Hefe Fermentation Powered by the Energizer Bunny!

[TheWeeb]

My first Hefe, brewed Monday July 5th at 10 am, is still bubbling away. I know by now that airlock acitivity is not a reliable sign of fermentation when it is not active, but I have to believe that when it is bubbling away, it does mean there are things going on. I also know that I need not worry about anything, and I am going to relax and have a homebrew in about an hour, but I just wonder if anyone else has seen such a long fermentation time with a Hefe. I used a smack pack in a 1.5L starter; it was happily going about 3 hours after pitching. Nothing violent, the 5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket never made it out of the blowoff tube. After three days I peeked - nice krausen - and replaced the tube with an airlock which has been perculating since. this is Day Seven and I have read that these wheat beers usually fininsh in 3-5 days. My plan was to just leave it alone for two weeks and then bottle, though I have read of others kegging in as little as seven days.

Yes, I am a bit impatient

 

[Bentpirate]

What temps are you fermenting at?

 

[TheWeeb]

I am keeping the temps at 70-75, which I understand is proper for a Hefe.

 

[shanecb]

That's about what I fermented my last hefe at(73-74), and it turned out rather well.

 

[BeerJorge]

I ended up bottling my Hefe in 8 days, and it turned out great... Here's the thing, bottling sooner doesn't mean your beer is not going to turn out good, unless of course you bottle green beer... but leaving your beer to ferment properly and condition longer will improve the taste of your beer...

I didn't really want to bottle my Hefe in 8 days, and I'm just thinking about how much better it would have turned out if I would've left it longer... woulda, shoulda, coulda...

 

[TheWeeb]

Well, I took a reading last night, thru the krausen, which probably does not make sense, but it is down to 1.020 from a hefty 1.064. Hefty Hefe, great name.... I know, this higher gravity hefe would take longer to finish, so even tho I am now at day eight, I am going to relax and let it continue. I am just so unhappy with my first beer, the Assbock, and my second one in the bottle, the APA, is going fast... may have to get out and BUY beer!

 

[BeerJorge]

My first batch turned out good... it was my second one I ruined and had to go buy beer myself...

I look at it as paying my dues so I could drink great beer the rest of my life! (so far it's been worth it...)

 

[Rover]

Wow, eight days and still a Krausen at 70 to 75? I wish someone could say if that's normal or not. I'm fermenting mine at 68 and I plan on fermenting in the primary for 3 weeks.

Did you sample your gravity reading? If so how was it?

Good luck, let us know what happens

 

[TheWeeb]

I created a high gravity starter, not knowing any better, after reading something about how the starter should be as close to the wort in composition as possible. I made a 1.5 liter starter, it came in at 1.060; others who have been doing this a long time say that a starter should be 1.040 and no more. Higher gravities "stunt" the yeast growth. So, I am thinking that even though the yeast were acclimated to the high alcohol, they were low reproducers. This would explain why they had a very quick start in the 1.064 wort, but they did not reproduce much. This shows with the slow, steady, long fermentation with only a couple of inches of krausen. Nothing ever entered the blow off tube even tho the yeast was advertised as needing 1/3 container headspace.

All of this is new as I only have four brews behind me before this one.

Anyway, yes, tasted the gravity sample, nice bananna bread sweetness.

Rover, when did you make yours, and what recipe did you use?

 

[specialized]

I had a brew that was still bubbling days after it had completed fermenting. I confirmed this with gravity readings. I suppose with temperature fluctuations residual C02 can be released from the beer. This may be what you are experiencing.

 

[Rover]

It'a amazing how much you learn with this hobby in these beginning stages. I have a feeling we will be learning for a long while to come but that's half the fun

I brewed my batch this past Sunday. After reading about proper proportions when using a wheat malt I used beersmith to come up with my own partial mash recipe:

2.25 lb Wheat Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 31.03 %
3.00 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 41.38 %
2.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 27.59 %
0.75 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 13.1 IBU
1 Pkgs German Wheat (WLP300) Yeast-Wheat

This is my second attempt using Deathbrewers tutorial for a partial mash. I got 85% efficiency and 80% with this Hefe. I really enjoy mashing, it's really easy, and it's only adding a little over an hour to the process, you should give it a try. Both batches are in my fermenting chamber doing there thing. I'm fermenting this Hefe at 68 for a little less banana, we'll see how it goes.

Did you say you are using WLP300 for your yeast?

 

[TheWeeb]

I had a brew that was still bubbling days after it had completed fermenting. I confirmed this with gravity readings. I suppose with temperature fluctuations residual C02 can be released from the beer. This may be what you are experiencing.

Good Point. This morning, airlock burbling every 15-20 seconds; but I will take another reading after 10 am (going into day 9) and see if it has changed from two days ago.

