be in the beer.IF there are still sugars..IF you bottle and store in a warm dy place..Will you lose some/many bottles to bottle bombs? I realize that bottle bombs don't happen that often, but still...