First Hefeweizen worst rack ever

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JoeTrott

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My racking cane failed so I had to improvise. I think I got a lot of air in the wort. Had to manually pump into carboy. Will I be ok? Lots of foam, lots. Following a perfect fermentation with external temp solid 57°F. I'm bummed. It was for Octoberfest.
 
My racking cane failed so I had to improvise. I think I got a lot of air in the wort. Had to manually pump into carboy. Will I be ok? Lots of foam, lots. Following a perfect fermentation with external temp solid 57°F. I'm bummed. It was for Octoberfest.
Are you bottling? If so, getting it into bottles sooner rather than later can help to reduce the damage stray oxygen would do; the priming sugar will awaken the yeast to carbonate the beer, and in doing so will scavenge and metabolize any stray oxygen that may be be in solution.
 
Ooooh. Thank you. As soon as I locked it , it started bubbling. The recipe called for four days in primary. The bubble activity was approximately 45 seconds a bubble when I racked it.
 
It's bubbling nicely. I got the recipe from beersmith and the only reason I racked it in 4 is because the recipe called for it. Usually I never rack, I just bottle.
 
I have been contemplating why this recipe called for a rack after 4 days and I don't know why. Perhaps a more experienced Brewer could interject. Here is what I do know.
The recipe is from Straub Brewery and it's called Straubweizen. It's infusion style and I stepped it for 75 minutes at 150°F followed by a 60 minute boil.
It then calls for 4 days primary, 10 days secondary and 30 days in the bottle. All at a temp. Of 68°F. It smells delicious like a perfectly ripe bananas with caramel on it. In the secondary I am still getting a bubble approximately every 45 seconds. 7 days in and it continues to Fremont wonderfully. I have never had a fermentation last this long and be visually active.
 
I have been contemplating why this recipe called for a rack after 4 days and I don't know why. Perhaps a more experienced Brewer could interject. Here is what I do know.
The recipe is from Straub Brewery and it's called Straubweizen. It's infusion style and I stepped it for 75 minutes at 150°F followed by a 60 minute boil.
It then calls for 4 days primary, 10 days secondary and 30 days in the bottle. All at a temp. Of 68°F. It smells delicious like a perfectly ripe bananas with caramel on it. In the secondary I am still getting a bubble approximately every 45 seconds. 7 days in and it continues to Fremont wonderfully. I have never had a fermentation last this long and be visually active.
The more experienced brewers already gave you great advice. Ditch the recipe, ferment in primary till the hydrometer shows the same reading three days apart, prime and bottle, wait 10 to 21 days, or till final carbonation is reached, chill, enjoy!
 
I have been contemplating why this recipe called for a rack after 4 days and I don't know why. Perhaps a more experienced Brewer could interject. Here is what I do know.
The recipe is from Straub Brewery and it's called Straubweizen. It's infusion style and I stepped it for 75 minutes at 150°F followed by a 60 minute boil.
It then calls for 4 days primary, 10 days secondary and 30 days in the bottle. All at a temp. Of 68°F. It smells delicious like a perfectly ripe bananas with caramel on it. In the secondary I am still getting a bubble approximately every 45 seconds. 7 days in and it continues to Fremont wonderfully. I have never had a fermentation last this long and be visually active.

The fermentation has been over for a few days and the bubbles you are seeing is the excess CO2 that was dissolved in the beer in the first 3 days coming out of solution. Since that CO2 comes out of suspension everywhere in the beer, it is keeping the beer stirred up.

Next time you brew this recipe, leave it in the primary fermenter until it is done and some of the excess yeast settled, about 10 days or until your hydrometer has proven that it is done fermenting. Then bottle it.
 
Fermentation is continuing due to the high amount of glucose that was released during saccharification, even so, as RM mentioned 10 days is long enough. At seven days it will Fremont wonderfully, which is a good thing....

Although, the beer was racked before primary fermentation was complete the beer was racked off the goop that settled which is good, and since fermentation is banging away enough yeast was transferred. Transferring beer with CO2 reduces the risk of oxidation. Purchase a couple of carboys and the orange caps that have two ports in them. The caps work great for a blow off and when using very low pressure CO2 for transfers. A few hose clamps are needed for the neck and outlet ports. I used the method for years. Never blew up a carboy.

