Hefeweizen (White Labs Yeast)

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McKBrew

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Brewing my first Hefe, and just went to check on it. I am fermenting in a 6 gallon better bottle using the White Labs American Hefeweizen Yeast. To my surprise I found that the krausen had reached the top and was bubbling out of the airlock. Only maybe a couple of ounces had came out.

I don't have a blow-off tube (lesson learned), but I stuck a sanitized small diameter tube through the center of the stopper and ran it to a bucket.

I thought I was at peak fermentation earlier, but obviously not. Can anyone tell me whether or not it is going to get worse, or taper off soon. I have had it fermenting since about noon yesterday, and the activity started sometime after 9PM last night.

Thanks.
 
This is normal with wheats and can last for days. My Hefe I had in a 6.5 gallon carboy, filled to the 5.5 gallon mark bubbled through the airlock for 48 hours after pitching.

I've done many Hefe's and most of mine come close to coming through the airlock, but this is the first to actually come through it. I suppose it was due to my mega starter I had going....it was 1/2 a gallon!
:cross:

Just make sure you keep everything clean and sanitized and you'll be okay.

:mug:
 
Just make sure your tube does not get clogged or else you will have one gigantic grenade. Your wife will not find this funny or amusing I can tell you that.
 
She already doesn't like the sulphur smell, God help me if we had to empty and clean out the pantry. As it is, I don't think I will be fermenting a hefe inside the house again.
:D

Looks like the activity has died down a bit, fortunately.
 
Ok I am about to be brewing heff for my first brew ever, and I am kinda worried about the airlock. Any tips on blow off tubes? I will still be reading my book while hunting (how to brew beer) before I start, but had a couple questions.

I have a little packet of yeast, which I am going to activate later with some stuff called bru-vigor. (what is bru-vigor?).

I also have a clear container of some very thick syrup type material. (What is this)

I have another can of hopped malt concentrate by coopers for wheat beer.

I also have a small packet of some german hallertauer mittelfrueh hops.


Do you guys see heff in my future?
 
I do my All Grain Bavarian Hefeweizens in a 7.9 gallon bucket. No airlock problems as there is enough head space for the massive kreuzen.
 
G-E-R-M-A-N said:
Ok I am about to be brewing heff for my first brew ever, and I am kinda worried about the airlock. Any tips on blow off tubes? I will still be reading my book while hunting (how to brew beer) before I start, but had a couple questions.

I have a little packet of yeast, which I am going to activate later with some stuff called bru-vigor. (what is bru-vigor?).

I also have a clear container of some very thick syrup type material. (What is this)

I have another can of hopped malt concentrate by coopers for wheat beer.

I also have a small packet of some german hallertauer mittelfrueh hops.


Do you guys see heff in my future?

From what I limited experience I've had and from reading other posts about Hefe, you will want a blow-off tube or a larger fermenter. The blow-off just needs to be something that fits in the neck of the carboy tightly, and then drain the overflow to a bucket.

Your thick syrup is likely your liquid malt extract, and I have never heard of bru-vigor but from you description it sounds like a yeast nutrient.

Are you working with a recipe kit?
 
G-E-R-M-A-N said:
Ok I am about to be brewing heff for my first brew ever, and I am kinda worried about the airlock. Any tips on blow off tubes? I will still be reading my book while hunting (how to brew beer) before I start, but had a couple questions.

I have a little packet of yeast, which I am going to activate later with some stuff called bru-vigor. (what is bru-vigor?).

I also have a clear container of some very thick syrup type material. (What is this)

I have another can of hopped malt concentrate by coopers for wheat beer.

I also have a small packet of some german hallertauer mittelfrueh hops.


Do you guys see heff in my future?

You may want to consider using a different yeast. To my knowledge a "bavarian hefeweizen" style beer is more dependent on the yeast used than an ordinary ale. The strain(s) of yeast used to make these are indigenous to Southern Germany and produce the charachteristic aromas and flavors as well as the cloudy appearance. There are two good ones available the White Labs Hefeweizen strain and the Wyeast Weinstephan. If you are shooting for the "authentic" style you might consider either of those. That being said you will still produce a very good and drinkable beer with the ingredients that you already have.
 
mjm76 said:
You may want to consider using a different yeast. To my knowledge a "bavarian hefeweizen" style beer is more dependent on the yeast used than an ordinary ale. The strain(s) of yeast used to make these are indigenous to Southern Germany and produce the charachteristic aromas and flavors as well as the cloudy appearance. There are two good ones available the White Labs Hefeweizen strain and the Wyeast Weinstephan. If you are shooting for the "authentic" style you might consider either of those. That being said you will still produce a very good and drinkable beer with the ingredients that you already have.