 

[TheWeeb]

This is my second attempt using Deathbrewers tutorial for a partial mash. I got 85% efficiency and 80% with this Hefe. I really enjoy mashing, it's really easy, and it's only adding a little over an hour to the process, you should give it a try. Both batches are in my fermenting chamber doing there thing. I'm fermenting this Hefe at 68 for a little less banana, we'll see how it goes.

Did you say you are using WLP300 for your yeast?

Rover, facinating. .. . . I have ingredients arriving this week for the Dogfish Head 60 min IPA clone, an extract recipe from Yooper, but the next one will have to be a step towards full grain. I'll read Deathbrewers tutorial and decide on a style to brew.

For this one, I am using Weihenstephan Weizen Wyeast W3068. It seemed to be the best choice for my somewhat high OG.

 

[TheWeeb]

well, here it is, going into day 11, and there is still airlock activity every 20 seconds or so. blurb blurb. . blurb blurp . . I have my Dogfish Head ingredients arriving today, was hoping to free up the bucket, but I will wait. SG reading two days ago was 1.018, down from 1.020 two days before that, but there was still krausen that had dropped quite a bit so maybe it is finishing up. I hate opening the thing up so much.

 

[TheWeeb]

day 12. . . still bubbling in the airlock. .. I give up........popped the lid to get a gravity reading and took this picture, along with a picture of the sample. Gravity is down to 1.016 so I guess I just have SLOW YEAST, and will let it continue for another week?

Come on, 12 DAYS ???

 

[specialized]

Twelve days does seem like a long time. What temp has out been at? Did you taste the sample? Any off flavors?

 

[McFugga]

I am having the same problem with my Belgian wit. It has been 3 weeks and still bubbling at a constant rate. The annoying part is that my gravity hasn't changed much in the last week. Went from 1.024 to 1.020. The good news is it is almost there I think, just a couple more points to drop till I reach my predicted. OG 1.062.

It started off strong; I had blow off only 6 hours after pitching and continued to have blow off for nearly a week. When I took my readings I did a taste test and didn't notice anything off or bad about it. Just gonna keep waiting until that FG stays constant I guess.

I made so many mistakes with the batch, that there could be multiple reasons why it is going so slow, but as long as it still tastes okay, I'll be happy.

 

[TheWeeb]

I am going into day 13, just going to let it go another week before I even look at it. My ferm temps have been 70-75. McFugga, did you pitch a starter, and if so, what was its gravity? Some others have suggested that when you create a starter that is high gravity (in my case 1.060) the yeast are "stunted." That is, they are aclimated to higher alcohol and are more resistant, but they do not reproduce as fast or as much. Thus, they stay alive and grind thru the sugars but since their numbers are low it simply takes longer. This fits with my experience on this Hefe, which showed very steady but slow fermentation from day one, without the huge head of krausen getting into the blow off tube. I can see from the picture that the krausen only got an inch or two thick, which is not the norm for this strain.

Agree on the taste, the sample I took was absolutely delicious, and as long as that continues, the yeast can take as long as they need !

 

[MaynardX]

I had the same problem with both my hefe and wit. Both I fermented at 68 deg and they took over 2 weeks to finish. I took a gravity reading of my wit after 2 weeks and it read 1.012, so I went ahead and transferred to the secondary. I checked on it a couple days later and noticed a second krausen had formed, so fermentation probably wasn't finished. Gonna keg it tomorrow, so I will take another reading to see if the gravity fell some more.

 

[TheWeeb]

I had the same problem with both my hefe and wit. Both I fermented at 68 deg and they took over 2 weeks to finish. I took a gravity reading of my wit after 2 weeks and it read 1.012, so I went ahead and transferred to the secondary. I checked on it a couple days later and noticed a second krausen had formed, so fermentation probably wasn't finished. Gonna keg it tomorrow, so I will take another reading to see if the gravity fell some more.

Please post results. Did you use a starter, and was it high gravity?

 

[v2comp]

as long as your brewing a traditional hefe with the (banana and clove) really forward, you can ferment that beer at a little higher temps (say 78 degrees) and it would probably go a little faster. as far as any other scenario I can think of is that you pitched a large starter into a wort with very little oxygen.
dry yeast pkgs, dont need as much oxygen added, as it is already in the yeast cell walls during its processing. liquid yeasts on the other hand, really benefit from an infusion of oxygen before pitching the yeast as it strengthens the yeast cell walls and makes them stronger and healthier.
after that long winded statement, you might not have oxygenated it enough for the yeast to be happy.

 

[MetallHed]

I'm not fermenting a hefe, but a weiss. I used liquid yeast but no starter. I'm fermenting between 68 and 72F. The thing took off and filled up my airlock within 12 hours so I used a blowoff.

