Weiss Bier Hefeweissen.
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What exactly do you mean by young???
ignore that advice... the BEST and ONLY way you should be testing is with a hydrometer. bottle when it's reached or is around it's final gravity by testing with TWO consecutive gravity readings 3 days or more apart... if stable. THEN and ONLY then bottle
thanks.. SG was 1048 Rightnow its 1.012.. Ill check in two days if same imma bottle..
yup, that's a good plan.... simple wheat beers like Hefe's ferment out fast and can be bottled in 11-14 days usually. although that's not ALWAYS the case. my last batch took a full 2 weeks to just finish fermenting so I bottled about 18 days into it.
It means that when ur done with boil either extract or if you all grain that the gravity reading before fermentation will be 1040 to 1044
OG stands for original gravity, the specific gravity before the yeast have had their way with it. If you are brewing using extract and have your quantities correct, this is the gravity you will have regardless of what your hydrometer says. It's really common for those who use top off water to show a different OG. This is because the wort is very difficult to get mixed properly. Don't worry if it happens, your major concern would be that the beer ends up totally fermented out and you check that with the hydrometer.
alzybob
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thanks guys, and on that last point, making sure its properly fermented (yes Im a newb) the included instructions say something along the lines of 4-6 days
) but from what im reading around here, that could indeed be anything up to 3 weeks?? for a better result?
Im not in any hurry, and want to do the best job of each step.
) but from what im reading around here, that could indeed be anything up to 3 weeks?? for a better result? Im not in any hurry, and want to do the best job of each step.
When you put a timeline on the activities of microorganisms like the kits do you are setting yourself up for failure. The speed at which yeast eat the sugars depends on a number of things, one of which is the temperature. When you get a recommendation to extend the kit's suggested timeline it takes some of these into account plus we also expect newer brewers to ferment at temperatures higher than optimum which creates off flavors and extra time on the yeast cake can minimize these. That's why the 3 weeks is recommended so often. If you were to sort through all the posts I have made you might find that I have recommended longer ferments than that for beers that have higher OG's. Yooper gets by with a much shorter fermentation time but she has the experience to know how to control the fermentation temperature, use good aeration of the wort before pitching the yeast and pitches the proper amount of yeast. With time and practice you can shorten you fermentation time as you learn what to do.
Dr. Chris White of White Labs has written a nice (short) article on the life cycle of yeast as it applies to making beer. It has been reproduced here:
http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html
http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html
alzybob
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Thanks RM-MN, very helpful advice and very detailed yeast article.
So if Im starting to understand this correctly, my newly formed plan, based on my newly found information is something like this:
1. Warm my little magic can of Weissbier ingreients for about 5 mins in hot water and dump into my 5 Gal fermenting bucket.
2. Add 3.5 ltrs/6 Pints of boiling water.
3. Add my 1kg of sugar
4. Mix the contents well to disolve sugar and malt extract
5. Fill the remaining space in fermenter to 5 gal mark with cold water
6. Stir very very well to airate as much as possible
7. (Not very sure about this part but...) Enure contents are between 64F/18C - 70F/21C and then sprinkle in yeast and stir vigoursly
8. Put lid on, and for this lag phase 3-15 hrs keep temp at 72-75F
9. After 15 hours get temp down to 50-55F
10. Keep temp as low as possible for 10 days or so, or up to 20 days if necessesary.
11. Syphon into bottles and cap
12. Store bottles at an average of approx 68-70F for at least 2-3 weeks (or as long as it patiently takes).
Ok, apologies for the possible over simplification, but any edits, points, corrections, screams or shouts will be taken positively. Thanks again folks, Slurp....:fro:
So if Im starting to understand this correctly, my newly formed plan, based on my newly found information is something like this:
1. Warm my little magic can of Weissbier ingreients for about 5 mins in hot water and dump into my 5 Gal fermenting bucket.