For some reason Beersmit recommended using a temperature that's used when extract is fermented for distillation because at 150F Alpha produces more glucose than sweet, non-fermenting sugar during saccharification and high glucose level is great for cranking up ABV for distillation.
Secondary fermentation isn't required when a Beta (conversion) rest is omitted, and conversion doesn't fully occur at 150F, more so, saccharification takes place. The other side of the coin has to do with the base malt. Fully modified malt requires the addition of Beta amylase and for that reason a Beta rest is omitted in recipes, which eliminates secondary fermentation.

Glucose is simple sugar that yeast rips up during primary fermentation. When conversion occurs yeast turns its attention to complex types of sugar that Beta forms out of glucose which are maltose and maltotriose. Yeast deals differently with complex types of sugar than it does with simple sugar. During secondary fermentation yeast absorbs maltose through the cell wall and an enzyme within yeast converts maltose back into glucose. The glucose is expelled back through the cell wall and it becomes yeast fuel. Gravity falls close to expected FG during secondary fermentation.
During aging/lagering the same thing happens with maltotriose and natural carbonation takes place and gravity hits expected FG. The beer does not require priming sugar or CO2 for carbonation. When priming sugar is added into a mixture containing complex sugar over carbonation occurs during aging. After yeast rips through the simpler priming sugar it turns its attention to the next sugar in the mixture the di-saccharide maltose, then to the tri-saccharide maltotriose.

Due to malt being inconsistent there is no way that a computer generated recipe can accurately predict when ale and lager will be made. Recipes that recommend using fully modified malt, single temperature infusion, only primary fermentation and adding priming sugar or CO2 for carbonation will produce beer similar in quality to Prohibition style beer which is quick and easy to produce.

Instead of placing full trust in a recipe it would be better to obtain the spec sheet that comes with each bag of malt before doing anything. A spec sheet alerts the buyer of inconsistencies and deficiencies in malt. There are a couple of different types of malt on the market, under modified-low protein malt which is brewers grade malt, and fully modified malt which is distillers grade malt. A spec sheet lets the buyer aware of malt capability.

 
Fermentation is continuing due to the high amount of glucose that was released during saccharification, even so, as RM mentioned 10 days is long enough. At seven days it will Fremont wonderfully, which is a good thing....

Although, the beer was racked before primary fermentation was complete the beer was racked off the goop that settled which is good, and since fermentation is banging away enough yeast was transferred. Transferring beer with CO2 reduces the risk of oxidation. Purchase a couple of carboys and the orange caps that have two ports in them. The caps work great for a blow off and when using very low pressure CO2 for transfers. A few hose clamps are needed for the neck and outlet ports. I used the method for years. Never blew up a carboy.

For some reason Beersmit recommended using a temperature that's used when extract is fermented for distillation because at 150F Alpha produces more glucose than sweet, non-fermenting sugar during saccharification and high glucose level is great for cranking up ABV for distillation.
Secondary fermentation isn't required when a Beta (conversion) rest is omitted, and conversion doesn't fully occur at 150F, more so, saccharification takes place. The other side of the coin has to do with the base malt. Fully modified malt requires the addition of Beta amylase and for that reason a Beta rest is omitted in recipes, which eliminates secondary fermentation.

Glucose is simple sugar that yeast rips up during primary fermentation. When conversion occurs yeast turns its attention to complex types of sugar that Beta forms out of glucose which are maltose and maltotriose. Yeast deals differently with complex types of sugar than it does with simple sugar. During secondary fermentation yeast absorbs maltose through the cell wall and an enzyme within yeast converts maltose back into glucose. The glucose is expelled back through the cell wall and it becomes yeast fuel. Gravity falls close to expected FG during secondary fermentation.
During aging/lagering the same thing happens with maltotriose and natural carbonation takes place and gravity hits expected FG. The beer does not require priming sugar or CO2 for carbonation. When priming sugar is added into a mixture containing complex sugar over carbonation occurs during aging. After yeast rips through the simpler priming sugar it turns its attention to the next sugar in the mixture the di-saccharide maltose, then to the tri-saccharide maltotriose.

Due to malt being inconsistent there is no way that a computer generated recipe can accurately predict when ale and lager will be made. Recipes that recommend using fully modified malt, single temperature infusion, only primary fermentation and adding priming sugar or CO2 for carbonation will produce beer similar in quality to Prohibition style beer which is quick and easy to produce.

Instead of placing full trust in a recipe it would be better to obtain the spec sheet that comes with each bag of malt before doing anything. A spec sheet alerts the buyer of inconsistencies and deficiencies in malt. There are a couple of different types of malt on the market, under modified-low protein malt which is brewers grade malt, and fully modified malt which is distillers grade malt. A spec sheet lets the buyer aware of malt capability.

