How much yeast to add at bottling?

[gcphilli]

I brewed a BSDA back in November. It has been sitting in the primary every since. I originally planed to rack to secondary and let it sit for quite a while longer. Plans changed and I want(actually need, this hobby has become an obsession) to free up my carboys for new brews. So my question is how many packets of dry yeast do I need to add? There is currently 8 gallons of beer split between two 5 gallon carboys(I used a different yeast strain in each one and plan to blend at bottling).

[BayouBrew]

If it has only been since November there is no need to add yeast at bottling. There will be plenty still in suspension to do the job of carbonating. If you ever let one sit for around a year, or if it is a big beer you may have to worry about it. Maybe someone else can chime in about that or other situations that would require adding yeast because I have no experience with that.

[AndrewD]

If it has only been since November there is no need to add yeast at bottling. There will be plenty still in suspension to do the job of carbonating. If you ever let one sit for around a year, or if it is a big beer you may have to worry about it. Maybe someone else can chime in about that or other situations that would require adding yeast because I have no experience with that.

I wrote about it in another post a few weeks ago, but through prodigious laziness, I ended up with a tripel that had sat in secondary for 14-months (5 gallon). I pitched one pack of un-hydrated yeast (don't ask, I had never used the stuff.) with the priming sugar in the bottom of the bottling bucket. I had decently-carbonated bottles in about a week at approx. 70 degrees. I forget where I read it, but when you need to repitch yeast for carbing, the amount of yeast doesn't matter as much as the amount of priming sugar. I would guess that one pack of yeast would be enough to carb even an 8-gallon batch, but it's just a guess.

[bigdan]

A rule of thumb is 1/10 the amount you would pitch for primary fermentation, so something like 1-2 grams of dry yeast would be fine. There is also no issue with adding extra, except a slightly more sediment in each bottle. Just make sure to rehydrate
your yeast in some clean/warm water before adding it to the beer an alcoholic environment is no place for yeast to be trying to reanimate.

[PseudoChef]

If it has only been since November there is no need to add yeast at bottling. There will be plenty still in suspension to do the job of carbonating. If you ever let one sit for around a year, or if it is a big beer you may have to worry about it. Maybe someone else can chime in about that or other situations that would require adding yeast because I have no experience with that.

Well, it he is talking about a BDSA, so it is a big beer.

I had carbonation problems with my first BDSA, and it only sat in the primary for about 1 month, then right into bottles. Fermentation went well and was complete, but I am led to assume the 12.5% abv put a damper on the carbonation powers of WLP500.

[BayouBrew]

You're right, I missed that it was a BDSA. I happened to be listening to the old Session show with Vinnie Cilurzo (8-14-05) this morning and he confirmed what bigdan mentioned above. The amount of yeast doesn't really matter, it's the amount of priming sugar that determines the carbonation level. More yeast won't hurt if you don't mind a little more sediment in the bottle.

[gcphilli]

So I added two packs of dry yeast and two packs of priming sugar. I hope this one carbonates properly.

[brewinhard]

Next time when adding fresh yeast at bottling you should try EC-1118 Lalvin Champagne yeast. Several reasons why it has worked well for me:

1. 1$ per pack vs. 3$ + for other dried yeasts

2. works well in low pH environments (ie fermented beer)

3. works well up to high alcohol contents

4. floccs well and carbonates quickly. (12% barleywine carbonated in under 7 days at room temp)

I typically add rehydrated dry Champagne yeast to any bottled brew above 8% alcohol no matter how soon after fermentation. I have been burned before thinking "there was enough yeast left behind" only to find the yeast was too tired to finish the job they started. I now ensure that the beer I worked hard to brew will carbonate successfully the first time. Just make sure to adjust your priming sugar amounts using the appropriate nomograph chart.