Hefeweizen in Primary: Quick Question about Yeast

[LarsonLE]

Ingolstadt makes a great hefe wiezen the Herrnbrau

Haha, that's so awesome that you know the name of the brewery (how do you know this?). There was also another one called Ingobrau, but I believe most of the bars and restaurants carried Herrnbrau.

Just an FYI, smacking the smack pack is not the same as making a starter. When you make a starter, the goal is to substatially increase the cell count of the yeast by making a "mini-beer" first with DME. Whacking the smack pack a few hours before brewing only ensures the yeast is viable, but it does not substantially increase the cell count.

Pitching one pack straight into a 1.040 beer is probably fine in terms of pitching rates. But if you make a bigger beer down the road, it is advisable to make a real starter if using liquid yeast, or to use the correct amount of dry yeast. Mr. Malty can help you with this.

Hope your hefe turns out well.

Yeah, I actually made a starter. I believe I added 2 cups of water with a half cup of DME, and I recently just got this really cool growler (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/2-liter-growler-with-glass-handle-amber.html), which is what I used to house the starter in. The airlock was bubbling like crazy an hour after I pitched the yeast, it was pretty cool.

 

[LarsonLE]

I don't get the sense that he was conflating smacking the smackpack and building a starter, just that he made a starter from a smackpack.

But, just to clarify, pitching one Propagator pack is definitely _not_ sufficient. One Activator pack might be borderline, but a Propagator has 25% of the cell count.

Are you saying I should have bought 4 packs, or am I reading this wrong?

 

[rycov]

i think if you didn't make the starter you would have needed four packs.

 

[PVH]

I just brewed a Hefeweizen lastnight (made a yeast starter with Wyeast's Propagator smack pack), and can't wait for this beer to finish as Hefeweizen's were the first beer I was able to legally drink and what got me hooked to beer (studied abroad in Bavaria).

Same here. I studied abroad in Trier for a year when I was at App State. I got hooked on the hefes, and absolutely love to brew them now.

 

[Rev2010]

Same here. I studied abroad in Trier for a year when I was at App State. I got hooked on the hefes, and absolutely love to brew them now.

Lucky you, I LOVE Trier! My wife, a friend, and myself have gone to the Altstadtfest there four times. We'd schedule our vacations for the end of June when they have the festival and hit there and other places in Europe. There's also a great little string of bars/restaurants right down by the Mosel there, but I know you know that.


Rev.

 

[LarsonLE]

Same here. I studied abroad in Trier for a year when I was at App State. I got hooked on the hefes, and absolutely love to brew them now.

Did I already mention that I go to App State currently? What the hell?!?! What year did you graduate?

 

[MalFet]

Are you saying I should have bought 4 packs, or am I reading this wrong?

Nope. A Propagator in a starter is fine.

 

[PVH]

Did I already mention that I go to App State currently? What the hell?!?! What year did you graduate?

2001. I was actually the first exchange student from App to go to Uni Trier; I was there 1998-99. The program was nowhere near where it is now. Virtually nothing was prearranged, so I had to figure out everything when I got there. I called myself the Versuchskaninchen, which like many words sounds silly literally translated.

Anyway, I owe a lot to Beverly Moser and Kevin Kennedy for making the exchange possible. Say hi to them for me if you get a chance.

 

[LarsonLE]

2001. I was actually the first exchange student from App to go to Uni Trier; I was there 1998-99. The program was nowhere near where it is now. Virtually nothing was prearranged, so I had to figure out everything when I got there. I called myself the Versuchskaninchen, which like many words sounds silly literally translated.

Anyway, I owe a lot to Beverly Moser and Kevin Kennedy for making the exchange possible. Say hi to them for me if you get a chance.

Holy crap! I was gonna ask if you knew both Moser and Kennedy! I've completed my minor in German so I rarely see either of them, but I have been meaning to go by their office to say hey, so would you mind sending me a message telling me your name so I can tell them you say hey.

 

[Jakeman]

larsonLE, I been down there to do work once a year, it is a nice place

 

[Jakeman]

Versuchskaninchen/ means like a test guinea pig haha
that funny

 

[LarsonLE]

Versuchskaninchen/ means like a test guinea pig haha
that funny

Yeah, I thought that was hilarious as well.