secondary question

I'm constructing a german wheat ale and I have a question. It took about 36 hours for fermentation to start, after that it bubbled like mad for about 18 hours, and then shutoff completely. Should I wait to rack the beer to the secondary any longer?......the instructions I got in the past say wait 5-7 days.....it has been 4 days since yeast pitch....I'm in a time crunch.....this needs to be ready for Christmas.......thanks.......oh yeah, it has been cold here at my location, Texas,......60 to 75 degrees F

Temp should be fine.
You'll not gain anything by moving after 4 days.I'd wait the 7 days.
If you've not used a hydrometer you'll have no sure fire way of knowing if fermentation has finished.

You could give it a shake to wake the yeast up if it's gone to sleep.

take your og and see if its done. i would still leave it in the primary for 7 days, but since your in a time crunch don't use a secondary. the cloudiness won't go away cause its a wheat beer, of course a secondary would meld the flavors, but you could get away with not using it, otherwise it won't be done for christmas.

i'd rack it if you don't see any activity in a couple minutes or so.
what part of Texas?

I'm in San Angelo......kinda in the middle of the state

I checked the gravity, and it is a bit high.....maybe I'll wait one more day.....thanks everyone.

drengel said:

take your og and see if its done. i would still leave it in the primary for 7 days, but since your in a time crunch don't use a secondary. the cloudiness won't go away cause its a wheat beer, of course a secondary would meld the flavors, but you could get away with not using it, otherwise it won't be done for christmas.

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Don't mean to sound like a jerk but I have two wheat beers that are very clear.

If it needs to bedone before christmas the latest I would bottle is this weekend.

trub lips said:

I'm in San Angelo......kinda in the middle of the state

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cool. my mom's family is from Big Spring, Cahomo,Stanton, Snyder.
good bbq joint in San Angelo.

sause said:

Don't mean to sound like a jerk but I have two wheat beers that are very clear.

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Wheat beers are supposed to be cloudy-that's a basic feature and one of the best reason to use this particular grain. You didn't use a clarifying agent did you?

no kidding......my family (mom's side) has a farm between big spring and gail. their name is blassingame.....later

Hey TL...I've got an aunt and some cousins in San Angelo. I'll have to hollar at you if I ever manage to get over that way. Do you have a LHBS anywhere near you?

Mikey said:

Wheat beers are supposed to be cloudy-that's a basic feature and one of the best reason to use this particular grain. You didn't use a clarifying agent did you?

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While wheat contributes proteins that may cause cloudyness, I think the haze most associated with wheat beers (particularly Bavarian wheat beers) is caused by low floculating yeasts. Long boils can serve to precipitate these extra proteins-- removing them from the wort.

PFlint said:

While wheat contributes proteins that may cause cloudyness, I think the haze most associated with wheat beers (particularly Bavarian wheat beers) is caused by low floculating yeasts. Long boils can serve to precipitate these extra proteins-- removing them from the wort.

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the haze comes from the high protein content of wheat. the fact that the vast majority of wheat beers are unfiltered also contributes to cloudiness because the yeast sediment will make it cloudy. that said, there are filtered wheat beers that are crystal clear. however IMO the yeastiness in wheat beers is a desired feature of their taste, removing the yeast can be detrimental to the beers overall flavor profile.

trub lips said:

no kidding......my family (mom's side) has a farm between big spring and gail. their name is blassingame.....later

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small world. we were through there when we evacuated from Rita. it had been a couple years since i'd been. my mom's maiden name is Rees. she actually grew up in Westbrook, but all her sisters and their families still live in the area.

have you hit the Big Spring Brew Pub? i wanted to stop so bad when we went through, but didn't get the chance.