Question about a Bavarian Hefe Weizen

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BillTheSlink

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Hello:

I am going to be doing my first brews this weekend. A Scottish 80 on Saturday and if it doesn't rain a Bavarian Hefe Weizen Sunday. I've never tasted this style, but it looked good and since I haven't developed a pallet for very hoppy beers yet I thought I'd give the Hefe a try. I was just wondering if there is anything special about this style I should know about before brewing. I've read all the stickies and several books, but none specifically mentioned brewing this style. Here is the run down on the kit (Northern Brewer):

6 lbs wheat malt syrup
1 lbs wheat DME
1 oz. Sterling (60 min) will be reduced 15% because I am doing a full boil
Wyeast #3333 German Wheat Yeast
Anticipated OG: 1.054

I found in the search these foam a lot during fermentation. I have both a 6 1/2 gal glass primary and a 6 gal better bottle. Of course I'll use a blow off tube either way, but would love to get it off and an air lock on ASAP as cats are in the area and they would just love to turn a bucket of foam over and ruin my day (Yeah I know, I have the only cats in the world that love water. They'll get in the tub with you.) Do you think I'll need that extra 1/2 gal in the glass, as where this one's going to be stored I would prefer the better bottle. The Scottish 80 uses Dry yeast and would do better in the basement.

One final question and I know I'm treading on dangerous water here. The Hefe won't be here until tomorrow, which if I do it Sunday doesn't leave time for a starter. On Wyeast's site they say they're pitchable except for heavy beers and lagers. If I smack on Friday night and it's inflated Sunday morning, do you think I'll be OK?

Just in case your wondering I do have a wort chiller and aeration system.
 
If I smack on Friday night and it's inflated Sunday morning, do you think I'll be OK?

If you're not making a starter, why would you smack it that far ahead? The energizer inside is designed to get the yeast's metabolism going right before fermentation - if they go 36 hours all amped up without some wort to eat I would think that may be detrimental. 3-4 hours before pitching is all you really need (and you don't really need that).

FWIW, 24 hours is all you need for a starter. You'll just have to pitch the whole thing because you won't have time to crash cool and decant it, but you should have max yeast growth by then. If you make a smallish (2-3 cup, well aerated) starter on Friday night or Saturday morning you'll still be way better off than direct pitching on Sunday. I've done that many times and it does work.
 
If the hefe is not too big (and they normally aren't) and the yeast is fresh, I say go ahead and pitch the Wyeast pack for this first time out. (It's an Activator pack right, not a Propagator?) Hefe yeast is pretty ferocious, and I bet it takes right off. Plus hefeweizen is pretty much defined by what would be considered "off flavors" in other styles, so I wouldn't consider under-pitching a crime. In the future though, plan on making starters for liquid yeast. It's simply good brewing practice, for several reasons.

What dry yeast are you using for the Scottish 80 shilling? I'm a big believer in dry yeast, but for Scottish ales I stick with Wyeast 1728. Just curious.
 
If the hefe is not too big (and they normally aren't) and the yeast is fresh, I say go ahead and pitch the Wyeast pack for this first time out. (It's an Activator pack right, not a Propagator?) Hefe yeast is pretty ferocious, and I bet it takes right off. Plus hefeweizen is pretty much defined by what would be considered "off flavors" in other styles, so I wouldn't consider under-pitching a crime. In the future though, plan on making starters for liquid yeast. It's simply good brewing practice, for several reasons.

What dry yeast are you using for the Scottish 80 shilling? I'm a big believer in dry yeast, but for Scottish ales I stick with Wyeast 1728. Just curious.

For the Scottish 80 Safbrew S-33. Optimum temperature: 59-75° F.

Thank you for the correction on when to smack. There's just so much to learn and it get's a little confusing. I'm sure it will be in strong condition, it's coming from Minnesota after all and it and another smack pack are on two ice packs. I would have read the directions of course when they got here.

Thanks for the advise on the Scottish. Since hearing from a "dry man" that this style might do better with a Smack pack, I may then just do the Irish Red I have instead and run down to the local to get one for it when I am ready to brew again. He's really a wholesaler but sells over the counter as a favor, but he has to keep his prices high or his retailers would scream bloody murder.

Thank you,
Bill :mug:
 
I'll be brewing the same kit (though using a different yeast) likely on Monday or Tuesday of next week (20th or 21st), so it'd be interesting to compare notes and such if you want via PM's.

I made this thread earlier today over in extract brewing. The thread has links to a few different hefe recipes in it. I am an absolute beginner and have not even brewed my first beer yet so I'm a bit hesitant to give "advice," but I received a lot of great advice in the thread. I changed the kit around a bit by choosing wyeast 3068 (a very common hefe yeast) and will probably drop the hops by a little bit, so it would be interesting to compare our results a bit. Best of luck with the brew!
 
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