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So I brewed a big brown ale with an OG of 1.065. I used Wyeast British Ale yeast 1098. Everything was going great and after a week the reading was 1.012. This is where I added the wild turkey bourbon soaked oak chips and organic rasins and vanilla bean. (5oz bourbon). The gravity was then bumped up to 1.020. It's been about 5 days now and I've seen little to no change in the hydrometer. (I leave the hydrometer in so I can see it through the wall of the carboy). Did get a few bubbles in the airlock early on but nothing significant. I'm not sure if the bourbon killed the yeast or if there just isn't anything left there that is fermentable.

Because this is such a big beer and will likely take so long to age I was thinking of bottling instead of tying up a keg for six plus months. I'm concerned that it may not carbonate if my yeast is dead. Should I repitch? Is there a way to test and see if my yeast is still capable? Should I keg it then bottle it for aging?

This is a special beer to me because I am making it in honor of my great grandfather who used to make alcohol out of raisins. I'm calling it Roof Hound because nearly 70 years ago the family hound dog got into his discarded raisins, got drunk and climbed on top of the woodshed. The dog was too drunk to get down and was stuck up there for hours. My grandmother remembers this as a little girl and told me this story when I started brewing. Not really relevant to the discussion but thought you might find it entertaining.

Anyone have any advice? Anyone added bourbon before?

I don't think you'll see any more fermentation action. The bourbon likely just introduced more unfermentable sugars to the beer and that's why you saw the jump in gravity.

Something not right there. I've never stuck a hydrometer in bourbon, but it would have to be the consistency of cement to affect the gravity of a 5 gallon batch. And it was just wood cube soaked. Measuring issue for sure.

mr x wrote:Something not right there. I've never stuck a hydrometer in bourbon, but it would have to be the consistency of cement to affect the gravity of a 5 gallon batch. And it was just wood cube soaked. Measuring issue for sure.

Good point. 5oz in 5gal isn't much.

I used med toast oak chips. I'm checking my hydrometers now. That might explain it.

Yup. The hydrometer I was using looks like its about .004 off! That would put me a closer to where I want to be closer to where I want to be 1.016. I just hope that yeast still has the legs to carbonate.

Well the 100g of Thompson raisins would have added some fermentables. So the jump is probably real but I think every reading was probably .004 off now.

Shook up the carboy to resuspend the yeast. See if that helps.

100g of raisins will not add any appreciable amount of fermentables. In a solid state, they will take an extremely long time to ferment out.

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I'm getting a few bubbles now. Maybe it's finally getting to the raisins or maybe it's because I stirred it up. Either way maybe ill get a few points lower.