Best temp for Bavarian Hefeweizen 1 Gallon kit

Hi,

So I'm starting to experiment a little with 1 gallon batches right now. I got a few from Northern Brewer. The first I'm going ot try is a Bavarian Hefeweizen 1 Gallon kit. And not question. I only have two fermentation temperature options:
- 68-69 stable room temp in secondary bedroom
- 53-55 in the temp controlled fridge where I cellar my beer.
Which one would be better for this Hefe?

Definitely the 68+ temps. Hefe yeasts will even like to be a touch warmer. And don't worry about internal temps rising with a one gallon batch. There won't be enough mass or volume to have your temps climb above 72 or so.

I would personally aim lower than 68-72. IMO best temp for weizen is 63-65F ferm temp, not ambient. I would put it in a bucket of water and add a little ice to get it to low 60s for the first 2-3days of ferm then take out and let it rise. 68+ will be too much banana/ bubblegum for my taste. Just my thoughts

I know many people that like to ferment Hefes mid 60s to enhance the phenolic experience... others that like to push it above 70... which gives you the banana esters... your choice. 68F is a good balance... mine come out good higher but lack the spiciness... You using 3068 for the yeast?

Thanks guys. I don't want the bananas to overwhelm too much, so I think I will do as Feurhund suggested, at least for the first few days. Now, maybe a stupid questions, does it matter if the fermenter is just few inches in the cold water or should it be covered well above (almost completely)? I would think that it doesn't really matter much since there is movement during the fermentation anyway, but maybe I'm wrong?

Regarding the yeast, I think NB includes a packet of Danstar Munich Wheat Beer.

I would suggest a higher level for water bath, as you will need less ice cubes to cool the ferment and not risk having "too-cold" spots.

Never used the danstar but the liquid yeast option is generally much better for a hef. Might not be worth the money for just a gallon tho...

will do. thanks everyone. I will update after the fermentation is over

To my knowledge, that type of yeast is always a top fermenting yeast. And there will be yeast that will settle out and some in suspension, but the temp on bottom of carboy isn't gonna do much if the top is 78+ where most of the yeast are gonna be when it matters most.

Hi guys,

So I finished brewing day yesterday around 11pm. I'm attaching pictures of my setup. (From my phone so hopefully it works)

looks like it worked more or less.
So I noticed that the recipe suggests that the beer "will ferment happiest at a temp of 55-66F", so I went with the full water batch inside my cooler. Water level is above the wort level. I think I may have put too much ice yesterday since water temp was even below 50F, but in the morning it went back to normal and right now it's around 58-59F...while the fermometer shows around 58-60F. Should I keep it this way during the whole fermentation period or just for the first few days and then just take it out of the ice bath (outside I expect to have 66-68F at the moment).

Another thing I wanted to ask, I notice that the recipe stated to add half of the yeast packet straight into fermenter. To make it more precise I rehydrated the yeast first and just poured half of the yeast-water inside the fermenter. Am I thinking right?

And that's about it. It look like after 12h I heard and saw first bubbles...Although it happens very rare so far. There is a little little krausen as you can see, but it's nothing compared too the double ipa I did before that

That recipe sounds off.. 55 is a little low, probably low 60s to start is better. Water bath for couple days of good fermentation then take it out to ambient temp to finish.

Any reason for not pitching all the yeast? It's better to pitch it all, and not have to wonder if it was enough.

Depends on the yeast strain you went with, but for WLP380 and 3068 I ferment at 61-62.

Fermenting at the higher temps are more likely to give you off flavors, even though they may be more robust. I used to do this on my first hefe batches.

Ive brewed over 40 Hefeweizen batches and Ive settled on using 380 pitched at 55 and fermented no higher than 62. Bottled with speise and conditioned at 62 for 3 days, then aged at 45 for one month. The result is spectacular.

Andrew, if you are a weizen guru and haven't already, you should try growing up some Schneider weisse yeast from the bottle.

Really great flavor profile with the clove notes, slight tartness, and let's the wheat malt shine through.

Off flavors in a Hefe over 61F? What one person considers "off-flavors" in most beers are not in a hefe! You get more spice and more fruit as you approach 70, and I've made delicious and balanced hefes around and even over 70F. It depends on several factors, pitch rate included. I wouldn't go scaring everyone off because you don't like banana! Me and my crew must be chimpanzees because my "off-flavored" hefe makes people go...bananas! I would never inhibit a Hefe by pitching under 60F, yuck! If I wanted a regular wheat beer I wouldn't use hefe yeast.