2. Add 3.5 ltrs/6 Pints of boiling water.
3. Add my 1kg of sugar
4. Mix the contents well to disolve sugar and malt extract
5. Fill the remaining space in fermenter to 5 gal mark with cold water
6. Stir very very well to airate as much as possible
7. (Not very sure about this part but...) Enure contents are between 64F/18C - 70F/21C and then sprinkle in yeast and stir vigoursly
8. Put lid on, and for this lag phase 3-15 hrs keep temp at 72-75F
9. After 15 hours get temp down to 50-55F
10. Keep temp as low as possible for 10 days or so, or up to 20 days if necessesary.
11. Syphon into bottles and cap
12. Store bottles at an average of approx 68-70F for at least 2-3 weeks (or as long as it patiently takes).
Ok, apologies for the possible over simplification, but any edits, points, corrections, screams or shouts will be taken positively. Thanks again folks, Slurp....:fro:
A couple of changes to your list:
7. Chill the contents of the fermenter to the low 60's (or as close as possible), rehydrate the dry yeast while the wort is chilling, and when the wort is chilled, pour the rehydrated yeast into the fermenter. (If you just sprinkle the dry yeast into the wort it may cause up to 50% mortality of your yeast).
8. Keep the fermenter temperature in the low 60's during the lag phase and while it is actively fermenting. This is where the yeast can develop the off flavors if the beer (yes, once you pitch the yeast it is no longer called wort) is too warm. The active fermentation can easily warm the beer anywhere from 2 to as much as 10 degrees and you want to avoid letting it get too warm. When you start it at the cool end of its preferred range it ferments slower so it doesn't get as hot.
9. Once the fast part of the ferment is over (no more bubbling from the airlock or evidence that the krausen has fallen or ...) let the beer warm up to the low 70's to encourage the yeast to continue breaking down the byproducts of the fast ferment. Leave it at this temperature for at least 10 days. Longer is better but you probably shouldn't exceed 6 months or so. I usually try to bottle about 3 weeks after I pitch the yeast.
10. Bottle carbonation is slower at cooler temperatures so judge how long to wait. I prefer to keep my bottles at 72 because it's easy for me. That is the temperature I keep my house. Once the bottles are carbonated you can sample. Your beer probably won't be at its best but you will have a hard time waiting for that. Remember that the darker the beer and the higher the alcohol content the longer it will take for the beer to hit its peak. I have seen very dark beers get really good after 4 months in the bottle.
11. While waiting for your beer to mature, start another brew. It's easier to wait if you have one that is active.
7. Chill the contents of the fermenter to the low 60's (or as close as possible), rehydrate the dry yeast while the wort is chilling, and when the wort is chilled, pour the rehydrated yeast into the fermenter. (If you just sprinkle the dry yeast into the wort it may cause up to 50% mortality of your yeast).
8. Keep the fermenter temperature in the low 60's during the lag phase and while it is actively fermenting. This is where the yeast can develop the off flavors if the beer (yes, once you pitch the yeast it is no longer called wort) is too warm. The active fermentation can easily warm the beer anywhere from 2 to as much as 10 degrees and you want to avoid letting it get too warm. When you start it at the cool end of its preferred range it ferments slower so it doesn't get as hot.
9. Once the fast part of the ferment is over (no more bubbling from the airlock or evidence that the krausen has fallen or ...) let the beer warm up to the low 70's to encourage the yeast to continue breaking down the byproducts of the fast ferment. Leave it at this temperature for at least 10 days. Longer is better but you probably shouldn't exceed 6 months or so. I usually try to bottle about 3 weeks after I pitch the yeast.
10. Bottle carbonation is slower at cooler temperatures so judge how long to wait. I prefer to keep my bottles at 72 because it's easy for me. That is the temperature I keep my house. Once the bottles are carbonated you can sample. Your beer probably won't be at its best but you will have a hard time waiting for that. Remember that the darker the beer and the higher the alcohol content the longer it will take for the beer to hit its peak. I have seen very dark beers get really good after 4 months in the bottle.
11. While waiting for your beer to mature, start another brew. It's easier to wait if you have one that is active.
alzybob
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Super helpful thanks - I now feel much more confident with more direction thanks. Honestly, I cant see why kit makers cant add in a few more details or clarifiers - I guess they want to make it look as simple as possible, but then again, if it doesnt work out well, would you be encouraged to buy more? Anyway, Im going to digest all of this (and convert those F's to C's). Cheers
). CheersThe lag phase would be that 3 to 15 hours or a bit more, sometimes 2 or 3 days before the active part starts. The active part is where the airlock bubbles (assuming your fermenter seals, lots don't) and the beer builds up the krausen. That could take 24 hours to 4 days.
