Belgian wit pitched at 58

[beergarcia]

I brewed a belgian wit last night had the wort at around 70 then added water that i was chilling after i added the wyeast 3944 belgin wit i looked at the temp and it said 58. within 1hr i had it to 62 and within 4 hrs 66. This morning it is 66 and has krausen forming and bubbles out the air lock, do you think it will be ok?

 

[danielbt]

It'll be fine. Low pitching temps just lead to slow fermentation. Off-flavors are from high temps.

Just give it an extra day or two in the primary to make sure you hit your FG.

 

[Franco]

Try to get that temperature up over the next few days.. Wits really benefit from warmer fermentations, and the "off" flavors are part of the style.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Try to get that temperature up over the next few days.. Wits really benefit from warmer fermentations, and the "off" flavors are part of the style.

I brew Wits monthly. I'll start them in the low 60's and top out at about 68. Wit yeasts do produce their own characteristic (peppery, phenolic, mild sulfury) flavors, but they don't need elevated temps to do so.

 

[pm5k00]

I brew Wits monthly. I'll start them in the low 60's and top out at about 68. Wit yeasts do produce their own characteristic (peppery, phenolic, mild sulfury) flavors, but they don't need elevated temps to do so.

It depends on the yeast strain, I love WLP 410 fermented in the low to mid 70s, but find the flavors it produces quite muted in the 60s.

 

[beergarcia]

Will 68 hurt my finished legged beer being force carbonated in the same fridge or should I put it on ice

 

[pm5k00]

Will 68 hurt my finished legged beer being force carbonated in the same fridge or should I put it on ice

CO2 gets absorbed faster at lower temps, so no it wont hurt anything, but it will take more time.

 

[beergarcia]

Ok I'm not in a hurry so I will wait till the primary fermentation is complete in the new batch before I crank it back down. Will the temp hurt the finished batch though, not concerned how long it will take to carbonate?

 

[Franco]

Ok I'm not in a hurry so I will wait till the primary fermentation is complete in the new batch before I crank it back down. Will the temp hurt the finished batch though, not concerned how long it will take to carbonate?

I've been on a (non-american) wit kick for a few months now.. Once your beer is in the bottle and carbonating, temperature is not as important as during primary fermentation. I've carbonated in a bedroom closet, with temp swings from 73-78, and in my cellar at 68-72. Both came out great. Fridge temps will take longer to carb up, and room temperature won't change the taste over fridge temps.

On a side note, my best weizen happened when I had a kink in my plate chiller hose. Got about a gallon of 212* wort, mixed with 4 gallons of 70* wort. Pitched the (dry) yeast at about 90* without noticing.. Fermentation started within a few hours, and FG ended up where it was supposed to. The stressed yeast gave amazing banana and some clove flavor. It was an absolute hit with craft beer drinkers and non-drinkers.

I'm convinced that this style is hard to screw up. Fermented at high temps, you'll get true-to-style phenols and fermented at lower temps you'll get more of a crisp, ale-like beer. Both are excellent. RDWHAHB and let us know how it turns out!