Wheat beer kegged and served in 2 weeks? Possibly slow fermentation?

Okay so I brewed a recipe I made to be styled after New Belgium's Sunshine Wheat. I was lazy and didn't take an OG reading and am now concerned by lack of activity from my blowoff tube that it may not be ready to serve in 2 weeks. (Side note: I brewed a 5 gallon Fat Tire clone on the same day and the airlock is already raging.)

Plus, the dry yeast the LHBS owner talked me into, Brewferm Blanche, happened to already be expired January 2011. I hydrated it and pitched anyway hoping for the best.

Without activity from my blowoff tube, how can I tell if I am actively fermenting?

What situation would you repitch another packet of yeast?

Do you think 9 days in primary will be long enough to get a decent brew?

I will be kegging, force carbing over 3 days and serving on the 18th.

My 5 gallon extract recipe was:

Steeping grains for 45 min
.5 Carapils
1 lb Honey Malt
.5 Belgian Pale Ale

4 lbs Wheat LME @ 60 min
1 oz Target Hops @ 60 min
.5 oz Target Hops @ 20 min
1 oz sweet orange @ 20 min
.5 oz crushed coriander @ 20 min
Irish Moss @ 20 min
2 lbs Wheat LME @ 20 min


Brewferm Blanche Dry Yeast (expired Jan 2011)

Thanks for all the help!

Edit: Upon re-reading your post, I see I may have misconstrued some things. How long has it been since you pitched? My suggestions below were working from the preconception that you had already gone the planned 9 day primary and activity had subsided.

What is the expected FG, and what is the gravity at now? That's the easiest, best, and some would argue only, way to determine if fermentation is proceeding. Check its gravity today, wait three more days or so, then check again. If it remains static, fermentation's done.

9 days primary is far less time than I'd prefer, but with a wheat beer and good fermentation, you can make do with that time frame (although I would wager that you'll have pretty strong orange and rather mild coriander with a batch this green, looking at the recipe). I definitely wouldn't bother pitching more yeast, as I'm pretty skeptical that it'll make any difference. Still, posting where it stands now would help in getting a more concrete suggestion.

smagee:

The target OG and FG are undetermined because I made the recipe and this was the second brew I did yesterday so I got lazy and didn't check OG.

I would normally wait 3 days before worrying about fermentation but I need this ready in 2 weeks.

I called the LHBS and they told me to come by and grab another packet of yeast free of charge.

I'm thinking of hydrating this second packet, also expired Jan 2011, and pitching. I figure two expired packs will be close to one packet in date.

What do you think of this plan?

I have had hefeweizens finish in 3-4 days before. Testing via hydrometer etc. is the only way to know for sure. I normally leave the beer on the yeast for 2-3 weeks minimum as that seems to be the consensus from the experts on this forum. Why re-invest the wheel, listen to experience, I do. I never check final gravity until the airlock is totally dead. Usually after a day or so with no activity I check, if it is at final gravity, you can keg, but I would wait. Good Luck !

dallasdb said:

The target OG and FG are undetermined because I made the recipe and this was the second brew I did yesterday so I got lazy and didn't check OG.

Click to expand...

Really? What new brewer is lazy about anything? I thought the requirements were frantic, worried and lawyer-esqe in their attention to details

dallasdb said:

I'm thinking of hydrating this second packet, also expired Jan 2011, and pitching. I figure two expired packs will be close to one packet in date.

What do you think of this plan?

Click to expand...

First of all, have you taken a gravity reading? That's the only way of knowing if it's fermenting. The airlock is a dirty lying jerk who is plotting to kick your dog in your sleep.

But if you do repitch, sounds like that will work. It happens sometimes. When buying the ingredients for the Oktoberfest I have lagering right now I wanted the SafLager (say what you will, I love the dry stuff) but the only packets LHBS had were kinda old. So dude gave me six packets (I checked Mr. Malty and by their production date it was appropriate for a lager) and the beer is tasting fantastic.

Go get your free packet, rehydrate per the manufacturer's instructions (or just add it to a cup or two of boiled-then-cooled-to-under-90* water and wait 30 minutes or so) and pitch that mofo.

Reno_eNVy_446 said:

Really? What new brewer is lazy about anything? I thought the requirements were frantic, worried and lawyer-esqe in their attention to details.

Go get your free packet, rehydrate per the manufacturer's instructions (or just add it to a cup or two of boiled-then-cooled-to-under-90* water and wait 30 minutes or so) and pitch that mofo.

Click to expand...

I am a very "laid back" aka lazy brewer. I clean and sanitize well but I've only taken a gravity reading twice! I've never made a starter, I usually get impatient and drink green beer and I only recently learned you should hydrate dry yeast. But I've loved all my beers and so have others!

UPDATE: I picked up another expired packet of Brewferm (they didn't have any in date) and I will hydrate and pitch.

I finally have a little activity and would normally leave it but I need it ready in two weeks. So I'm going to pitch.

I just kegged a beer tonight Wednesday after pitched dry yeast on Friday night. I didn't start for 24 hours and was totally floculated 36 hours after. It went from 1.069 to 1.010 in those 5 days so i figured that was sufficient and it tasted awesome so in the keg and on the CO2 it went. Hopefully it turns out, i will surely update in a couple days when it is carbed

Off-topic thread zombification!