Bulk aging a Hefe' ?

About a month and a half ago I brewed a hefe. Also I might add that this was my first hefeweizen I've brewed. I've read numerous places that they are best consumed when fairly green. I'm not sure if it's because the wheat flavors fade away or what. Lately I've been very busy with other RL stuff and completely forgot about the beer in the closet. I haven't gotten around to even racking it to a secondary and adding the raspberries I have in the freezer.

If hefe's are best when green, what will I miss out on when I keg this in a few weeks?

I probably won't get to drink a pint until maybe 2 months after it was brewed.

What's your experience with aging a hefe this long or longer?

What yeast did you use?

I personally think they peak at about week 5 or 6, then start dropping off quickly after that. If you don't have room in the kegerator you should bottle condition, this style usually has enough yeast left in suspension that they are fully carbed within a few days. German wheat ales really benefit from bottle conditioning, it allows you to serve them mit hefe.

dkershner said:

What yeast did you use?

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Notty

"I personally think they peak at about week 5 or 6"

Yeah that's what I've read a lot of so far.... By falling off after that, what falls off?

The yeast profile mostly, it becomes very one dimensional and uninteresting. But since you used Notty, you did not make a Hefeweizen and therefore nothing I said applies.

Tonedef131 said:

If you don't have room in the kegerator you should bottle condition, this style usually has enough yeast left in suspension that they are fully carbed within a few days. German wheat ales really benefit from bottle conditioning, it allows you to serve them mit hefe.

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That's part of my problem. Out of keg space. So I guess I'll have to bottle.

I suppose I'll rack onto the raspberries tonight and leave for a few days and then bottle. If they carb up in a week or so, then that would put me at about 6 weeks.

I'm so used to being able to forget about the beer and it just gets better with age... I overlooked the hefe.

Oh.. I take that back I didn't use notty. I used windsor. my memory is coming back to me in waves...

Doesn't matter, English ale strains do not a hefeweizen make. You made an American wheat kinda thing that will now have fruit added to it. Just call it a raspberry wheat and don't worry about drinking it too soon, I would put it on the fruit and forget about it till you have space in the kegerator.

Tonedef131 said:

Just call it a raspberry wheat and don't worry about drinking it too soon, I would put it on the fruit and forget about it till you have space in the kegerator.

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Sounds good to me. I didn't realize hefe's required region specific yeast strains. Doesn't surprise me, I just figured a variety of low to medium attenuation stains would work.

Thanks for the advice.

do the same grain bill with white labs 380 and ferment it at 62 degrees. It gets a clovey spicey, banna, bubblegum thing going on.... quite nice...

But I would drink your beer too!

chefmike said:

do the same grain bill with white labs 380 and ferment it at 62 degrees. It gets a clovey spicey, banna, bubblegum thing going on.... quite nice...

But I would drink your beer too!

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380 would work, 300 would be my white labs choice.

3068 or 3333 from Wyeast are both good, 3068 being my choice.

Since you seem to like your dry yeasts, Danster (the company of Notty and Windsor) makes a Munich and Fermentis makes a WB-06. Both have received mixed reviews on the forum, but I have yet to try them myself. I would use liquid if I were you.

Just some info for your next try!

I've used the Munich before with good results. Just didn't have any on hand at the time... so I stuck with Windsor. If this wheat beer is half way decent I might try a 10 gallon batch and use two different yeasts. Maybe try one of the WL, and the Munich.

IXVolt said:

I've used the Munich before with good results. Just didn't have any on hand at the time... so I stuck with Windsor. If this wheat beer is half way decent I might try a 10 gallon batch and use two different yeasts. Maybe try one of the WL, and the Munich.

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My buddy and I are doing that this weekend with a Dunkel. 3333 and 3068.

I have done that with Munich and WB06. Both made pretty decent beers but not that passable for a hefeweizen.

Tonedef131 said:

I have done that with Munich and WB06. Both made pretty decent beers but not that passable for a hefeweizen.

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Your post was definitely what I was referring to above. VERY helpful for me.

I think this is the one I looked at, not tonedef's but he was around to comment: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/danstar-munich-vs-fermentis-wb-06-happy-wife-wheat-67804/

Just posting some results.


The raspberries really turned out fantastic in this beer!

This was going into the keg... can't wait till it's carbed up!

That's definitely NOT a Hefe Weizen.

HWs are German specific and require the proper German yeast...same goes for a Belgian Wit. It's the yeast that determines the style and flavor.

Anything else is just an American Wheat.

Yes, that's already been established 2 months ago, I just couldn't change the title of the thread.

I'm just calling it a raspberry wheat.

IXVolt said:

Yes, that's already been established 2 months ago, I just couldn't change the title of the thread.

I'm just calling it a raspberry wheat.

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I can concur with that...