Big beers and yeast

[Alestar]

Hello all.

I've not really done much special with yeast before, but I'm planning on doing a big beer (aiming at 1.115-ish, something to cellar and sip in a refined manner in a year or two!). Usually I just lob the yeast vial (White Labs usually) into a 1/1.5 litre DME brew 12 hours or so before pitching, just to wake it up. Seems to work anyhow.

Following the perceived wisdom, I'm going to pitch Mr. Barleywine (for that is his working title) onto the secondary yeast cake of a previous beer. Said yeast cake will be Belgian Witbier yeast (WLP400). Doesn't look like that yeast will make it all the way though, poor thing. So I have some Abbey Ale yeast (WLP530) in to help it on its way, that one should power through to finish the job. So goes my theory anyway... :wha:

So a few questions for any knowledgeable chappies/chappettes out there:

*When should I stick yeastie number two in? When the first one has died? Before that? At the very start?

*Ought I starter up the Abbey Ale yeast properly? I'm presuming yes. How big?

*I've got some servomyces as I thought any extra help the better! Not used it before. What's the best way to do it? Stick it in with the second yeast as that's when the nutrients will have been eaten? Does it go in the starter or straight in the beer? One tablet/two/the whole pack? (I know I've got to aerate the bejeesus out of it as well)

Any recommendations/previous experience greatly received!

Cheers.

 

[Aleman]

Completely the wrong yeasts to use for a barley wine! unless you are doing something like a Triple.

Barley wines are all about the malt so a neutral yeast is all that is required. I find Nottingham to be about the best for this, although I have had good results with Irish Ale.

Pitching onto a yeast cake is about the best way of fermenting these big beers . . . you still need plenty of aeration though.

Servomyces - a couple of capsules worth at the beginning of ferment. It is only a zinc supplement which is a micro nutrient, so not required in huge amounts anyway . . . a tsp of a normal yeast nutrient would be a useful addition

 

[Alestar]

Cheers for the advice.

To be honest, it's the Abbey Ale flavour I'm looking for. The Witbier yeast wasn't chosen as such, it's just that's what I'm currently brewing so that's the yeast cake available! Are you saying that the first yeast would dominate, or is there no way of telling?

Would a better plan perhaps be to starter-up the Abbey to monster proportions instead and forget about using an old cake? :hmm:

 

[Aleman]

I'd brew a single to get the abbey up to pitching size and then re pitch onto the yeast cake . . . I wouldn't want to use the Wit as it will overpower the Abbey