Tips for BB Weizenbier?

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knappster

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I picked up a BB Weizenbier kit about a month ago and I am hoping to brew it shortly. I have a SOFC in my garage I plan to use, but we will see how it deals with the 90+ temperatures that it has already reached this summer (I have a feeling I will be changing ice daily).

Anyway, I have been reading snippets here and there about Wheat beers being the exception to the rule of waiting for the tastes to develop. My first beer was the BB American Amber Ale and I only left it in the fermenter for a week at 70 degrees and it was done fermenting so I bottled and it has been carbonating/aging about 5 weeks now and is starting to taste pretty yummy.

1) I was planning to let my next brew ferment longer since I won't be as giddy, but it looks like you want to catch the wheat beers pretty quickly after they are done fermenting. Is that right? I will only be using a primary fermenter.

2) Once bottled, do you still follow the 3 weeks at 70 degrees out of the sun rule? Or do you give it 1-2 weeks to carbonate and start enjoying?

3) Once bottled, how much time to I have before I really start to notice it turning? On the order of [several weeks], [several months], [1+ year]?

Thanks again you guys!
 
1. usually its the wit beers that you want to drink young, as they are delicate and the spices in them can start to fade quickly. So, it still needs at least a week in primary, and would benefit from either a secondary, or an extra 1-2 weeks in primary so the yeast can cleanup any off flavors.

2. yes. 3 weeks, 70F...that's the mantra. it may or may not be at peek flavor in 3 weeks.

3. its not that beer goes 'bad' so much as it goes 'stale'. that takes months, or even over a year. depends on the beer and especially its strength. a barley wine may need to age a year to taste good, while a wit is pretty much at peek once bottle carb'd and chilled.
 
Thanks for the reply. My plan is to ferment with the chamber set to 65F which should keep the primary at/under 70F. After reading your response, I will probably let it sit in the primary for a minimum of 1 week after fermentation is complete. Hopefully it will remain cool enough to prevent any excessive off flavors.

It seems wheat beers are kind of a beast of their own, kind of like lagers and barley wines. They just follow slightly different sets of rules than standard ales. It's only my 2nd brew so I still have a lot of exploring to do :D
 
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