is something wrong with my hefeweisen?

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madkap_78

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I brewed an extract version of the blood orange hefeweisen on tuesday of this week. When I pitched the yeast the wort was at 70 degrees, everything was fine, fermentation started within 24 hours and the airlock was bubbling like crazy and I had a thick white foamy layer of about 3in thick on top of beer. I decided to bring the temp down slowly over the next two days to 66 degrees. Well when I checked it about an hour ago the thick layer has dropped to nothing and the airlock is bubbling like maybe once every five secs. Im new to brewing, Ive only brewed about 6 beers so far and this is my first hefeweisen. All the other beers Ive brewed after two days the airlock was still bubbling like crazy and the layer on top of the beer was still thick. They didnt slow down like this hefeweisen is doing into atleast about day 5 to 7. Did I do something wrong by dropping the temp to 66 degrees? Did I drop the temp too soon? Could it be something else? Am I just worrying too much?
 
Well each yeast will behave differently, some go crazy for a day and some for a few days. Check your gravity after 7 days and you should be getting closer to your FG.
 
Different gravity levels beers will actively ferment for longer times. It could be possible that your Hefe is simply lower gravity than your other beers. This is merely speculation, though, and it could be other issues. For example, temperature could have had an impact. If your beer stays real warm during fermentation due to endothermic heat, then backing the heat off to 66 may or may not have been a good idea. Although, I would say it was. Unless much of this endothermic heat also dropped with it. So, if the fermentation ceased because it got too chilly, you may have needed a bit more warmth. I typically drop my heat gradually over this time. Especially due to endothermic heat as previously mentioned. I often feel the side of the fermenter with my had. It is obvious that yeast produces heat when doing this.

On the other hand, it could have been what I first mentioned. Did you measure gravity?
 
Lowering the temp signals the yeast to slow down and get ready to go to sleep. Your beer isn't ruined or anything like that, but I'd recommend starting out lower then ramping up the temp over a few days. For example, if the recommended temp range for a yeast is 62-68, start out at something like 63 then ramp up to 68 over a several days. This helps ensure a healthy fermentation and that the yeast stay active.
 
i say you're fine. check the gravity on friday & i bet its right on target.

i've brewed that same recipe a couple of times & the yeast work like crazy the first couple of days. the beer turned out a bit more amber colored that i was hoping for but it was very solid as a young beer.

so ag folks--is it b/c of the extract that this hefe turns out more amber colored
than a good german wheat? if i remember correctly, its 7lbs
wheat/pale extract & hallertau.
 
Different gravity levels beers will actively ferment for longer times. It could be possible that your Hefe is simply lower gravity than your other beers. This is merely speculation, though, and it could be other issues. For example, temperature could have had an impact. If your beer stays real warm during fermentation due to endothermic heat, then backing the heat off to 66 may or may not have been a good idea. Although, I would say it was. Unless much of this endothermic heat also dropped with it. So, if the fermentation ceased because it got too chilly, you may have needed a bit more warmth. I typically drop my heat gradually over this time. Especially due to endothermic heat as previously mentioned. I often feel the side of the fermenter with my had. It is obvious that yeast produces heat when doing this.

On the other hand, it could have been what I first mentioned. Did you measure gravity?


I took hydro reading before putting into fermenter. At 70 degrees gravity was at 1.054
 
Sounds all pretty normal to me.

Take a hydro reading to see where you're at, then take another hydro reading in three more days, and then another three more days after that. When two of your readings match, its done.
 
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