Bavarian Hefe not bubbling????

[Bilbo24]

This is my 6th or 7th batch of 5 gallon kits from Northern Brewers. Everything was done by the book and it’s stopped all activity. I can’t even get a bubble if I slightly rock the fermenter. I used a blowoff tube into a two quarter bottle of water and StarSan.

Here are the details: Pitched dry Safebrew WB-06 (one packet) per instructions at 2pm on Sunday with the wort temp at 77 degrees (instructions said 78 or lower). Aerated well and screwed the top on the fermenter. Installed blowoff. Moved to basement which is pretty constant at 67-68 F. Instructions say ferment at 64-75F. Looked at 9:30pm on Sunday night (about 7 1/2 hours later) and it was bubbling well into blowoff quart jar. I could see where foam had risen about 1 1/12” up the side of the fermenter AND THEN FALLEN BACK!!! I shined a flashlight against the side of fermenter and could see movement of small particles (pretty active).

Today (Monday) at 6:00pm I looked again and saw the drying foam on the side just as I saw at 9:30 last night and a creamy layer on top of the beer. No activity though. No bubbles rising, could see no activity thru the side and no bubbles coming into blowoff jar. I even rocked the fermenter slightly and still no bubbles in blowoff jaw. It looks like it has stopped all activity.

Instructions said that I should see activity in first 48 hours and end one to two weeks after brew day! Only thing different from instructions is that my original gravity was 1.044 and they said it should be 1.049.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!
I do happen to have an extra packet of the same dry yeast that I had gotten for another brew if adding more is a recommendation! The kit is Bavarian Hefeweizen extract kit from Northern. Not an old kit from my standpoint. I just got it last week.
I would appreciate any help. I was really looking forward to this one. All the others have been great!!!

 

[Rish]

Have you checked your sg to see how far along the fermentation is?

 

[Bilbo24]

This is my 6th or 7th batch of 5 gallon kits from Northern Brewers. Everything was done by the book and it’s stopped all activity. I can’t even get a bubble if I slightly rock the fermenter. I used a blowoff tube into a two quarter bottle of water and StarSan.

Here are the details: Pitched dry Safebrew WB-06 (one packet) per instructions at 2pm on Sunday with the wort temp at 77 degrees (instructions said 78 or lower). Aerated well and screwed the top on the fermenter. Installed blowoff. Moved to basement which is pretty constant at 67-68 F. Instructions say ferment at 64-75F. Looked at 9:30pm on Sunday night (about 7 1/2 hours later) and it was bubbling well into blowoff quart jar. I could see where foam had risen about 1 1/12” up the side of the fermenter AND THEN FALLEN BACK!!! I shined a flashlight against the side of fermenter and could see movement of small particles (pretty active).

Today (Monday) at 6:00pm I looked again and saw the drying foam on the side just as I saw at 9:30 last night and a creamy layer on top of the beer. No activity though. No bubbles rising, could see no activity thru the side and no bubbles coming into blowoff jar. I even rocked the fermenter slightly and still no bubbles in blowoff jaw. It looks like it has stopped all activity.

Instructions said that I should see activity in first 48 hours and end one to two weeks after brew day! Only thing different from instructions is that my original gravity was 1.044 and they said it should be 1.049.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!
I do happen to have an extra packet of the same dry yeast that I had gotten for another brew if adding more is a recommendation! The kit is Bavarian Hefeweizen extract kit from Northern. Not an old kit from my standpoint. I just got it last week.
I would appreciate any help. I was really looking forward to this one. All the others have been great!!!

Have you checked your sg to see how far along the fermentation is?

No I haven’t. No Final Gravity is stated so I’m not sure what how to understand what I would get!

 

[AlexKay]

It was definitely fermenting, it's possibly stopped.

The likely scenario is that it is done, already gone through all of the fermentable sugar, and there will be no more CO2 produced. It's not ready to drink yet: the yeast are still alive and metabolizing and changing the chemical makeup of the beer, but main fermentation is done. Do leave it for two weeks (maybe a little less with hefeweizen, although maybe not, as that's not a hefeweizen yeast).

The other possibility is that you've got a leak somewhere and that while it's still producing CO2, it's not coming through your airlock. Same advice: leave it alone for two weeks.

Either way it'll be good. It's actually hard to think of any problem that you'd want to fix at this point.

Though if, when you drink it, it doesn't have the hefeweizen character you're looking for, try Lallemand Munich Classic yeast. It's a more appropriate yeast for the style.

 

[Bilbo24]

It was definitely fermenting, it's possibly stopped.

The likely scenario is that it is done, already gone through all of the fermentable sugar, and there will be no more CO2 produced. It's not ready to drink yet: the yeast are still alive and metabolizing and changing the chemical makeup of the beer, but main fermentation is done. Do leave it for two weeks (maybe a little less with hefeweizen, although maybe not, as that's not a hefeweizen yeast).

