Bottle Conditioning my first high gravity beer

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Clacks95, Apr 20, 2019.

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  1. Clacks95

    Clacks95 Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2019 Georgia

    Howdy folks. First time posting.

    I just brewed my first high gravity beer. It’s a wheatwine with a starting gravity of 1.113 and a finishing gravity of 1.020.

    I bottled it into bombers on Monday. It spent 14 days in primary fermentation and I didn’t do a secondary. I’ve got the bottles stored in a basement with no real ambient light and at an average temperature of 64-68 degrees.

    I opened a bottle last night after 4 days of conditioning just to A) taste it. I didn’t pull a sample for myself before bottling and I dumped my hydro sample. B) try to determine if my yeast is still healthy and active.

    I got a small hiss of air but the beer didn’t have any perceived carbonation at all. Is this normal? Should I be concerned? How long before I should expect CO2 to make its way into my beer? I dissolved 3.5oz of priming sugar in a half cup of warm water and gently stirred it into my bottling bucket. My batch size was 3.5 gallons.

    ***for a flat beer it tasted damn great. It got a generous hop schedule of Fuggles early on in the boil and a few late additions of galaxy. It showcased the hops really well but wasn’t anything that resembled IPA levels of bitterness or hop aroma. Really stoked about this brew!
     
    #1 Clacks95, Apr 20, 2019
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I wouldn't even bother checking it before 3 weeks. And it may take quite a bit longer for a big beer like this.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Apr 20, 2019
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  3. Push_the_limits

    Push_the_limits Initiate (0) Feb 8, 2018 Antarctica

    Next time, if you'd like, you can fill a small plastic soda bottle, such as a 500ml coke bottle, to continuously monitor the process without opening more beers. You can check the pressure by squeezing it. When the test bottle feels very firm and is constant, bottle fermentation is likely complete. Takes 3+ weeks.

    Store these test bottles in a very dark place because sunlight enters them much more readily than brown glass.
     
    #3 Push_the_limits, Apr 20, 2019
  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Higher gravity beers can take longer (e.g., > 3 weeks) to reach full carbonation. Patience is key here.

    Just out of curiosity did you add some fresh yeast to the bottling bucket when bottling?

    Cheers!
     
    #4 JackHorzempa, Apr 20, 2019
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  5. Clacks95

    Clacks95 Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2019 Georgia

    That’s a fantastic suggestion man thanks!
     
    #5 Clacks95, Apr 20, 2019
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  6. Clacks95

    Clacks95 Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2019 Georgia

    No I didn’t think to. I figured since it only spent 14 days in primary with no secondary, my yeast should still be nice and healthy. Maybe a bad assumption?
     
    #6 Clacks95, Apr 20, 2019
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  7. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    You will know more in a few weeks.

    I have brewed a few high gravity batches but none as high as your batch of 1.113. I have a couple times added fresh yeast while bottling and on others I didn't. All of those batches carbonated just fine given time.

    The notion is that higher gravity beers result in higher ABV values and this higher alcohol environment can 'damage' the yeast which could potentially mitigate their ability to conduct a proper secondary fermentation within the bottles. This aspect is likely strain and batch dependent.

    Some folks like to add fresh yeast when bottling higher gravity beers as a matter of 'insurance' that you have viable/vital yeast for bottle conditioning.

    The fact that you reported of "I got a small hiss of air" indicates to me that your yeast is 'working' and I would expect that given sufficient time in the bottle your beers will be carbonated.

    Please report back in a few weeks and let us know.

    Cheers!
     
    #7 JackHorzempa, Apr 20, 2019
  8. GormBrewhouse

    GormBrewhouse Pooh-Bah (2,111) Jun 24, 2015 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    I don't bother opening big beers till they are 5-6 weeks in the bottle. Then , after opening 1 wait another month to open another. Big brews need time to mellow and mature not to mention carb up.

    Try saving 1 for a year and then sample. You may find waiting greatly improved your big beers.
     
    #8 GormBrewhouse, Apr 20, 2019
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  9. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I use cask conditioning yeast, and reach full carb in 2 weeks.
     
    #9 SFACRKnight, Apr 21, 2019
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  10. Clacks95

    Clacks95 Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2019 Georgia

    CBC-1? And if I were to pitch a small starter into a bottle with priming sugar... would there be anything keeping me from doing so? Could I open a bottle, pitch some starter, recap it, and let it roll for 2 weeks.

    We’re hoping to get to taste this beer at some point here soon so we can determine the viability of the recipe before we brew a larger batch to barrel age.
     
    #10 Clacks95, Apr 21, 2019
  11. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I had a batch that didnt carb at all. I uncapped the batch, and used sterilized tweezers to drop a few grains of CBC into each bottle. I recapped and two weeks later had perfectly carbbed stout. I bottle condition all my big beers, so I dump about a quarter of the bag into my bottling bucket, rack the beer in, and dump another quarter bag in and slowly stir the beer as I add my priming sugar. Haven't had an issue since.
     
    #11 SFACRKnight, Apr 21, 2019
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