Is my hefeweizen okay!?

[mailman561]

Well, first batch I ever made, I bought a kit for a Bavarian heffeweizen and decided to brew it on Sunday 8/18. Did all the sanitizing and all that cooled the wort to 72 degrees and poured it in the plastic fermenter over a strainer, (sanitized). I added two gallons of water to equal 5 gallons. Took a hydrometer reading that said 1.051. That was around midnight Sunday. It's now 615 Wednesday an have seen no bubbles from airlock. I poured yeast straight into fermenter. Any ideas why nothing is happening?

 

[mailman561]

Well, first batch I ever made, I bought a kit for a Bavarian heffeweizen and decided to brew it on Sunday 8/18. Did all the sanitizing and all that cooled the wort to 72 degrees and poured it in the plastic fermenter over a strainer, (sanitized). I added two gallons of water to equal 5 gallons. Took a hydrometer reading that said 1.051. That was around midnight Sunday. It's now 615 Wednesday an have seen no bubbles from airlock. I poured yeast straight into fermenter. Any ideas why nothing is happening?

I took a look in there today and I will try an see if I can post a picture, also has been fermenting around 72 degrees.

 

[NewWestBrewer]

looks fine to me but I am a relative newbie. Airlock doesn't mean it has not fermented. The brown ring around top does.

 

[m_stodd]

Take a hydrometer reading

 

[mailman561]

I will try that in a few an get back to you, is that the way it should look though? It smells like yeast and beer haha, any suggestions for what I can do to save it? ( if it is messed up)

 

[k_mcarthur]

Hydro reading will tell a lot, also hefe yeast sometimes takes its time starting but when it does it can blow the lid off your fermenter. If you look into making starters you can make sure you are pitching enough live yeast.

 

[Potamus]

That looks normal to me. The ring indicates a krausen formed and has already fallen, which means it is fermenting. Ignore the airlock; at least half of my beers show no airlock activity, and I've never had a batch that didn't ferment. It's only been a few days, so I would put the lid back on and forget about it for a few weeks. Then take a hydrometer reading and get ready to bottle some beer.

 

[m_stodd]

It looks like it's fermented. I'd bet there was a leak somewhere in your lid or airlock so that it didn't produce bubbles

 

[texcan2000]

Did you use dry yeast? Danstar Munich? It looks fine to me. Taste it or take a hydrometer reading to know for sure. Sometimes if the airlock isn't filled enough (the 3 piece type) it doesn't rise and fall but just stays slightly elevated so you can't see the action.

 

[mailman561]

Thanks everyone, maybe I was just over reacting, il keep ya posted! By the way this website and you people are awesome!

 

[jdelatte]

I say be patient, I did a weizenbier with the same yeast on sunday, it bubbled a lot the first two days, today its a bubble here and there, let sit for 2 weeks or so then take hydrometer reading. Patients is key

 

[BansheeRider]

Ignore the airlock; at least half of my beers show no airlock activity

Really? All my beers show airlock activity. Maybe you need a new fermenter if you have that large of a leak. You never know what might be getting inside.

OP: The airlock is not a good indication of fermentation. You have to take gravity readings to know for sure.

 

[Potamus]

@BansheeRider: It is extremely common not to see airlock activity. That is why everyone says you can't judge fermentation by the airlock. It has less to do with whether fermentation is occurring than the cheap plastic lids and gaskets that come with fermentation buckets. As long as the wort is fermenting, it is producing CO2, which will protect the beer. While I often don't see airlock activity, I've never had an infected batch.

 

[BansheeRider]

@BansheeRider: It is extremely common not to see airlock activity. That is why everyone says you can't judge fermentation by the airlock. It has less to do with whether fermentation is occurring than the cheap plastic lids and gaskets that come with fermentation buckets. As long as the wort is fermenting, it is producing CO2, which will protect the beer. While I often don't see airlock activity, I've never had an infected batch.

I understand, I know why an airlock is not a good indication of fermentation, hence why I said that to the OP. The airlock is a good indication whether or not your fermenter has a good seal. If I didn't see airlock activity at all for my batches I would look into a better fermenter. That's just my opinion. I had a bucket from Northern Brewer that spewed beer from under the lid on every batch. The airlock still showed bubbles but the lid had a bad leak. Northern Brewer replaced the bucket for free and now the new bucket has a good seal.

 

[Potamus]

Yeah, I've got one from Northern Brewer that usually gives me airlock activity. The other is a BB Ale Pail that I don't think I've ever gotten activity out of. I assume it just has a bad seal, either on the gasket or the lid itself. Either way, it hasn't caused me any problems so far, so I'm not too worried about it.

 

[mailman561]

I have a bb ale pail so maybe that is the issue, either way I'm not going to worry about it. I might just got a glass Carboy tomorrow and secondary ferment it. Is there a time when I should do that or is it whenever really? Sunday will have been a week since brew day, and do u suggest doing that with the heffe?

 

[Potamus]

I don't think you need to secondary a hefe. Secondary is used to clear the beer, and wheat beers are usually pretty cloudy no matter what you do. I'd just let it sit in primary for three or four weeks, then bottle. If you do want to secondary for whatever reason, you can do it after a week or two, whenever fermentation has significantly slowed or stopped (some say it has to have stopped, but I've had good luck racking when it has simply slowed. Racking the beer will carry over enough yeast to finish the job). The timing is pretty flexible. Then you can leave it in secondary for months before bottling, if you want.

 

[Jkane101]

I don't think you need to secondary a hefe. Secondary is used to clear the beer, and wheat beers are usually pretty cloudy no matter what you do. I'd just let it sit in primary for three or four weeks, then bottle. If you do want to secondary for whatever reason, you can do it after a week or two, whenever fermentation has significantly slowed or stopped (some say it has to have stopped, but I've had good luck racking when it has simply slowed. Racking the beer will carry over enough yeast to finish the job). The timing is pretty flexible. Then you can leave it in secondary for months before bottling, if you want.

I dont think you need to go 3 -4 weeks. Take a hydro reading after 2 weeks, then again for the next two days if its close the the expected FG and hasnt changed over those readings it's done.


Potamus is 100% right in that you're not looking for clarity with wheat beers

 

[mailman561]

Yea I took a reading a few days ago and it was like 1.010 so everything is going smooth I'm gonna bottle this weekend. I knew heffes were cloudy but the guy at my hbs said he secondary fermented. It's still in the primary though and il keep it that way. Thanks for all the help

 

[HurricaneHelms]

Yea I took a reading a few days ago and it was like 1.010 so everything is going smooth I'm gonna bottle this weekend. I knew heffes were cloudy but the guy at my hbs said he secondary fermented. It's still in the primary though and il keep it that way. Thanks for all the help

Your reading indicates it did in fact ferment but I got to say that seeing no activity from your airlock with a hefe is odd. I usually have to tube mine into a bucket of starsan for the first couple of days because I get so much blow off. But like others have said the only thing that really matters is the hydrometer reading.

Good luck hope it turns out great!

 

[Jayslay]

Airlocks sometimes loosen after a rapid initial ferment. If you arn't gettign bubble, try re-seating the bung stopper. I just brewed a wit where that happened... bubbles stopped, I got nervous, re-seated the airlock and then twenty minutes later it was bubbling again. Or the lid isnt clamped down all the way.

That's funny that the HBS clerk secondaries hefe... what a waste of time. I even fruit my hefe's in the same bucket.. and they turn out killer. In fact, I don't use carboys for almost anything anymore, and my beers are just as good.

 

[mailman561]

Well everything turned out great, drank a few tonight, thanks again everyone!