First batch of beer. When to carb it.

[-Fusion]

I brewed a Hefeweizen almost 3 weeks ago.

Primary for 14 days.
Racked to keg and set to 3psi with O2 purged. , left at room temp.


This Sunday will be 3 weeks. Do I toss it in the kegerator and set and forget it at 10psi? Then try it at 4 weeks? Or let it hang out at room temp in the keg for another week?

 

[Gavin C]

3 psi will barely seal the keg
It will not carbonate the beer
If the kegis not connected to CO2 no carbonation will occur

Put your kegged beer in the kegerator at 30psi for 36 hours then burp the keg and put it at serving pressure. For a hefe that's about 14-16 psi depending on the temp of the keg (normal servingtemps <40F)

C02 will disolve in fluid more rapidly at cooler temps.

With a hefeweizen they are usually ready to drink 2-3 weeks after pitching the yeast if you keg.

I do a 10 day primary, rack to keg and force carb as described above. A hefe is best when fresh. Im drinking mine 2 weeks after I pitch yeast. (the correct amount of healthy yeast at the correct fermentation temperature)

 

[-Fusion]

3 psi will barely seal the keg
It will not carbonate the beer
If the kegis not connected to CO2 no carbonation will occur

Put your kegged beer in the kegerator at 30psi for 36 hours then burp the keg and put it at serving pressure. For a hefe that's about 14-16 psi depending on the temp of the keg (normal servingtemps <40F)

C02 will disolve in fluid more rapidly at cooler temps.

With a hefeweizen they are usually ready to drink 2-3 weeks after pitching the yeast if you keg.

I do a 10 day primary, rack to keg and force carb as described above. A hefe is best when fresh. Im drinking mine 2 weeks after I pitch yeast. (the correct amount of healthy yeast at the correct fermentation temperature)

Turning to 30 psi and tossing it in the kegerator.

 

[Gavin C]

Good stuff. If the keg is warm it will take a bit longer than 36 hours. You could probably go 40 hours at 30 psi and then dial it back to 15psi +/-

Don't be tempted to shake the keg or do any of that stuff. Trust me if you follow this simple set of steps you will not get over carbed beer.

1: Know what the temp is at the bottom of the kegerator and ideally have a small fan running to circulate the air. I keep my temp under 2C (34-35F). This temperature will help you better calculate serving pressures.

2:When your done fermenting the beer cold crash it (cool it rapidly to 30-32F) if you can and leave it for a few days like that before kegging. If you don't have the facility to cool the fermenter in this way no worries. Rack it to the keg and cool it while carbing. (carbing will take a bit longer+4 hours)

3: 36 hours at30psi (longer if the beer was warm when you started the CO2)

4: Reduce to serving pressure.That wil depend on line lenhght and a few other factors. I have a simple two tap kegerator with 5 ft lines and this method works like a charm every time. 2 days after kegging I have beer ready to drink.

5:If it is not quite carbed enough (It will be most likely) just leave it for a couple more days at the set pressure and the beer will carb up.

12psi is my standard serving pressure but a Hefeweizen demands a bit more if style guidelines are something you want to follow. 15-16 psi on my setup would be right. Your setup will be different of course so there will inevitably be a bit of tweaking needed.

My two tap kegerator

My version of Edwort's Hefeweizen

 

[-Fusion]

Just dropped my Hef down to 10 psi. Taste great and it come out a little darker than normal. I have about 6oz on my counter waiting for it to degas..... I didn't get a FG before kegging

It's pouring a little foamy, but I think that's cause I'm using 3' of beer line and a party tap. I will be hitting my new perlick and beer lines with starsan tomorrow and setting it all up.

 

[Gavin C]

Great stuff. I wouldn't worry about a Gravity at this point. Not much you can do with the data. Good to know I suppose. Can't hurt. A Hefe should have a good thick foamy head so no worries on that score.

It's so great having beer on tap at home. Your mates will be jealous.

Hope my advice didn't steer you wrong.

 

[-Fusion]

Great stuff. I wouldn't worry about a Gravity at this point. Not much you can do with the data. Good to know I suppose. Can't hurt. A Hefe should have a good thick foamy head so no worries on that score.

It's so great having beer on tap at home. Your mates will be jealous.

Hope my advice didn't steer you wrong.

Your advise was spot on. The hef is pretty good for my first brew. It lacks a little flavor but I assume that's due to the style & extract brew. I have a nut brown that has been in primary for a week and I will transfer it to a keg next Sunday.

 

[-Fusion]

Short beer lines making it a bit foamy. But that will be solved once I figure out why my perlick 650ss won't mount to my draft tower.