That was very informative. I understand a lot of what you described and will read about what I don't fully understand. Especially the spec sheet checking, I never thought of that but it makes perfect sense. I have a lot to learn. Thank you.
 
So I just bottled. Original brix 15 final 8. It is slightly sweet and taste like banana bread with some bubble gum at the finish. Really strange but very tasty. I've never had a beer like this.
 
I'm kind of worried now. I cracked a bottle after 10 days in bottle condition and sampled it at room temperature. It's sweet. I've never cracked a bottle before 30 days in the past. Also very foamy. Will this change? It tastes like bananas with lots of brown spots from sugars in ripening, sorta. Maybe it needs to be cold? Anyone know about this?
 
Thanks. That makes me feel better bc at room temperature. I won't drink it. I think I'll order the beer labels.

Well imo it should still be very drinkable. But I'm one of those who tastes beer at all stages so I'm used to "drinking" out of the fermentor from after a few days.
 
I'm a bit worried that you bottled this at 8 brix/1.032SG.....there's still a lot of sugar left to ferment in that = potential bottle bombs.
 
I'm a bit worried that you bottled this at 8 brix/1.032SG.....there's still a lot of sugar left to ferment in that = potential bottle bombs.

He's measuring with a refractometer. The SG is not 1.032. He needs to convert.
 
Ok, so that puts FG somewhere around 4 brix or 1.016. Still quite high for a hefe, but probably finished.

I wouldn't worry about 1.016. It's just about 2 pts high comparing to the upper range (of bjcp). But if it tastes good, that's the most important. Even if it was for a comp the judges wouldn't see that it was at 1.016, they just go for taste, at least where I compete.
 
I wouldn't worry about 1.016. It's just about 2 pts high comparing to the upper range (of bjcp). But if it tastes good, that's the most important. Even if it was for a comp the judges wouldn't see that it was at 1.016, they just go for taste, at least where I compete.
Agree, I wouldn't worry about that as long as it's finished. I'm only concerned that it wasn't finished fermenting.
 
Agree, I wouldn't worry about that as long as it's finished. I'm only concerned that it wasn't finished fermenting.

If proper bottles are used there shouldn't be any reason to worry about bombs either. Stylistic a Hefe has a quite wide range of accepted carbonation, but still that carbonation needs to "fit in" with the overall beer. I carb mine to 7, and have also done 8 g/l co2, which is about 3.5-4 volumes in straight bottles from the lhbs. Never been worried.
 
If proper bottles are used there shouldn't be any reason to worry about bombs either. Stylistic a Hefe has a quite wide range of accepted carbonation, but still that carbonation needs to "fit in" with the overall beer. I carb mine to 7, and have also done 8 g/l co2, which is about 3.5-4 volumes in straight bottles from the lhbs. Never been worried.
Yeah, I normally go 3.2 to 3.5 volumes for hefes in standard bottles (and they still never foam). But a few points of remaining gravity can easily take a beer past this (on top of the added priming sugar).
 
Geez I hope so. Following this thread I followed advice on bottling. The recipe called for 4 days primary then rack to secondary for 10 days then bottle condition for 30. It did not mention priming sugar but I used a standard 5 gallon bag of corn sugar boiled for 5 and swirled in at bottling.
 
To answer your earlier question, CO2 dissolves more readily in solution in cold water (actually it leaves the solution more readily when warm) so a warm beer will have more CO2 wanting to leave solution than a cold one, resulting in foaming. Ideally leave a beer in the fridge for two to three days before drinking. At the very least, chill it in the freezer for an hour or so then fridge for a couple of hours. Hopefully the sweetness is just that there is still some priming sugar left unfermented. Give it a few more days and try again.
 
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To answer your earlier question, CO2 dissolves more readily in solution in cold water (actually it leaves the solution more readily when warm) so a warm beer will have more CO2 wanting to leave solution than a cold one, resulting in foaming. Ideally leave a beer in the fridge for two to three days before drinking. At the very least, chill it in the freezer for an hour or so then fridge for a couple of hours. Hopefully the sweetness is just that their is still some priming sugar left unfermented. Give it a few more days and try again.
Will do. The party is the last Saturday of October so it goes in the cooler on ice that Wednesday.
 
I tried again last night after I had beer on ice. It still taste like bananas, mild but there and is no longer sweet. I caught a buzz from just one. Rather tasty. One more week until Octoberfest
 
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