Bread Dry Yeast for Carbonation?

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Michael Kazeuma
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Bread Dry Yeast for Carbonation?

Post by Michael Kazeuma »

Can i use bread yeast to give bottled beer a bit more carbonation? Was thinking about putting in a few granules per bottle....Brown Nut Ale carbonation isn't quite where I want it.

Thanks,

Michael
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brewmeisterintng
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Bread Yeast

Post by brewmeisterintng »

Can you? I don't see why you can't but I am not sure why you would want to. It's a guess on my part but I don't think that bread yeast is that resilient to alcohol therefore might not help in the carbonation process. I have never had to add yeast at bottling time. The yeast is still in the beer and with priming sugar added, begins doing what they do best. I'm sure that if you conduct a super long secondary, your yeast may tire out and may need some help carbonating the beer; however, I think brewers are too antsy and want the carbonation process to be complete in three days. I have found that allowing my bottles to set at 65-70 degrees for three weeks always provides the necessary time and temp for carbonation. Note: Darker beer takes longer. I would add a week for a brown and two four a stout.
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Post by brewer13210 »

I wouldn't use bread year for a number of reasons. First, beer yeast has been optimized for the alcohol/acid/liquid environment of beer that would do-in most bread yeasts pretty quickly.

Most beers will take about 10 days for complete carbonation, with factors such as temperature, residual sugar, % alcohol, and priming sugar will all effect how fast and how much carbonation you will get.

Note that the color of the beer has essentially nothing to do with carbonating the beer.

Todd
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Color? Maybe

Post by brewmeisterintng »

Too many time we assume that color has something to do with the type of beer that we are drinking. There are exceptions to this rule. In my last post I was refering to the complex malts in your heaver beers. IMHO and past experience, stouts and darker ales take longer to carbonate. I am a home brewer not a scientist so I can only guess at why but I do know this through vast experience. I am sure that you could speed up the process by warming the bottles to 80-85 degrees. I did read something about that in BYO magazine.
I do concure that bread yeast belongs in bread not beer. However, I am not closeminded to new ideas. If we don't try new things, how are we to know what won't work. :D
Michael Kazeuma
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Bread Beer Yeast - Thanks

Post by Michael Kazeuma »

Thanks for the various comments on adding the carbonation with the bread yeast. I wasn't exactly in a hurry to get the carbonation higher, but it seems that with the dropping temps and a long secondary, some of the bottles need a boost. On the other hand the bottles with a lot of yeast on the bottom are over carbonated. I brewed on 10.30.06 and bottled three weeks later.

Best regards from the Land of the Rising Beer!

Michael Kazeuma
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yeast still in suspension

Post by akueck »

You mentioned a "long secondary" as a reason to use more yeast for bottling. This is true....but not after only 3 weeks. There should be enough yeast left in suspension in your beer to accomplish carbonation for a few months at least. Fresh yeast is more often needed after a long lagering time (few months at near freezing), which will see most of the yeast drop out.
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