Hi people. Looking to brew my 2nd 10% abv Imperial Honey Porter. I kegged the first batch but plan on bottling the next one. All went well with the first one, I primaried for 3 weeks, secondary for 4weeks, then served with only 6 days in the keg.
I plan to bottle condition a 2nd batch but have read that larger ABV beers don’t bottle condition very well because the yeast is stressed.
Target OG 1.090 and FG should be 1.015. I will be fermenting with 2 pkgs US05.
What are your suggestions for bottle conditioning this bad boy?
I’ve bottled with the primary yeast on beers that big but sometimes they take a while to carbonate. Nowadays I prefer adding some neutral wine yeast at bottling as an insurance policy. I have never had a problem getting full and fast carbonation that way.
You should be OK without any extra yeast as long as you’re patient. It doesn’t hurt to add a little extra at bottling as an insurance policy if you’d like. But you need way less than you think you do. One or two grams of US-05 at bottling is all that you need for a 5-gallon batch. If you use too much yeast you will get a lot of trub in your bottles.
+1
When I bottle condition, usually at 70oF, an average beer takes 10-14 days. The big beers, 8-10% usually can take at least 6-8 weeks under the same conditions without adding yeast. IME, the bigger beers need the additional time anyways simply to condition and mellow, sometimes as long as 3-5 months when they really shine:)
I brewed a Belgian Quad in July for the Holidays this year, 10%, just sampled a bottle a few days ago to see how it was coming along, needs a bit more time but tasted delicious, be patient and you’ll be rewarded!
I really like Lalvin EC-1118 dry champagne yeast for this purpose. The packets (5g) are only $1 at the LHBS and the strain is very neutral with a high alcohol tolerance as well as able to function in a low pH environment. Both of those make it well worth it!
This ^^^^ I have not had any real problems getting big beers to carbonate. Patience is all you need. Maybe instead of getting carbonation at about 2 weeks, it will take a full month. It will still work. Since you’ve fermented for nearly 2 months though, it might not be a bad idea to add a couple of ounces of fresh US-05 as insurance. Not a full pack but just a sprinkle is all.
I add extra yeast to 10%+ beers every time due to one batch that failed to carbonate. Beer is still awesome and after 4 years still flat as the day it was bottled.
I throw in half a pack of lavin champagne as it is only $0.75 and I don’t mind tossing the rest. Worth the hassle in my opinion.