Hefe Slow Fermentation

I am making my first beer and it is a Hefe. I have read everywhere that wheat beers are so violent and a blow off is required, so that is what I did. My brew has been fermenting for 5 days now and the krausen has only gotten to be about 2 to 3 inches high and is now dying down. During this time it never blew off, it never went above 3 inches. I am using a 6 gallon carboy with 5 gallons of wart inside.

I did not make a starter and I am wondering if that is why? Has anyone experienced this? Should I expect it to be longer in bottling before it finishes?

I am also fermenting at 68 to 70 degrees, and the wart is around 70 to 72 in the carboy. My recipe was simple:

7 lbs of Muntons Wheat Malt (syrup)
1+ oz Hallertauer Hops for bittering (4 HBU)
1/4 oz Hallertauer Hops for finishing
White Labs Hefeweizen IV Ale Yeast

Let me know if you have any input. I have alreay learned a lot and I want to do things right in the future. I am going to make a starter on my next batch, but I just want to know if anyone has input on this one. I can only find posts of people who have wheat beers going crazy, not any with a slow fermentation.

Here is a thread I found, but there results are completly different.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/2nd-brew-batch-simple-hefe-recipe-114900/

It sounds allright,what was your S.G.?

Well, with no starter, you almost certainly under pitched.

The temp looks good for a Hefe... what was the yeast strain? I have never had a hefe that didnt blow its top, BUT I also always make starters for them.

I always make a starter, but that shouldn't necessarily cause a slow or incomplete fermentation.

The problem with your question is that the only answer is to use a hydrometer - which is something we cannot do for ya! You simply can't go by visual cues, you need to take a reading to know when it's done or if it fermented completely. Do you have a hydrometer? If not, GET ONE ASAP!!!

Wait until it's been at least a week in the fermenter and then check the gravity. Wait two more days and then check it again. If it's the same it's done. If it's not the same then it isnt' done. Wait two more days. Repeat, if necessary.

Once your gravity has stopped changing the fermentation is over. Now you can secondary or bottle. DO NOT BOTTLE UNTIL THE FERMENTATION IS DONE. Otherwise your bottles can burst, which can be very dangerous.

Well I did not measure my SG because the beer shop near me said is was not required, so I figured for the first batch I would just go off of visuals. I am thinking about trying to save the yeast and try another batch, but I also don't want to make the same beer twice as my first brew..

From what I have read the only issue with not making a starter is under pitching. Due to this the fermentation process in the begining is slow and not violent. The brew supply place said to use a blow off because all wheat beers will get into the lock, but that is not happening.

I am confussed when you ask what the yeast strain is because I mentioned the type in my initial post, am I missing something?

I will get a SG reading tomorrow as long as the bubbling has continued to die down. I am planning on going into a secondary after fermentation is complete, so I can start another brew, but this time I will use a starter. The shop said not to worry, but it seems like it really makes the difference.

You can wash the yeast, it works really well and I use cleaned and sanitized plastic soda bottles. They hold the pressure really well.
I made a crystal Heffe, on Saturday night using washed WLP300 and it was a rather tame start and mild fermentation for a wheat beer with that yeast. I'm not worried one bit. I may have not have added enough o2, or any numbers of things.

I'm going to let it sit for a total of 10 days, last three days I will throw in some orange and lemon rinds. Rack to secondary and let it sit for a week, and then crash chill it for a week before kegging. Or you could just leave it sitting in primary for 3-4 weeks if you prefer.

Patience will give you some really great beer and don't worry about it.
Welcome to HBT, and I hope you enjoy this hobby as much as I do.

fredGSX said:

The brew supply place said to use a blow off because all wheat beers will get into the lock, but that is not happening.

Click to expand...

He lied. I've brewed 1 white, and 2 hefes, and none of them have gotten into the lock. Once got close in my bucket, but the other two only had a couple of inches of krausen.

RDWHAHB, your beer will be fine

Most...wheat beers need a blow off.... Yours didn't.... Whitelabs hefe yeast is notorious for it's slow fermentation. In fast, I remember a member on here calling it "the Homer Simpson" of yeast....

Hammy71 said:

Most...wheat beers need a blow off.... Yours didn't.... Whitelabs hefe yeast is notorious for it's slow fermentation. In fast, I remember a member on here calling it "the Homer Simpson" of yeast....

Click to expand...

Really? I have used the WLP300 and WLP380 many times and it has been the craziest most volitile stuff I have ever seen. I have always blown off at least 1 quart of fliud while using it. I have never heard of thier yeasts being slow, unless of course they are lager yeasts, but never a hefe yeast.

Your temp appears good, if the FG is good, then it doenst really matter except for a little under pitching.

Here are some reviews of the WLP380, sounds like out of the tube it is REALLY SLOW, but with a starter it will blow off and ferment pretty vigoroulsy, like any WLP product will. Again, underpitching.
http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp380.html

I have not had wild ferments with my wheat either. I do ferment cool (low to mid 60's). I have even had normal ferments pitching onto cakes 14 days old. That one was in a bucket, so I guess it does not count.

Perhaps it is good to be prepared... but not worry when it does not present.

And I would brew 2 batches of wheat back to back.... it is what turned me to 10 gallon batches. We floated 5 of it fast. My wife loves it as much as I do!

If I can add one more comment. Every beer I brew I use a blow off tube.
It's the wild ones that come out and bite you.
I still need to paint the ceiling of my kitchen due to a massive blow off from a stout that was so mellow for 3 days, then it went wild and blew off the blow off tube. (dry hops clogged the blow off tube).
Don't complain about nice mellow fermentations if you don't complain about the explosive ones. The yeast do what they do and we just need to provide them a happy work environment.