I'm on day 16 and the airlock is still bubbling every 30 seconds. I popped the top to take a gravity reading on thursday (day 14) and was at 1.018 (OG 1.066). The krausen had reached the top of the pail (obviously it filled the airlock) and had fallen into the wort, so I added lemon zest. Will open again in a week and hopefully bottle.

...somethin about these wheat beers, I tell ya.

woo hoo!

 

[v2comp]

my wits (and they are few) always take a really long time compared to anything other that kolschs or lagers.
I have a wheat that I brewed on the 6th and racked it yesterday (ten days) into secondary. it went from 1.054 down to 1.010 in that time, fermenting at 78 degrees. after racking, it has begun to clear and is over half way there in less than 24 hours. tomorrow, I will transfer it to the keg and hit it with some fresh, sweet plum juice, drop it to 30 degrees and carb it up for my wifes class reunion next weekend.

 

[TheWeeb]

it is interesting, these differences in fermentation times. One of the reasons I choose the Hefe as the next brew was after reading about some who were able to go from boil to keg in seven days. I think I am going to pull the pail out of the swamp bucket and let it get up to room temp (Close to 80) and see if that will move it along a bit.

I have my DFH ingredients in and waiting, may have to break down and buy another primary as I do not want to wait two more weeks to brew. That, or use my bottling bucket, but I am trying to keep it really clean and just for bottling.

Metalhed, I see you have some EdWorts going as well, very cool. I was just reading over on the probrewer site that some tests have been done and they found that the vibration from loud music stimulates yeast growth and speeds up fermentation. They were using classical music, which is not so much my thing.... That said, when I brew the DFH clone I am going to get the metal string mix of Apocalyptica, Rasputina, and The Section Qartet cranked up to "11."

 

[MetallHed]

Great... not only do I have to wait longer for my weiss, but now I have to play guitar and sing to it too!?!

wheats are so demanding.... sheesh

 

[MaynardX]

Please post results. Did you use a starter, and was it high gravity?

My Wit is still in the secondary, so I can't comment on it, but I can post on my last years hefe.

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.008

7lb wheat malt
4lb pilsner malt

0.10 oz magnum (14.40%) (60min)
0.75 oz hallertauer (2.70%) (45min)
0.25 oz hallertauer (2.70%) (15min)
WL3060 Weihenstephan Weizen

Pitched at 75 deg and fermented at 68 deg for 2 weeks and took a gravity reading.... 1.020 finished after 3 weeks at 1.008

yes i made a starter with as much oxygenation as an other beer

 

[TheWeeb]

my krausen is falling! my krausen is falling! (nod to Paul Revere).

So, lacking any airlock activity, I popped the top of the bucket after a day at higher temps, and found the thing no longer bubbling, and the krausen is breaking up and falling to the bottom. Most Excellent! Gravity reading is down to 1.012, which is where I expected it to end up.

I think I will take another reading on Tuesday and Wednesday, if the same, let it clean up a bit, then put it in the fridge overnight and bottle on Saturday or Sunday... yeah!

 

[MetallHed]

hey space!

why put it in the fridge before bottling? does that clear it up or something?

 

[TheWeeb]

That is my understanding, the cold crashing before bottling helps drop out some of the suspended yeast and protiens. I did this with my APA and it was still cloudy, but lacking any kind of control batch do not know how effective it was. I am fine with a Hefe being cloudy of course, just want to minimize the larger bits as much as possible.

 

[v2comp]

hey space!

why put it in the fridge before bottling? does that clear it up or something?

its not a perfect solution for clear beer, as there can still be a protein haze if your hot break wasnt completely left behind in the boil kettle or it didnt clarify out with irish moss or gelatin.

but, if the main cause of the clarity issue is with the yeast, nearly all of it will fall out of solution and produce a much clearer beer, much quicker.

 

[McFugga]

I did make a starter. I didn't measure the gravity of the starter but I know it was no where near 1.060, if anything it was on the low side, probably 1.030 range . Fermentation started up really quickly and quite violently for the first week. Had blow off consistently for the first couple of days and then slowly died down after that. My ferm temp was around 60, although i just raised it up to 70 yesterday, hoping that it might speed things up a bit, and what do you know, after 3 weeks of what appeared to be steady fermentation (bubbling airlock) I have blow off again and nearly had an exploding carboy this morning when I awoke to find my airlock clogged. Again nothing smells off, and nothing tastes off. Going to give it a bit more time before I take another gravity reading, i hate opening it up and messing with, and like I said the last one I took was 1.020.

 

[v2comp]

the one one the left is my wheat beer clearing a but before I keg it tomorrow.

 

[TheWeeb]

Very nice! Post how it tastes. Mine has finally settled down, FG 1.010 - 1.012. It is in the 'fridge now to clear it up jut a tiny bit; will bottle it tomorrow; three weeks since brewing.