Wedding in 6 weeks. Will my american wheat be ready?

[quincy07]

Hey all. I have a wedding in 6 weeks and would like to bring a brew with me to the reception. I was planning my next brew to be a Honey American Wheat. Will that be ready by then? I'll probably be using my Mr Beer LBK for the fermenter and will probably be using a swamp cooler to keep temps down. I will be bottle conditioning. This is only my second brew and since its for a wedding I don't want to screw it up so if I have a few days before so I can make sure its right before I serve it to my wife's extended family. Thanks for any advice any might have to offer.

 

[h-bar]

I'm actually brewing something similar at the moment. The person I got the recipe from kegged the beer after only ten days. I'm going to bottle after two weeks, and let it condition for two weeks. I think you have enough time.

 

[Pratzie]

Yeah u sure be good, i'd just make sure to bottle as soon as the gravity is stable and keep the bottles at or above 72 while conditioning. The longer conditioned the better so if u can get 4 weeks conditioning or more (with say ten days of fermentation, although don't push it if its not ready), it should be great for the wedding.

 

[Desvio]

I would say just barely, but this is providing you get it going asap, otherwise your chances of serving a 'green' beer increases.

On your side is the fact that wheat beers are quick beers.

 

[libeerty]

I would say just barely, but this is providing you get it going asap, otherwise your chances of serving a 'green' beer increases.

On your side is the fact that wheat beers are quick beers.

Huh? 6 weeks is plenty of time for a wheat. Pitch and ferment properly and your beer won't be green to begin with.

 

[quincy07]

Thanks for the replies. It seems the general consensus is that I'll have plenty of time? Again I appreciate the info. I plan to pick up my supplies tomorrow and hopefully brew Saturday after work.

 

[Desvio]

Huh? 6 weeks is plenty of time for a wheat. Pitch and ferment properly and your beer won't be green to begin with.

Been pitching and fermenting properly for 20+ years, it would probably be good, but not as good as it could be given a little more time.

 

[jtratcliff]

Get on it. Wheats are good young but you don't want to push your luck. 2-3 weeks in the fermenter and 2-3 weeks in the bottle. You should be ok.

 

[broadbill]

Jeez, I don't know where some of you guys get this stuff. Someone who kegs could be drinking an American Wheat within a week of brewing. Bottle conditioning is the only limiting factor here.

2-3 weeks in the fermenter for a low ABV American Wheat? With some temp control, that puppy would be ready to package in 5-7 days, tops.

 

[libeerty]

Been pitching and fermenting properly for 20+ years, it would probably be good, but not as good as it could be given a little more time.

I was not trying to insult your process. I was speaking to the OP, suggesting that he need not worry about it being green. Wheats are one of the quickest grain-to-glass styles around. I disagree that it would be better aged. Many other styles, sure, but I don't think that's appropriate for wheats. But apologies if it came off as directed towards you.

 

[BinghamtonEd]

Like was said, you should be OK if you get it fermented and bottled ASAP. That being said, I was in a similar situation and had 5 weeks to get a batch ready for a family reunion. I made an American wheat, bottled after 1 week, and brought half of it with me. It was OK, but nothing to write home about, still tasted a little green, but my brother-in-law couldn't get enough of it.

I came back, was busy for a week, went on a business trip for 2 weeks, and just the other night cracked open another one, which at this point would be about 9-10 weeks. My thought was "Man, I wish I had this beer for that reunion." It was leaps and bounds better. I'm relatively new at this, and this solidified my understanding of being patient with my beers.

 

[Brulosopher]

Jeez, I don't know where some of you guys get this stuff. Someone who kegs could be drinking an American Wheat within a week of brewing. Bottle conditioning is the only limiting factor here. 2-3 weeks in the fermenter for a low ABV American Wheat? With some temp control, that puppy would be ready to package in 5-7 days, tops.

Amen.

 

[m3n00b]

Wheats are great fresh. Mine is usually perfect a month after brew day.

 

[quincy07]

Wheats are great fresh. Mine is usually perfect a month after brew day.

Good to hear. I'm going to pick up my ingredients and a pot big enough for a full boil 2.5 gallon batch today and will probably brew either tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

 

[quincy07]

Here's the recipe I'm making, if anyone is interested.