The other possibility is that you've got a leak somewhere and that while it's still producing CO2, it's not coming through your airlock. Same advice: leave it alone for two weeks.

Either way it'll be good. It's actually hard to think of any problem that you'd want to fix at this point.

Though if, when you drink it, it doesn't have the hefeweizen character you're looking for, try Lallemand Munich Classic yeast. It's a more appropriate yeast for the style.

Great! Thanks for the yeast recommendation. They specify the yeast I used or Liquid yeast called WYeast 3068 Weihenstephan wheat. I’m in the Deep South and I’m afraid of liquid in the summer! If I do another batch, I will certainly go with your choice!! Thanks!!

 

[Jbasile]

This is my 6th or 7th batch of 5 gallon kits from Northern Brewers. Everything was done by the book and it’s stopped all activity. I can’t even get a bubble if I slightly rock the fermenter. I used a blowoff tube into a two quarter bottle of water and StarSan.

Here are the details: Pitched dry Safebrew WB-06 (one packet) per instructions at 2pm on Sunday with the wort temp at 77 degrees (instructions said 78 or lower). Aerated well and screwed the top on the fermenter. Installed blowoff. Moved to basement which is pretty constant at 67-68 F. Instructions say ferment at 64-75F. Looked at 9:30pm on Sunday night (about 7 1/2 hours later) and it was bubbling well into blowoff quart jar. I could see where foam had risen about 1 1/12” up the side of the fermenter AND THEN FALLEN BACK!!! I shined a flashlight against the side of fermenter and could see movement of small particles (pretty active).

Today (Monday) at 6:00pm I looked again and saw the drying foam on the side just as I saw at 9:30 last night and a creamy layer on top of the beer. No activity though. No bubbles rising, could see no activity thru the side and no bubbles coming into blowoff jar. I even rocked the fermenter slightly and still no bubbles in blowoff jaw. It looks like it has stopped all activity.

Instructions said that I should see activity in first 48 hours and end one to two weeks after brew day! Only thing different from instructions is that my original gravity was 1.044 and they said it should be 1.049.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!
I do happen to have an extra packet of the same dry yeast that I had gotten for another brew if adding more is a recommendation! The kit is Bavarian Hefeweizen extract kit from Northern. Not an old kit from my standpoint. I just got it last week.
I would appreciate any help. I was really looking forward to this one. All the others have been great!!!

I'm having the same issue with a batch of Northern Brewing Wheat using WB-06. I'm at 48 hours...nuthin. Not sure what to do. I'll wait a couple more days and test SG. I did have this happen once before and much to my surprise it did ferment, although quietly with ZERO bubbling in the air lock. All the best.

 

[Bilbo24]

I'm having the same issue with a batch of Northern Brewing Wheat using WB-06. I'm at 48 hours...nuthin. Not sure what to do. I'll wait a couple more days and test SG. I did have this happen once before and much to my surprise it did ferment, although quietly with ZERO bubbling in the air lock. All the best.

Thanks all!!! I’m just going to wait!!

 

[Jbasile]

Thanks all!!! I’m just going to wait!!

Just wanted to do a quick follow-up on this. As I mentioned earlier, I have a batch of watermelon wheat using the -06 yeast and there has been ZERO evidence of fermentation. 4 days in, no movement of the air lock water.

A little concerned I just checked the SG. OG was 1.050. Now FG is 1.010 so all is well. I "guess" it just ferments sometimes. Cheers !

 

[Bilbo24]

Just wanted to do a quick follow-up on this. As I mentioned earlier, I have a batch of watermelon wheat using the -06 yeast and there has been ZERO evidence of fermentation. 4 days in, no movement of the air lock water.

A little concerned I just checked the SG. OG was 1.050. Now FG is 1.010 so all is well. I "guess" it just ferments sometimes. Cheers !

Great news!!!

 

[Nixter]

If you have a big honkin blowoff tube you might not see a ton of bubbles after the first couple of days. The fact that you had some krausen is the indication that fermentation was taking place. You would just have to take a gravity reading to tell you how much you have to go.

AlexKay is right on. A two week wait for the yeast to clean things up is a good plan.

 

[Bilbo24]

If you have a big honkin blowoff tube you might not see a ton of bubbles after the first couple of days. The fact that you had some krausen is the indication that fermentation was taking place. You would just have to take a gravity reading to tell you how much you have to go.

AlexKay is right on. A two week wait for the yeast to clean things up is a good plan.

Yes, I had a pretty big blowoff. Thanks. The kit did not provide a Final Gravity number and all it said on the ABV side was medium ABV not a percentage so I’m not sure what Fg should be!

 

[Nixter]

Yes, I had a pretty big blowoff. Thanks. The kit did not provide a Final Gravity number and all it said on the ABV side was medium ABV not a percentage so I’m not sure what Fg should be!

