fermentation time & need to repitch yeast at bottling

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congay
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fermentation time & need to repitch yeast at bottling

Post by congay » Sat Aug 27, 2016 2:49 am

Hi all, still relatively new at this, working on my 6th batch now, a Belgian Dubbel. Here are the ingredients I used: 12.5 lbs 2 row, 1 lb special B, 1 lb Caramunich, 1.25 lbs homemade Belgian candi sugar, .75 lbs Turbinado cane sugar, and 1 oz of Saaz hop pellets. I got an OG of 1.074, then fermented with Wyeast 3787. I gave it 10 days in the primary and it's now been in the secondary for 5 days. Got curious and took a gravity reading last night, and was a bit surprised to see how low it was - 1.004. I was alarmed that it might not taste right, so I took a sample, and while a little hot, was relieved that it's already delish. I have two questions:
1. Since my I've already reached and surpassed my FG goal, how much longer should I wait until I bottle?
2. When I do bottle, should I repitch some yeast into the bottling bucket because it's become a fairly high gravity beer?

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Woody
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Re: fermentation time & need to repitch yeast at bottling

Post by Woody » Sat Aug 27, 2016 8:51 am

Many big beers taste hot or boozy when they are young and will smooth out after some age. With Belgian yeast you can get that low of a gravity. It's a Trappist Yeast not Saison so I would not have expected a FG quite that low but close. I'd calibrate your hydrometer and let it age a month or so. I would not add more yeast at bottling just some corn sugar but that's all preference.

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Hobbitfu
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Re: fermentation time & need to repitch yeast at bottling

Post by Hobbitfu » Sun Aug 28, 2016 9:59 pm

Adding extra yeast at bottling can be a tough call. I've had 10% beers that carb great without. Also had a 10% Belgian Tripel that barely carbed... In that case it had a similar very low final gravity and Yeast cake was very compact in fermenter. It wouldn't hurt anything to add extra yeast. If anything should speed up carbonation.

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