Steep 6 oz Honey Malt at 160 for 30-45 min
1lb 8 oz Wheat LME
.6 oz Tettnang Hops (Boil 60 min)
8 oz Wheat DME (Boil 15 min)
1 lb 8 ozWheat LME (Boil 15 min)
Wyeast 1010

Another quick question, how much total pre boil water volume will I need for a 2.5 gallon batch?

And any advice on steeping and when to add my extract are appreciated.

 

[Mozart]

Here's the recipe I'm making, if anyone is interested.

Steep 6 oz Honey Malt at 160 for 30-45 min
1.8 oz Wheat LME
.6 oz Tettnang Hops (Boil 60 min)
8 oz Wheat DME (Boil 15 min)
1.8 ozWheat LME (Boil 15 min)
Wyeast 1010

Another quick question, how much total pre boil water volume will I need for a 2.5 gallon batch?

Are you sure the units of measurement are correct?

I see less than a pound of extract for a 2.5 gallon batch. Depending on what gravity you're going for, it should be closer to 3 pounds.

Boil off rate is really hard to say, because it depends so much on the characteristics of your equipment and stove. Were it me, I'd just start with 3 gallons and give yourself some room assuming you've got a 5 gallon pot, and just topoff if you come up a little short.

 

[solbes]

I know Mr Beer fermenters are a little small, but surely your recipe is not correct. 3.6 oz of LME and 8 oz of DME? Maybe it was 1.8 lbs of LME for the two additions each?

As for time, most wheats are ready to bottle 2-2.5 weeks after pitch. 2-2.5 weeks in the bottle and a week in the fridge should be great. Try one first before you bring it to the reception.

 

[BGBC]

Are you sure the units of measurement are correct?

I see less than a pound of extract for a 2.5 gallon batch. Depending on what gravity you're going for, it should be closer to 3 pounds.

I'm guessing those '1.8 oz' measurements should really be 1 lb, 8 oz??

 

[quincy07]

My bad, those are 1 lb 8 oz measurements for the LME.

I edited the post to the correct measurements to avoid future confusion.

 

[quincy07]

So I decided to just suck it up and do a 5 gallon batch because it would only require another can of LME. Here's my question though, it calls to boil 0.6 oz of hops for an hour for the 2.5 gallon batch and I only bought 1 oz. Will being .2 oz short on hops really make much difference in the flavor of the beer? What if I did the 0.6 oz for the 60 minutes and the last 0.4 oz as a late addition for aroma?

 

[libeerty]

So I decided to just suck it up and do a 5 gallon batch because it would only require another can of LME. Here's my question though, it calls to boil 0.6 oz of hops for an hour for the 2.5 gallon batch and I only bought 1 oz. Will being .2 oz short on hops really make much difference in the flavor of the beer? What if I did the 0.6 oz for the 60 minutes and the last 0.4 oz as a late addition for aroma?

I'm confused. What did the recipe call for?

 

[quincy07]

The recipe for a 2.5 gallon batch called for .6 oz of Tettnang hops to be boiled for 60 minutes.

 

[chickypad]

So I decided to just suck it up and do a 5 gallon batch because it would only require another can of LME. Here's my question though, it calls to boil 0.6 oz of hops for an hour for the 2.5 gallon batch and I only bought 1 oz. Will being .2 oz short on hops really make much difference in the flavor of the beer? What if I did the 0.6 oz for the 60 minutes and the last 0.4 oz as a late addition for aroma?

The answer to the first question is you'll have 16% less bittering than the recipe as written. But check the actual AA% of your hops against that listed in the recipe, if yours happen to be a higher AA then you could be about right on target for IBU's with just the ounce. On the other hand if your AA's are less than the recipe called for it would compound the problem. If you plug the recipe in software and give us specs we can better advise.

For the second question, are you talking about doing the 2.5 gallon batch after all and then using the left over hops for aroma? That would be fine. If you're talking about 5 gal though I wouldn't do that, as you are halving your bittering addition.

 

[quincy07]

The answer to the first question is you'll have 16% less bittering than the recipe as written. But check the actual AA% of your hops against that listed in the recipe, if yours happen to be a higher AA then you could be about right on target for IBU's with just the ounce. On the other hand if your AA's are less than the recipe called for it would compound the problem. If you plug the recipe in software and give us specs we can better advise.

