I have a keg of Barleywine that I brewed, OG 1.096, FG 1.020 that I would like to bottle condition and age. I plan to add my dextrose dissolved in boiled water and mix it into the keg. But should I add a yeast charge, too? I fermented this with WLP002 and don’t think I can count on enough of it to be in solution after a month of cold conditioning. I was considering adding a package of US-05 when I add the priming sugar. I plan to bottle using my Blichmann Beer Gun to reduce exposure to oxygen.
You will probably be OK without it, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to add a small amount of yeast at bottling as an insurance policy. I wouldn’t add a whole pack. A gram or two will be more than enough to carbonate a 5-gallon batch. I made the mistake of adding half of a pack of US-05 to a 3-gallon batch of barleywine once. The beer turned out fine, but there was a huge slug of sediment at the bottom of each bottle.
Commercial breweries who bottle-condition will often filter the beer, then add back a very small amount of yeast for bottling. You really don’t need much to carbonate a beer.
Thanks for the advice. I would have dumped the whole packet in. I’ve often wondered how companies like Bells bottle conditions with little if any sediment. Your advice makes perfect sense.
You need a surprisingly small amount of yeast to carbonate beer. When I reyeast at bottling and I have dry yeast available I just tap a few out of the sachet into each bottle.
Maybe I’m confused: if you already have a keg of beer then why are you adding more priming sugar and yeast? Why not just bottle the already carbonated beer?
The keg isn’t carbonated, I’m just cold crashing it right now. But you make a great point. I could easily carbonate the beer and bottle. I’ve been reluctant to do so because of the additional effort I think it takes to keep foaming to a minimum.
So, that’s another great question. Should I force carbonate my Barleywine, then use the Beer Gun to fill the bottles?
And why do breweries like Bells bottle condition rather than force carb and counter-pressure fill like other breweries?
I’m also wondered/curious… I’ve never bottled always kegged. After cold crashing to get it clear,now I’m going to add sugar and yeast to carb,only to get sediment in bottom of bottles.
So could we force carb, then bottle with a beergun or a counter-pressure filler…
Seems easier. Or do some styles benefit the traditional way to carb such as barleywines
I would think that with the small amount of yeast needed to bottle condition that it wouldn’t make much of a difference because the esters and flavors have already been produced. You’re just using the yeast and priming sugar to force CO2 into solution. Force carbonation is pretty much forcing CO2 into solution without the two to four week waiting window while the yeast work.
the missing piece is o2 uptake. the yeast will absorb any o2 introduced during racking and bottling. this will reduce the effects of oxidation on the beer as it ages. Additionally, as the level of carbonation increases it become more and more difficult to bottle from the keg and not get excessive foaming.
I suppose you could try for the best of both worlds - force carbonate to a low level, then add just the slightest amount of sugar at bottling just to wake up the yeast and finish the last half-volume or so. That should minimize the sediment in the bottle, but hopefully allow for the yeast to take up the small amount of O2 introduced at bottling.
Great idea, Eric. I like it. I’ll have a lower risk of foaming when I bottle and i’ll get the benefit of an O2 scrub which should make for a longer lasting bottled beer.