Second Batch - Hefeweizen?

I just moved my first batch to secondary and I'm trying to decide what to brew for my next batch. I wanted to do a hefeweizen since I think they're great summer beers. A guy I know who also brews says that hefeweizens are pretty difficult to get right.

So here are my questions...

- Is it too soon to try a hefe?
- Do hefeweizens need longer to condition?
- If so, will it be ready before the end of summer (keep in mind that I'm in Dallas, so summer ends near October).

Thanks.

HWs are easy to brew.

As for conditioning it only takes longer if you prime with DME.

Just keep the temp about 70-72.

With all due respect to yhte guy you know, I disagree with pretty-much everything he said. Hefeweizens are a great beginner's beer. The only thing really tricky in any way is controlling the fermentation temp---the hefeweizen yeast strains are very sensitive to temperature.

cweston said:

The only thing really tricky in any way is controlling the fermentation temp---the hefeweizen yeast strains are very sensitive to temperature.

Click to expand...

Perhaps that is the problem. Since we live in Dallas, it's hard to keep fermentation temperatures at 70 - 72 through the summer with 30 - 60 days of 100+ F temperatures (which is May - October in north Texas). Perhaps he just was fermenting too warm.

Luckily, I have one room on the first floor of my house that is controlled by the thermostat on the second floor. That means that in the summer, when my second floor is at 78 F, this room is 69 - 70 F. I'm fermenting in that room's closet.

This clinches it. Hefeweizen is my second brew. :rockin:

Yumm. Go for it. Just watch the temps like others have said. You can make a simple hefe with only 6lbs wheat dme, an oz or so of lighter aa hops, and of course, yeast and water! Good Luck!

I just bottled my first all-grain hefeweizen and it smells beautiful. Hefe's are cheap to make and are generally considered quite fast to brew aswell.. although mine took about 25 days to ferment out completely.

The most important thing is to get a hefeweizen yeast (I used WLP300) and, as mentioned, keep the temp low. Try a wet t shirt covering your fermenter.

or build a fermentor cooler like i did, I can control temps between 60 and 70 without any problems. Made one for lagers too to keep the fridge space free. just use ice and dry ice for even cooler temps.

Hear, hear - my 3rd-batch-ever hefe is a big hit with my buddies & coworkers (thanks in no small part to homebrewer_99's tips). There are threads galore about wheat yeasts getting a 'Juicy Fruit' smell, and it seems to be correlated to higher fermentation temps. I did mine at just under 70 deg and it came out great. Go fer it!

If you use good procedures you'll get great brews! Glad to help.