You will know You have reached Final Gravity when you get the same reading a couple of days in a row. I might do that at the end of your 2 week rest period.

Couple of things. Don't stir your beer up when testing, keep the times the beer is exposed to air to a minimum and don't pour your test samples back into your beer (you'll be drinking those anyway as a taste test). Sure you would do this anyway- sanitize anything that will come in contact with your beer.

Bet the Terminal Gravity will be about 1.014 to 1.009 somewhere in that range. Because you fermented in the high end of your yeast's range you will likely get more banana character and less of the typical clove character. Don't worry if your brew is a little sulfurous in the early going that will likely pass as it sits around. I usually keep my Hefeweizen in the fermenter for like a month before kegging. That resting period is important.

For next time- you might start fermenting at a lower temperature say in the 50's for the first few days, then step that up a few degrees to get it into the low 70's and you'll get a broader range of both clove and banana flavor. Hefeweizen is one of my favorite styles. Love brewing it in early spring when my basement temperatures are nice and low and it has plenty of time to lager before the summer season. This is making me thirsty!

 

[camonick]

Yes, I had a pretty big blowoff. Thanks. The kit did not provide a Final Gravity number and all it said on the ABV side was medium ABV not a percentage so I’m not sure what Fg should be!

Plugging the ingredients of your NB kit into a brewing calculator gives these parameters with a 5.5 gallon batch size.
Estimated—
OG: 1.047
FG: 1.015
ABV: 4.2%
Color: 6.7 SRM

 

[Bilbo24]

You will know You have reached Final Gravity when you get the same reading a couple of days in a row. I might do that at the end of your 2 week rest period.

Couple of things. Don't stir your beer up when testing, keep the times the beer is exposed to air to a minimum and don't pour your test samples back into your beer (you'll be drinking those anyway as a taste test). Sure you would do this anyway- sanitize anything that will come in contact with your beer.

Bet the Terminal Gravity will be about 1.014 to 1.009 somewhere in that range. Because you fermented in the high end of your yeast's range you will likely get more banana character and less of the typical clove character. Don't worry if your brew is a little sulfurous in the early going that will likely pass as it sits around. I usually keep my Hefeweizen in the fermenter for like a month before kegging. That resting period is important.

For next time- you might start fermenting at a lower temperature say in the 50's for the first few days, then step that up a few degrees to get it into the low 70's and you'll get a broader range of both clove and banana flavor. Hefeweizen is one of my favorite styles. Love brewing it in early spring when my basement temperatures are nice and low and it has plenty of time to lager before the summer season. This is making me thirsty!

Making me thirsty too! Thanks for your input. I’m in the Deep South so I might need to this a little later in the year next time. Even with AC vented into the basement the coldest it gets this time of year is the lower 60s. As I get better at this, I will invest in another refrig and a temp controller. A new question for you: I pitched dry yeast when temp got just below 78 as instructed (at 76 degrees in fact).
It took awhile, even in the 65 degree basement temp for it to reach the 65 part of my 54- 74 temp range, I’d say it took 28 hours to reach 65!!! During the latter part of that period is when it really started bubbling like crazy. What can I do differently to do better?

 

[Bilbo24]

Plugging the ingredients of your NB kit into a brewing calculator gives these parameters with a 5.5 gallon batch size.
Estimated—
OG: 1.047
FG: 1.015
ABV: 4.2%
Color: 6.7 SRM

Thank you so much for taking the time to do that!!!! I really appreciate that. Also please look if you will at the question I asked if Nixter in my reply to his reply about temps during early primary! Again, thanks so much!!

 

[camonick]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do that!!!! I really appreciate that. Also please look if you will at the question I asked if Nixter in my reply to his reply about temps during early primary! Again, thanks so much!!

Use the search function and look for “swamp cooler”. Basically a larger sized container with a water bath that you put your fermenter in to help moderate the temperature. Some folks add ice or ice packs to help keep the water bath cold. Others use an old T-shirt over the fermenter that has the lower portion soaking in the water. It wicks up the shirt and helps keep the fermenter cool. Blowing a fan across either option will amplify the cooling effect too. As you may already know, fermentation creates its own heat and the temperature of the beer can be higher than the ambient air temperature near the fermenter. If your sanitation practices are solid and your fermenter is sealed, you can wait a little bit to pitch your yeast when the wort is a more favorable temperature.

 

[camonick]

Also, starting out, unless you’re trying to manipulate your yeast to get different flavor profiles, try to aim for the lower to midrange of the yeast’s published temperature range.

 

[SFC Rudy]

15 thumbs up for the Lallemand Munich Classic. I was stationed in Germany for 10 years and drank more than my fair share of German Hefeweizen. I had tried all the tricks with mash rests and liquid yeasts with mediocre results. This yeast makes my Hefe on par with most I drank over there. Took some to my drinking buddy and he said, Now THAT's the taste I've been missing."