6 replies to this topic

[AGrandDesign]

how I do it: All grain, 5 gal batches Probably being paranoid but thought I'd ask, just in case....Have been brewing just over a year and decided it's time to tackle a big boy beer. I got all my stuff together and - even though it's my 13th batch and I was brewing on Friday the 13th - damned the torpedoes and went full speed ahead. And, despite some brew day challenges, have a bruiser in the fermenter. Even though little activity from the yeast in the first 24hrs day two brought a brown-foam spewing bubbler on the fermenter. Hasty bucket surgery while slinging star-san everywhere made the switch from a double bubbler to a double blow-off tube setup, which, when in place sounded like panting scuba divers. Even today it's still perking fairly steady.Now I had ratcheted down efficiency when calculating my grain bill but apparently was able to keep efficiency up as I missed high on my OG...hit 1.098. Which is the basis of the question - since I had only bought 3 vials of White Labs 001 I am now concerned I underpitched (even with the gas-o-matic fermenter) and my yeast will run out of steam.So the nut of it is: assuming I do have a too-high FG when the yeast quit, what's the best method to bring it down? Another vial of 001?...001 and move to a secondary...start walking a rightous path?Any advice would be appreciated.

[Slainte]

You're not too far off. MrMalty says you need 330 billion cells. 3 vials will give you about 300 billion cells.https://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

[ColdAssHonky]

I'd let it ride and only look to start fixing things if a problem rears up.

[MtnBrewer]

So the nut of it is: assuming I do have a too-high FG when the yeast quit, what's the best method to bring it down? Another vial of 001?...001 and move to a secondary...start walking a rightous path?

I would go the ounce of prevention route. By the time fermentation has finished there's not much that can be done. So, make sure to limit unfermentables, pitch a large quantity of viable yeast, use yeast with high attenuation, etc. By the way, what is your FG?If you do end up with a high FG, what you do to fix it depends on why the fermentation stalled in the first place. If you've reached the alcohol tolerance of the yeast, pitching more of the same yeast won't help; you'll need to pitch a more tolerant strain. If there simply aren't any more fermentables, then about the only thing you can do is add Beano (which I don't really recommend, btw). Raising the temperature near the end of fermentation might help too.

[AGrandDesign]

Thanks.Just trying to be a bit ahead of the curve (for a change). I have a bad habit of second guessing myself when faced with a brewing "opportunity".

[Stout_fan]

If it wind up being close, please post a recipe.thanks.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I was looking over the latest issue of BYO magazine last night that I recieved Dec 2009 and the style profile is on brewing a RIS. I plan to read it tonight since I have never brewed one. I believe there was a clone recipe of Yeti in an earlier BYO issue too. They might have it in their recipe archive on their website. None the less I would be interested to see a posted recipe from the OP on this one too. Good Luck.I don't know of much more you could do but raise the temp at the end of primary to try and bring down the FG as much as possible.