How long for your Hefeweizen?

I have searched this forum and i have not yet found a solid answer so I wanted to get a consensus. I am brewing a hefeweizen right now and am thinking i am going to go with the 1-2-3 rule. What do you guys think?

It's hefeweizen.

I bottled Ed's BCB Hefeweizen at two weeks, but if I do it again, I'll either wait another week or cold crash for a day or two. I got a lot of yeast into those bottles. My previous two hefe batches got a week in secondary, which I now think is a waste of effort.

Look to Revvy's posts for advice - hefe is no special case where it's going to mature sooner just because it's hefeweizen....

yeah you know i figured i spelled it wrong but i'm here for the good drink not the spelling

944play said:

It's hefeweizen. ...

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No, it's Hefe Weizen...2 words...

I do 7-10 days in the primary, another 5 in the secondary (to reduce the amount of yeast going into the bottles), and another 2 weeks in the bottle. :rockin:

Pi Kapp Beer Guy said:

I have searched this forum and i have not yet found a solid answer so I wanted to get a consensus.

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So the source of the lack of consensus is who you decide to poll? Don't you think you'll just get the same lack of agreement, but in a chart?

My answer is "none of the above." I typically wait ~10 days before checking gravity then decide from there.

Hefe means yeast and supposed to be colored white by yeast. If it's clear it's not a Hefeweizen. Roll your bottles before you pour for the authentic flavor.

carl spakler said:

So the source of the lack of consensus is who you decide to poll? Don't you think you'll just get the same lack of agreement, but in a chart?

My answer is "none of the above." I typically wait ~10 days before checking gravity then decide from there.

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Well its a chance to see if there is a more popular time frame. Overall i figured 2 and 3 weeks would be close but as of the moment 2 weeks is 25% more common of a practice but i am going to wait a little longer before i draw any conclusions.

Hefe Wiezen is supposed to be a bit cloudy and bottle-conditioned. If you're worried about the amount of yeast in the bottles, a secondary for up to a week would be ok. I'd do it 2-0.5-3 personally, but that's just my 2cents.

Recently I have switched to a new regimen concerning fermentation and racking. All of my beers get at least 2 weeks in Primary. Wits and Weisens 4 weeks and straight to bottle. Beers that benefit from more clarity go to secondary after 2 weeks.

I do have to wonder why people who have an objection to yeast in their beer would be brewing beers with the word "yeast" right there in the title.

It is like brewing a stout with only pale malts because you don't really want the darkness in your beer.

Two weeks primary, three weeks in the bottle.

It may depend on the yeast. I have two fermenters of hefeweizen with Wyeast 3068 that have been going for six days now and still are giving off regular CO2 burps. I'm not going to take a hydrometer sample until is has settled down. It will probably be two weeks then in bottles for three days at 70 and a day in the fridge when open the first bottle.

It looks like I need to bottle the two week old Porter or buy another fermenter bucket so I can do the 10 gallon batch of pale tomorrow.

only three days bottled? Is that normal?

So far I have always had decent carbonation in four days; three at 70 and one in the fridge. Sure it should sit longer but I taste it to see how it's coming along. If I like it I'll put more in the fridge.

Don't forget the one day in the fridge. It's important to help get the CO2 in the beer and not just the top air space.

I went ahead and sampled my Hefeweizen. Its at 1.009 from 1.040--possibly done but I'll check again before I bottle. Tasty. The esters are just the way I want them now and I fear that with too much time they will fade away.

I bottled mine Monday after eight days in primary. This morning (Thursday) I shook one up and put it in the fridge. I just drank it. It was well carbonated, yeasty and tasty.

Malticulous said:

It may depend on the yeast. I have two fermenters of hefeweizen with Wyeast 3068 that have been going for six days now and still are giving off regular CO2 burps. I'm not going to take a hydrometer sample until is has settled down. It will probably be two weeks then in bottles for three days at 70 and a day in the fridge when open the first bottle.

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Just bottled my second Dunkelweizen made with 3068 and couldn't remember why I got the idea drinking these so young was okay (It was this thread, and it totally was). As I recall, on the 3rd day it wasn't quite fully carbed, but I didn't notice hardly any difference between day 4 and 5 and beyond in carb level (this was primed for 4 volumes as well). The flavor profile definitely developed beyond that point, but that's not to say it was any worse when drank young at all. It was awesome to experience the development in flavor over a few weeks. This was during August and they were at probably 73 degrees or so. The new round is at about 72. Will wait 4 days before I try the first.

I had to test your theory on the necessity of 24 hours in the fridge, and after trying it twice, I am immediately convinced that anything less than 24 hours is a waste of good Dunkelweizen! The bigger bottles (500 ML) and higher volumes (4.0) I'm sure help make this even more necessary.

Having a right good ramble on a 10 year old thread, but had to put in my 2 cents.

Thanks, Malticulous! I don't know if it's just this 3068 either, but it's the only one I've tried, it's tastey AF, and I have no reason to go back or question your knowledge here! Cheers!

Is a hefeweizen better in a bottle then on tap?