You know the more I have been reading the more I think im gonna go with a german liquid yeast. When I go back to get me a large brewpot, Im gonna pick up a liquid yeast. It would seem that to replicate a true german style heff, that i would need the same yeast and not a general ale yeast. I am not really sure , but do they even have a specific dry heff yeast?



I am not working with a recipe kit, but more or less a general instruction from the local brewshop here in houston.
I am not saying that the recipe will not work, but I am afraid it is more geared toward non wheat beers.

I have been reading up on brewing with extracts some, why is it that the kit came with 2 malts? When boiling the wort, do you just add both of them together at once?
 
Without knowing what ingredients are in the second container, I would guess that you have the wheat malt, and probably a regular malt extract. Since a hefeweizen only needs a certain percentage of wheat malt in order to be considered a hefe, the other portion can be another type of extract.

Also your wheat malt has the hops added to it, vice you adding hops to the recipe yourself.

Just make sure when you buy your yeast (and I am sure you have heard it more than once lately), to make a starter. Also be prepared for a strong sulfur smell for the first few days. (Important if you have a SWMBO and you are fermenting in the house).

Good Luck on your hefeweizen.
 
The krausen on mine hadn't settled after 10 days, but I went ahead and kegged it anyway. My house never gets cooler than 68º so I know the yeast did their things. Last tester was good but still flat.
 
McKBrew said:
Brewing my first Hefe, and just went to check on it. I am fermenting in a 6 gallon better bottle using the White Labs American Hefeweizen Yeast. To my surprise I found that the krausen had reached the top and was bubbling out of the airlock. Only maybe a couple of ounces had came out.

I don't have a blow-off tube (lesson learned), but I stuck a sanitized small diameter tube through the center of the stopper and ran it to a bucket.

I thought I was at peak fermentation earlier, but obviously not. Can anyone tell me whether or not it is going to get worse, or taper off soon. I have had it fermenting since about noon yesterday, and the activity started sometime after 9PM last night.

Thanks.

FYI: Clear vinyl tubing from lowes is cheap. I forget which diameter you need, but there is a size, the second from the largest, that fits snugly into the neck of a standard carboy. Quick and easy (and cheap---$4) solution for next time.
 
Evan! said:
FYI: Clear vinyl tubing from lowes is cheap. I forget which diameter you need, but there is a size, the second from the largest, that fits snugly into the neck of a standard carboy. Quick and easy (and cheap---$4) solution for next time.

Is that food grade?
 
G-E-R-M-A-N said:
I am not really sure , but do they even have a specific dry heff yeast?
No not really.
Both Wyeast and White Labs have very good liquid yeasts for the hefeweizen style. White Labs WLP-300 Hefeweizen, 351 Bavarian Hefeweizen, or 380 Hefeweizen IV will work great. Wyeast options are 3056 Bavarian Wheat, 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen, or 3638 Bavarian Wheat.
 
i don't think the blow off tube needs to be food grade, but the home depot stores cary food grade tubing as well...

don't think there are any dry heffe yeasts that i've seen, and all my heffes have had a thick/dense krausen that lasts anywhere from one to two weeks before it drops...

i usually do the heffes in primary for three weeks then bottle.
 
went to Lowes yesterday, and not sure on the tubing size for blowoff. They had several that were close together, and I did not want to guess. Does anybody have the measurement of the inside lip of a 6.5 gallon carboy? I dont have my carboy at my GF's. Even better would be the OD tubing size.
 
I think the blowoff tubing I am using for my 6.5 gallon carboy is like 1" inside diameter and it fits pretty good.

I had the same thing happen, sunday I brewed a honey hefe... early monday morning (3 am) it started fermenting. by 9 pm monday night it started coming out my airlock. I just sanitized my 4' by 1" inside diameter tubing, sanatized the neck of my carboy, took the airlock out and stuck the tubing in the carboy... put the other end of the blowoff tube in a 2 quart container full of sanitizing solution.

It is continuing to ferment away with no problems, as of this morning it looks like it is receding, I will just leave the blowoff tube in till sunday and check the gravity. If it has dropped enough I will transfer to my secondary.
 
UPDATE: Just checked my gravity... it's only at 1.030 after a week... fermentation start good but now it looks stuck. I went ahead a shook the bottle to stir things up... hope that helps it start back up. BTW it's sitting at around 66 to 68 degrees. Hope thats not to cold.
 
I just made my first hefe a two days ago and used White Labs WLP300... smells amazing within a few feet from the carboy. I've been doing 3 gallon batches lately and purposefully used a 6.5 gallon carboy for this one because I didn't want to have to deal with a blowoff tube. It's been fermenting at a good pace at 70 degress and the krausen nearly made it to the 5 gallon mark. That'll be fun to clean...

The krausen on mine is probably the strongest I've had on a beer yet. Very think and dense. I wonder how that will impact a gravity sample if it doesn't fall in before a week...
 
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