Hefeweizen @ 2 weeks

Hi all,

I started a batch of simple extract honey wheat brew 2 weeks ago today.

recipe:

3 gal boil
5.5 gal recipe

6# Briess wheat DME
1# honey (10 min)
1 oz liberty (60 min)
1 oz liberty (20 min)
1 oz amarillo (10 min steep)
1 vial American Hefeweizen (wpl320)

measured OG: 1.046

SG at two weeks @65F: 1.026

From what I gather, it's not unusual to still have krausen on a hefe after this much time (which I do). What concerns me is the small amount of fermentation that has taken place and the overly sweet taste of the sample. I thought honey was highly fermentable.

I'll take another sample in a few days. If it's not going anywhere should I pitch more yeast or just leave it be? I've never had a batch take this long.

Rouse the yeast a bit. How old was the yeast you added and did you make a starter?

What about increasing the temp to ~70°?
I know the yeast range is 65-69 but from the little I know about Weizens, I would think a little higher could be in order(esters tend to form at higher temps and Weizens tend to have more esters than other styles)!
This is just my opinion of course and it would be a cheaper fix than adding buying more yeast!!

I didn't make a starter. I remember that the yeast was well before it's expiration date though.

Now that you mention it, the airlock just started bubbling again. Some of the yeast must have been kicked up when I took the sample. Maybe I should give it a gentle stir with a (sanitized) racking cane. What do you think?

Just gently tilt it around a little bit to rouse the yeast. I wouldn't go through the trouble of sterilizing a racking cane and stirring - there's too much that could go wrong in my opinion. I would also raise the temp SLIGHTLY...not above 70 though.

Shaking the carboy helped get my hef on track and fermenting as well.

I'm a noob, so I could be totally wrong BUT. I did a 3 gal batch of mead this spring, and the primary fermentation took FOREVER. I think it takes much longer for the yeast to convert the fermentables in honey than malts. It takes months to clear as well. Haven't tried any in in with a beer yet so I don't know if those characteristics will carry over or not.

Would this style be considered a braggot?

A honey wheat sounds, yummy though! Good luck!

I am on my second Hefe fermentation right now, 16 days and it is still going. The last one, which was my first one, I had the same concerns and wrote about it in "fermentation powered by the energizer bunny" thread. That one took 15 days to finish, another two weeks with cold-crashing to clear before I bottled. The result of the first one was one of the best wheat beers I have ever tasted!

So, yes, a bit of agitation and bringing the temp up may help, but the yeast work on a schedule all of their own. Patience will bring out the best in the beer.

Here we are the next day and it looks like fermentation is chugging along again. Thanks for the advice everyone. Looks like I'll just have to wait this one out.

orj, patience is often a homebrewers best friend, well besides beer of course. Give it another week and it out will finish out.

I hear ya geistbear, I have 2 fermenters and I usually do a bigger beer that will sit for a few months and a lighter beer that I can zip through to keep the pipeline going.

The hefe was supposed to be one of the faster ones but the yeast had other plans! I will, as always, defer to the yeast's wishes in this case. I'll have to juggle my long term brewing plans but I think I'll live.

I was going to brew another batch of my "Slush Bonnet" (I'll post the recipe soon on the recipe forum, it was supposed to be a Snow Cap clone but I screwed it up and it turned into one of the best beers I've ever brewed!) but I did a simple pale instead while the hefe sorts itself out.

All bow to the whims of the yeast gods!