For the second question, are you talking about doing the 2.5 gallon batch after all and then using the left over hops for aroma? That would be fine. If you're talking about 5 gal though I wouldn't do that, as you are halving your bittering addition.

I ended up doing the whole ounce for the 60 minute boil, and I'm glad I did. I'm ok w it being a little less bitter than style might dictate, but American wheats aren't particularly bitter anyway so I don't think it'll be a big deal. I also added all the extract 15 minutes before flameout to reduce the risk of too dark a color, although it is currently looking darker than I would expect but that could just be the pot? Idk, we'll see. I'm not sweating it.

 

[olBigBass]

I just made a wheat beer similar for 5 gallons. This was my recipe.

Hallertau (German) Hop Pellets, 3/4 oz -60 Minutes
Irish Moss 1 tsp - 15 Minutes
Tettnang (German) Hop Pellets, 1/4 oz - 5 Minutes
Muntons Wheat (55% wheat / 45% malted barley) Malt Extract - Stir in unflammed after boil 60 min
SAFBREW WB-06 Dry Yeast, 11.5 gm

 

[quincy07]

Had a little scare this morning. My honey wheat has been in a water bath fermenting since Friday night. I went to check the water temp this morning and my "reliable" digital probe thermometer said it was at 85F.
I start thinking great, my beer is going to taste like gasoline because that's WAY too hot for the yeast strain I used, Wyeast 1010.
So I went and grabbed my dial meat thermometer, clean of course, and stuck that in the water. It dropped to around 60F pretty quickly. I thought the water felt colder than 85F.
Anyway, it's happily bubbling along and I'm much less concerned about the ferm temp being too high and I'll keep it down by throwing 2 or 3 frozen water bottles in the bucket in the morning and swapping them out in the evening.

 

[quincy07]

Pulled a sample of my honey wheat a few minutes ago. Still has a pretty large amount of krausen on top and its still very cloudy, I'm not surprised its not done yet as its only been a week in primary. It tasted pretty good and the color was much closer to what I would expect a traditional wheat beer to be, a nice orange/gold color. I'm very excited to see how it will be next week and then after a few weeks in the bottle.

 

[quincy07]

One week later and 2 weeks in primary I pulled another sample and tested the SG. I was surprised to see it at 1.020. I expected it to be lower but since I kinda made the recipe up myself I didn't have a target FG. Could this be because of the 1/2 lb honey malt I steeped at 155 for 45 minutes? This was my first time I've used steeping grains and I know they contribute to the body of the beer but does that affect the SG?

It tasted ok, for flat, green beer, and the honey flavor didn't come through much. The color did seems to get a little bit lighter too which I'm happy about. I'm hoping after it carbs/conditions in bottles for a few weeks it all comes together.

 

[quincy07]

Took another reading and got 1.020 again so I bottled it up. I think I figured out why my FG was so high though. I ended up w 38 12-oz bottles filled w very little left in my bottling bucket and maybe 1/2 gallon worth of trub left in my fermenter which tells me I had about 4 gallons of beer after my boil.

Now for the "what I screwed up" part.
-I racked my beer into the bottling bucket before I added my priming sugar. So after I boiled the sugar, 5 oz. corn sugar w 2 cups water, I gently stirred the beer in my bottling bucket to created a current and slowly poured the sugar/water solution into the beer.
-After I added the sugar to my beer I went to sanitize my bottles and bottling wand only to realize my wand is missing. I had my bottling wand and auto-siphon sitting in my bottling bucket in the kitchen yesterday and at some point my daughter must have got ahold of it and now it's lost. So while my beer is sitting on the counter w the priming sugar I had to run to my LHBS for another bottling wand. Luckily it's close by and the whole trip was only about 20 minutes.

After I got the wand and bottles sanitized everything went pretty smoothly. When I would finish a 6er I'd cap it so it wasn't sitting open to the outside world to pick up dust and dog hair, that sh*t gets everywhere.

The bottles are now all packaged up and sitting in the corner of my kitchen where they will stay for 3 weeks. Although I will probably sample one at 1 and 2 weeks to see how they're coming along, I'm impatient like that.

Anyway, I'll post back in a few weeks w the finished product, thanks for the help w this beer and all the knowledge this forum imparts.

