Yeast viability for bottling

[squirrelpirate]

I brewed Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Porter about five or six weeks ago and haven't had the chance to do much else with it. I have finally added the vanilla bean to the fermenter and am soaking some oak cubes in bourbon to add for the bottling. I had intended to bottle the beer two weeks ago but I had some family come into town and didn't get around to it.

I normally keg all of my beer, but would like to bottle this to keep my extra keg free. Does anyone think I'll have a problem with waiting to bottling it in another 7-10 days while the vanilla bean and oak steep?

[Westco]

I wouldn't risk bottling unless you pitch some healthy active yeast. I have done this a couple times and regretted spending all that time cleaning bottles and filling them only to have them flat even a year after bottling because there was no healthy yeast.

Westco

[theblaster]

I had a similar problem. Let a higher gravity beer sit around for 6+ weeks (including hitting it with gelatin a few days before bottling - talk about insult to injury!). It's been a few months and I am finally starting to see signs of carbonation in the bottles - and I expect it to take at least another month or two before there is enough carbonation to make it drinkable. As suggested by Westco, I'd definitely suggest adding some fresh yeast before bottling.

[nikkormat]

same problem. 9% RIS that I bottled back in january off of oak and bourbon still isn't carbed, and to add insult to injury i was drunk at bottling time, completely forgot to add any priming sugar. next time I get to my LHBS im gonna try adding some carb drops to a few and see what kind of activity I get.

[theblaster]

If you are adding carb drops to a beer that has even a little carbonation in it, you will get a low grade "mentos in coke" reaction. Too many nucleation points on the sugar pill will cause a big foam up and spill your beer all over the floor (learned that the hard way). If you have even the slightest hiss when you open a bottle, it has too much carbonation for a sugar pill.

If the problem is no yeast, wait until your next brewing day and add a few ml of yeast from your starter to each bottle and recap - or use some yeast from your primary fermentor when racking or bottling.