I have brewed a Russian Imperial Stout for the second time and want to know if I should take the beer off the yeast after the 1st week? The last time I did this same recipe using this yeast I took it off the yeast after a week and racked into secondary with cherry purée and whisky soaked oak. I left it in secondary for 3 months then bottled even though the gravity stalled at 1.030. The beer didn't carbonate with the bottling sugar and I wound up carbonating in a keg. It took the beer 8 months to mature, and at 8 months it was very good. This time I made a 2quart starter and 2 viles of yeast hoping to cut down on the maturation time. My question is, should I skip secondary and add my cherry purée and oak on top of the yeast or is that a bad idea?
It it not necessary to get the beer off the yeast that fast for any beer style. Most styles may actually benefit to allow the yeast clean up after it self in primary for a couple of weeks. I would rack off the yeast to an extended secondary after 3-4 weeks in primary. Cheers and good luck
I would add some fresh US05 at bottling. I do that with most high gravity brews. Especially after an extended secondary. I will also second that 1 week in primary is way to short. Definitely go at least 3-4 weeks.
And after that month in primary, rack into secondary with the cherries and oak? Or should I put the cherries into primary after a week or two while the yeast is still active?
I would never rack off of the yeast in just a week...besides allowing fermentation to finish (which it sounds like you didn't allow the yeast to finish fermenting your first batch), the yeasties need to clean the wort up for a little while or you risk off flavors. Leave the beer in the primary and dont even worry about a secondary, just add your cherries and oak after at least 3 weeks or so, so the yeast can do their thing correctly. Imperials are known for being difficult to carb, but if you add yeast at bottling to help carb, and the beer isn't finished fermenting, as it sounds like with your other batch mentioned, you will just make some crazy bottle bombs.
There will be plenty of active yeast still in suspension to eat at the cherry sugars in secondary. I plan on doing 'almost' this exact thing here shortly (minus the cherries). Primary for 4 weeks. Rack off primary into a secondary fermenter that already has your oak/cherries added to it. Let it sit in secondary for at least 3 months, then I'd add like a half packet of US-05 along with the correct amount of priming sugar to the bottling bucket. I don't think you can fail with that method. Good luck!
I'm not at the level of a lot of folks who contribute in this forum, but I am now drinking a batch I fermented with WLP099. Here some observations, bearing mind I forget a few specifics and am too short on time to look them up now. It was a high gravity batch, to which I also added 2 pounds of raw buckwheat honey and 2 pounds if table sugar. The FG was too low to measure with my cylinder combo, but theoretical ABV according to Brewcipher was >15%, and it tastes like it. I let it sit on the yeast for 5-6 weeks before bottling. It took another ~6 weeks in the bottle to mellow and really start to come into its own. It continues to improve after another month+. I classify it as a Barleywine. The behavior of the WLP099 was a little different for me than US05, for example. Instead of a rapid fermentation and then it all being over, thus stuff just chugged along eating everything in site. It stayed in suspension for a really long time, and I wait until the yeast drops as the main indication that fermentation is wrapping up (before I bother measuring sg). I'm also (recently) am in the practice of letting the first week of fermentation happen in my basement, then moving it upstairs where it's warmer to finish up. I am having much better results in terms of achieving full fermentation this way. Cheers!