 

[m3n00b]

Men I hope everything turns out well and they aren't overcarbed.

5oz for 3.5 gallons is about 3.5 volumes. I wouldn't go above 3vol in normal bottles.

 

[Brulosopher]

Men I hope everything turns out well and they aren't overcarbed. 5oz for 3.5 gallons is about 3.5 volumes. I wouldn't go above 3vol in normal bottles.

Yeeaaahhh.......

 

[quincy07]

I originally calculated for 4 gallons of beer at about 2.5 volumes, if I remember right, and the calculator I was using said to use 5.2 oz corn sugar. I just went back and double checked and now I can't come up with the 5.2 oz so I don't know what I had put in to get 5.2. I guess I'd better go move my beer to a plastic tote in case I have some ticking time bombs in my kitchen.

 

[quincy07]

Somehow I screwed up my count on bottles, I have 42 bottles which comes out to just under 4 gallons. I also figured out where I screwed up w my priming sugar measurement. I was using my beersmith app, not the calculator I had found online I thought I was using, and looked at the required amount of DME for priming, not corn sugar. In the app they show one right above the other and I read the wrong line. D'oh! I know it won't help me w this batch but at least I know I'll be more careful next time. I moved my bottles into the garage and put them in a big plastic tote just in case.

 

[Brulosopher]

Somehow I screwed up my count on bottles, I have 42 bottles which comes out to just under 4 gallons. I also figured out where I screwed up w my priming sugar measurement. I was using my beersmith app, not the calculator I had found online I thought I was using, and looked at the required amount of DME for priming, not corn sugar. In the app they show one right above the other and I read the wrong line. D'oh! I know it won't help me w this batch but at least I know I'll be more careful next time. I moved my bottles into the garage and put them in a big plastic tote just in case.

So will you not have homemade beer for the wedding now? That's a bummer!

 

[quincy07]

They should be ready by then, assuming the bottles don't explode. I have a feeling there's going to be a ton of sediment at the bottom of the bottles though cuz they were very cloudy at bottling. I think the trub in the fermenter got stirred up when I carried it from the garage to the kitchen and subsequently got siphoned into the bottling bucket. If there's too much trub in the bottles then I probably won't take them to the wedding.

 

[m3n00b]

Just vent and recap them in a few days. You might be OK.

 

[BinghamtonEd]

You may end up with great beer and you may end up with crappy beer, or more likely somewhere in between. Here's my opinion though : if this is wedding is going to be the first time a lot of your friends have had your homebrew, don't bring it unless it's something you'd be proud of. Your friends will still be around with the completion of your next batch, or the one after that, so don't feel rushed to provide them with beer. If they ask where it is, just say "You know what, I ran into some issues with the batch, and it's not bad, but we'll all get together next time around when I've gotten the recipe more refined."

 

[m3n00b]

You may end up with great beer and you may end up with crappy beer, or more likely somewhere in between. Here's my opinion though : if this is wedding is going to be the first time a lot of your friends have had your homebrew, don't bring it unless it's something you'd be proud of. Your friends will still be around with the completion of your next batch, or the one after that, so don't feel rushed to provide them with beer. If they ask where it is, just say "You know what, I ran into some issues with the batch, and it's not bad, but we'll all get together next time around when I've gotten the recipe more refined."

This. I don't even share my batches which didn't come out properly. I secretly deplete the 2 cases on my own.

 

[quincy07]

I might have try venting the bottles. Can I reuse the cap if I vent it or do the caps have to be replaced?

 

[quincy07]

You may end up with great beer and you may end up with crappy beer, or more likely somewhere in between. Here's my opinion though : if this is wedding is going to be the first time a lot of your friends have had your homebrew, don't bring it unless it's something you'd be proud of. Your friends will still be around with the completion of your next batch, or the one after that, so don't feel rushed to provide them with beer. If they ask where it is, just say "You know what, I ran into some issues with the batch, and it's not bad, but we'll all get together next time around when I've gotten the recipe more refined."

It's my wife's extended family so I'm not too worried if I don't bring my beer. I don't know that it'll be too hard waiting to try this batch. I looked at a couple bottles last night and they had a lot of sediment on the bottom and it looked like they had formed some krausen on top. I think more yeast got sucked into my bottling bucket than I thought.