Bottling Question

Hey all,

It's been a long time since I bottled an entire 5 gallon batch.  I'm wondering how many 22 oz bottles and how many 12 oz bottles I would need to do the whole batch.  I think I have around 15-16 22 oz bottles and a little more than 2 dozen 12 oz bottles.  Also, how much priming sugar would you use to bottle a 1.090 barley wine.  It's a fairly young beer, only about three weeks old.  I'm wondering if I need to re-pitch some yeast?  I don't think the gravity is too high to have had all the yeast settle but I figured I'd ask those who have more experience with this than me?

thanks

WR

The "How Many Bottles" part sounds like an old math problem.    There's 640 or so ounces in a 5 gal batch, which for most people works out to 50-some 12 oz bottles.  If you use a mix of 22 oz and 12 oz we can't tell you the exact number unless you know the number of each.  Just plan for enough minimum.  Your numbers are fine. 

If this is a high gravity, young beer, do you know that fermentation is complete?  Successive gravity readings 2 or 3 days apart that are the same are needed.  If it's still moving, it's not done and you shouldn't be bottling.  Experience says that a high gravity beer like this could take longer, sometimes quite a bit longer.  Do not rely on time.  Do not rush the process.  There is no problem and much good that comes from waiting the extra time.  Give the yeast time to clean up your beer and you will thank them later. 

The amount of priming sugar depends on the amount of carbonation you want in the finished beer.  Beersmith has a calculator for this and many can be found on the Web. 

My last 5ga batch produced 25.5 22oz bottles. I probably could have made it 26 even, but I get nervous when the siphon starts getting pretty close to the trube.

Wildrover said:

...how much priming sugar would you use to bottle a 1.090 barley wine.  It's a fairly young beer, only about three weeks old. 

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Three weeks since when?  1.090 is not huge for a b/w, but that is still higher gravity.  Many people let a b/w sit and mellow for months in secondary, at which point a little extra yeast might be helpful given the time and high alcohol.  I've not made one, but they are a special case.