Hefeweizen Primary Time

Hey all, everyone says these beers are good younger instead of aging. It was an extract Franziskaner clone kit from Austin Homebrew. I made a 750mL starter and it took off like a rocket in less than 5 hours after pitching the starter. Is 2 weeks enough given I reach a good FG, of course I will check it but the idea what I want to know is that if my final gravity doesn't change should I still leave this one in the primary or bottle it? I just usually keep most of my ales in the primary for 3+ weeks with good results.

The only reason I ask is that I have seen and heard that wheat beers need to be consumed young, I made this batch for a friend and he is ready to drink it, but I told him to be patient LOL...thanks all for any input.

HefeWeizen, 2 weeks, @ FG

Yeah, you can bottle it.

I generally ferment my hefes 6 days then keg. Specific yeast, gravity, and temperature may change your ideal timelines, but if it's at FG after two weeks, by all means drink up.

Ask 100 brewers the same question and you'll get 101 different answers on their process.

Two weeks in primary, check gravity, rack to secondary for clearing/mellowing/aging/etc., rack to keg/bottling bucket. Be sure to suck up "some" yeast to make beer cloudy again (leaving a lot of excess yeast behind...).

2 wks primary, bottle 1 wk. Drink. Trust me, I've made a few. I would DEFINITELY skip the secondary on a hefe.

homebrewer_99 said:

Ask 100 brewers the same question and you'll get 101 different answers on their process.

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Agreed, but...

Two weeks in primary, check gravity, rack to secondary for clearing/mellowing/aging/etc., rack to keg/bottling bucket. Be sure to suck up "some" yeast to make beer cloudy again (leaving a lot of excess yeast behind...).

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...we obviously make our hefes very differently.

passedpawn said:

2 wks primary, bottle 1 wk. Drink. Trust me, I've made a few. I would DEFINITELY skip the secondary on a hefe.

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So, you're the one with 1/2" of yeast in your bottles...

2 weeks primary, 2 weeks bottle conditioning for me. I may try to cut that down on the next batch though. I'm thinking I could probably bottle after 8-10 days without detriment.

LordHedgie said:

...we obviously make our hefes very differently.

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Nothing says we can't...

Some German HWs use lager yeast at bottling time...

homebrewer_99 said:

Nothing says we can't...

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I believe if the beer you want is already made, buy it. If you can't find a bottle that you say "this would be better if..." then make your own. Everyone's tastes are different. I did get a laugh out of your hefe technique, though, because that's a good description of everything I hate about many American so-called "hefes"... Not only do I keg mine after six days (and force carb, so it's six days from boil to drink!), but I try to keep the fermentation temp up around 76 to get that extra dose of cloves.... With a hint of bananana if I'm lucky.

Some German HWs use lager yeast at bottling time...

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My understanding is they're trying to protect their proprietary yeasts, so they filter out the ale yeast and add dormant lager yeast to give yeast flavor. I could be wrong; I just heard that on the interwebz.

Taste it and take a gravity reading the day after it stops bubbling. Do it again the next day. If it tasted good and the gravity hasn't changed, bottle that sucker. I usually have mine bottled by day ten. It carbs in about three days. Another week in the fridge and it's at it's peak.

LordHedgie said:

I believe if the beer you want is already made, buy it. If you can't find a bottle that you say "this would be better if..." then make your own.

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I humbly disagree. My hefe costs me about 90 cents a bottle all said and done (and i use bottled water). My favorite commercial hefe costs me $10 a sixer on a good day.

Of course you're right on about improving it. I also prefer an estery hefe and ferment hotter than most.

I was recently listening to an old basic brewing podcast about real ale. The guy he interviewed talked about transferring to cask just before reaching terminal gravity and letting the beer carb with the last bit of attenuation. Sounds a little scary of course, but if you know your recipe and get very similar results batch after batch, you could go from grain to glass via bottles in less than a week.

i'm with HB99 on this one, i did a hefe for 10 or 12 days, had reached FG, racked into keg and fought with yeast sediment every time i poured a pint. i know you're supposed to have some, but i'm talking layer in the bottom of the glass. you had to pull off 1/4 a pint, dump it, then pour again. i will definitely let my next hefe hang out in primary longer or consider a stop in the secondary to clear it a bit before kegging.

edit: there's still some of this beer left, it was kegged back in July and still tastes great and fresh, so i wouldn't say there's any reason to consume it young, but of course you can. it's the keg that never ends.

Agreed that making it is cheaper than buying it...

My point for doing a secondary to to get rid of the majority of the yeast that is not necessary and make the beer presentable in the glass (cloudy).

Even in Germany some of the people do not pour all of the yeast into their glasses.

I tapped a keg of HW last week that was kegged back in Feb 09, still tasted great IMO.


As far as that person who kegs early (before fermentation is complete), that's what German brewers do for their Kellerbiers.

I reference German practices a lot because I lived there for 9 years...:rockin:

homebrewer_99 said:

So, you're the one with 1/2" of yeast in your bottles...

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Funny. Yea, it's like a snow globe when you shake it up.

Primary, Secondary until the yeast falls (it will stay cloudy because of all the wheat), and keg...............Serve to ladies and have a delightful evening

Mine go 10-21 days in primary, and carbonate in 4 days in the bottle. I can serve a Hefeweizen in two weeks and they don't get much better with more age. Some Germans bottle before it's at FG to carbonate. They probably have it ready to serve in a week or less.

Different strokes. I let mine go a full three weeks in primary and three weeks in bottles. Tastes great and has a proper amount of yeast, which lets you drink it clear or cloudy, depending on your preference.

Basically, play around with it and do what you like best.

JuanKenobi said:

I humbly disagree. My hefe costs me about 90 cents a bottle all said and done (and i use bottled water). My favorite commercial hefe costs me $10 a sixer on a good day.

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Personal opinion. Yes, homebrewing is much cheaper than buying beer, but frankly my time and energy isn't worth the 50 cents per beer savings (less if you buy kegs rather than bottles). That equation changes radically, of course, if you're enjoying the brewing process. I do enjoy brewing when I'm experimenting or creating something uniquely mine. Attempting to duplicate another beer, to me, is a chore. So, it's never worth it for me to attempt a clone brew, but it's well worth it for me to attempt to modify someone else's.

Oops.


What was the topic again?

LordHedgie said:

...Oops....What was the topic again?

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I think it was "How to Keep Patient Drunks Off the Streets"...

WHY would you want to get rid of ANY yeast in a Hefe - it's the best part!!

BTW - I fermented mine at 62 degrees.

I like mine with yeast, but too much yeast, you know the kind that doesn't always break up, makes for a bad presentation in the glass. But that's why I do it.

homebrewer_99 said:

I like mine with yeast, but too much yeast, you know the kind that doesn't always break up, makes for a bad presentation in the glass. But that's why I do it.

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Exactly. The Bavarian Hefeweizens pour clear until the bottom of the bottle, where you'll find a nice, small layer of yeast sediment to swirl up and pour in. Although I like my Weizen some yeast, I have no desire to have a miniature yeast cake on the bottom of the bottle. Too much of a good thing isn't always good.

Bottled my Dunkel Weiss yesterday. I had one today. It's to 2.5 volumes (EWAG.) I primed for 3.5. Just one more day.