I’m making a dunkelweizen using WLP300 and I’m not sure if I should make a starter or not. I used the yeast before on a normal weissbier and I just pitched the pack directly without a starter because people had said that underpitching enhances ester production. That beer ended up with some sulfur issues and I’m not sure if that was due to underpitching or temperature since it was a little colder than I wanted during part of the fermentation. Should I not make a starter, make a normal 1 liter starter a few days in advance, or make a 1 liter starter the night before so that the yeast gets active but not super dense?
Do you make a starter for a German weissbier?
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Sulfur is normal. It disappears with a couple weeks of age. No special actions needed, just patience.
I wouldn't normally make a starter for a weissbier, but with any liquid yeast such as WLP300, it also depends on the "use before" date. If it's already old yeast, I'd make a starter. But if it's got some time left before hitting the "best before" date, then you can safely skip it. If making a starter, 24 hours should usually be enough unless the yeast is super old.
Conversely, with dry yeast such as Munich Classic, it turns out almost as good, and you never need a starter.
I wouldn't normally make a starter for a weissbier, but with any liquid yeast such as WLP300, it also depends on the "use before" date. If it's already old yeast, I'd make a starter. But if it's got some time left before hitting the "best before" date, then you can safely skip it. If making a starter, 24 hours should usually be enough unless the yeast is super old.
Conversely, with dry yeast such as Munich Classic, it turns out almost as good, and you never need a starter.
Weissbiers to me usually have a bit of a sulfurous aftertaste. It's normal for the style since they're made to drink fresh. That said, weissbiers are among my favorite. Wlp300 can be touchy. Either make a starter a couple days ahead or use 2 vials $$$
I just used wlp300 pruepitch for the first time. Used two packs (46ml) into three FVs. A nice slow fermantation is about done. If I make a starter with wlp300 it will blow off and be mostly clove. I like some banana. In another week or so I'll taste it.
I probably pitched over 5m cells/ml. That could still be too much.
I probably pitched over 5m cells/ml. That could still be too much.
It seems that most people say to under pitch a weissbiers as under pitching the yeast, stresses them out, which will help increase the phenols to bring out the clove and banana. The other consensus is not to oxygenate the wort when pitching. As for a starter, it's going to depend on the age of the yeast, but if you do one, go for a starter half the size of what you would make for an ale of the same gravity.
I pitched one purepitch of WLP300 on Saturday in a 5 gallon batch of 1.044 Weissbier. It was very fresh and given the cell counts of this new packaging I almost used only half the pack just to underpitch but ended up using the whole thing. I have kept the temp between 67 and 70. Open fermented (loose lid). I top cropped some yeast Monday and it seemed to have a nice blend of clove and banana.
I’m monitoring the gravity with a Tilt and given that big kräusen I am not trusting the gravity readings. So I’m wondering how long this yeast takes to finish? @Malticulous how long was your nice slow fermentation?
Mine is at day five and probably done. I'll take a hydrometer sample in a few days.
At day nine it's 1.048 to 1.008. Tastes delicious too.
On day 9 mine had gone from 1.044 to 1.012 (hydrometer reading) although now I'm doubting that OG since that was from the Tilt and not a hydrometer and I think it needs to be recalibrated. I'm going to bottle it this weekend and will probably aim a little lower than the recommended carbonation, just in case the yeast decides that it really wasn't quite done. I have a bunch of German .5 liter swing-top bottles (and a friend is about to give me 3 cases more in those nice German crates!) so I'm not too worried about them getting overcarbonated. If the original OG of 1.044 is correct, 1.012 is 73% attenuation, which is within the White Labs range of 72% to 76%, but I was expecting a little more attenuation given the step mashing I performed. Oh well.
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I did a double infusion mash, no mash out. 145 30 min and 155 30 min. Single batch sparge. When I do a single infusion I mash at 150 and get similar attenuation.
I was stationed in Germany for 10 years and drank more than my fair share of German Hefeweizen. I tried all the tricks with mash schedules and fermentation temperatures with marginal results.
I mash @ 152F then I ferment with Lallemand Munich Classic dry yeast @68F. Open ferment if you can. Rivals most of the Hefeweizens I drank in Germany. Took some to my old drinking buddy and he said “Now THATS the taste I’ve been missing.”
I mash @ 152F then I ferment with Lallemand Munich Classic dry yeast @68F. Open ferment if you can. Rivals most of the Hefeweizens I drank in Germany. Took some to my old drinking buddy and he said “Now THATS the taste I’ve been missing.”
I covered my bucket in cheesecloth and open fermented for the first 48ish hours. The banana coming off the beer was so strong you could smell it from 20 feet away
I did a Weiss (Hefe) this past Sunday, and my basement smelled like farts for 2 days. It's nearing FG, and the farts went away, but a sample still has a bit of sulfur taste. I'm going to let it sit until that dies way down or disappears.. I find once you keg a beer with sulfur, the sulfur does not go away.
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