I have a Hefeweizen fermenting that seems to have stalled out on me. I did a triple decoction with rests at 130, 145, 157, and 169. My OG was 1.052. I put in my tilt which read the OG as 1.048, it always seems to read a little lower than my hydrometer for some reason. One pure pitch pouch of WLP300 with no starter. Open fermentation for the first 24 hours and then put the lid on. Temp started at 62 and was allowed to rise to 69/70. I made this beer Monday so it hasn’t even been 48 hours (I know I know) but airlock activity has stopped and my tilt has been stuck reading 1.022 since airlock activity stopped. What do you think?
Anyone ever get a stuck fermentation with WLP300?
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I've heard that krausen can accumulate on a tilt and throw off the readings.
Can you warm it up a bit? like to 76 or so?
Can you warm it up a bit? like to 76 or so?
I have definitely had gunk throw off my tilts but I think every time it made it read lower than actual not higher. I might be able to warm it up but shouldn’t 70 be plenty warm to keep that yeast happy?
70 is good, although the flavors created at the higher temps can make a hefe mighty tasty.
What I've always heard, at the lower temps, one get the clove flavors and at the higher temps one gets the banana flavors, since you are pretty much past the phase where flavors develop, now you just what the yeast to finish.
I've let Saisons, Belgian beers and hefes get to 80-90 at the end to get the most out of the yeast.
It's just what I prefer, I'm certain, that others will give different advice.
Although, my experience with that yeast, is that it typically finishes in two days, three max, rips through everything and often times has a massive blowoff. Beers that have wheat or a good amount of wheat seem to ferment faster.
This is a known phenomenon. Some call if "rafting". Basically most of the active yeast cells get up into the krausen and are not in great contact with the wort. When the Krausen dies down a bit they go back to work. So you should be back in action after a brief period. Usually has happened to me in the low 1.020s then it perks back up to finish the ferment. Let us know how it turns out!
Excellent, I will let it ride for a couple days, thank you!
EDIT: I just popped out my airlock and looked in the hole and the Krausen is probably 6 inches high at least, you are probably exactly right
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I would argue that 24 hours of open fermentation is not long enough and the kräusen never gets that high if you leave it open until kräusen starts to drop.
so are you saying the fermentation could have stalled because I put the lid on too early? Most people doing Hefeweizen with this yeast aren’t doing open fermentation at all so I don’t see how it would cause that
Hydro sample of wheat ale. Not bad, not great. Was hoping for Belgian esters since I put it on a cake of Abbaye yeast from a graf but not getting them. It's drinkable.
I brewed a Hefeweizen last summer with WLP300 and open fermented and had no problems. Of course, I open ferment for the first 3 plus days on almost all of my beers, so I am an outlier.
Some yeasts are "backpressure sensitive." That's what Drew Beechum calls it in this guide to saison yeasts and how/why open fermentation prevents the dreaded saison yeast stall that many people experience:
https://www.maltosefalcons.com/blogs/brewing-techniques-tips/a-guide-to-saisons-and-saison-yeasts
People open ferment WLP300 to get improved esters and phenols, but I wouldn't be surprised that it also prevents yeasts stalling out, since these yeasts evolved in that environment.
At the Paulaner brewery I visited, the head brewer was discussing open fermentation on the tour. I looked around expecting to see a big open vat, special room or something and asked where he did it. He pointed to the fermenter he was standing next to and the blow-off bucket at his feet with the hose was just hanging in an empty bucket. He said "That's open fermentation, no pressure - none." They would let it run for a few days, then put a spunding valve on it. Open fermentation and natural carbonation where necessary to make a good hefeweizen, he insisted.
That's how I open ferment now. I don't really have a fermentation vessel that holds pressure, so I may try to keonferment on this year's version. Never had a problem with wlp300 stalling, and I've always open fermented, and step mashed. Belgian beers, had few stalls over the years.
That's how I open ferment now. I don't really have a fermentation vessel that holds pressure, so I may try to keonferment on this year's version. Never had a problem with wlp300 stalling, and I've always open fermented, and step mashed. Belgian beers, had few stalls over the years.
That’s similar to what I did. Put an airlock on my fermenter but didn’t put any liquid in it for the first 24 hours or so. Probably could have gone longer but last time I did 3 days and I think it was too long, it was basically done fermenting. Going to set this beer up for bottle conditioning this weekend so I’ll see where the FG really is then, I suspect the yeast got trapped up in the foam for a bit since it picked back up later on.
Assuming you used a brew bucket for open fermentation? If so, your airlock probably stopped bubbling because those plastic bucket covers are notorious for not sealing 100%, which is allowing CO2 to escape out in any gaps in the cover instead. Combine that with CO2 production not being as vigorous near tend of fermentation, so less blowing out the airlock.
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