Just exactly "how ruined is it"?

[gwapogorilla]

I did my first batch ever 3 weeks ago. Looking on hind-sight, I made alot of errors, some very recently. It is a Belgian Wit using LME and steeped 1 lb. flaked wheat. I jumped right into full volume boils too.
1st, didn't have a full hard boil...more of a simmer ( stove top).
2nd, I racked to the secondary too early, yeast hadn't finished yet.
3rd, was really worried because it was not clearing up. Followed someone else's advice and racked again to another carboy.(3 stage fermentation maybe)

Anyway, here is a pic when I put it in the primary 2 weeks ago

And, here is a pic 2 weeks later. At this point I followed someone's advice to rack the beer again to help clearify.

Finally, here it is now after racking it yet again. I guess it would be considered a "3 stage fermentation.

I tasted the beer when I racked, it wasn't bad...but not good either. No off flavors, just not what I hoped for.
Did I ruin it? Anything I can do..aside from "waiting"?

 

[catdaddy66]

I did my first batch ever 3 weeks ago. Looking on hind-sight, I made alot of errors, some very recently. It is a Belgian Wit using LME and steeped 1 lb. flaked wheat. I jumped right into full volume boils too.
1st, didn't have a full hard boil...more of a simmer ( stove top).
2nd, I racked to the secondary too early, yeast hadn't finished yet.
3rd, was really worried because it was not clearing up. Followed someone else's advice and racked again to another carboy.(3 stage fermentation maybe)

Anyway, here is a pic when I put it in the primary 2 weeks ago

And, here is a pic 2 weeks later. At this point I followed someone's advice to rack the beer again to help clearify.

Finally, here it is now after racking it yet again. I guess it would be considered a "3 stage fermentation.

I tasted the beer when I racked, it wasn't bad...but not good either. No off flavors, just not what I hoped for.
Did I ruin it? Anything I can do..aside from "waiting"?

Didn't ruin it but the low boil didn't help the fermentation because it couldn't break down the sugars to something easier for the yeast to digest. Another thing is many beers outside of wheat beers will clear well in the primary but may take 3 weeks or so.

Give it time and you may be surprised!

 

[masskrug]

Have you taken any hydrometer readings?

 

[PseudoChef]

Didn't ruin it but the low boil didn't help the fermentation because it couldn't break down the sugars to something easier for the yeast to digest.

That has nothing to do with it. Extract is fermentable right out of the gate. I don't know why you think that the boil has an effect on that.

Moreover, traditional wits do actually have low boils.

 

[choosybeggar]

Have you taken any hydrometer readings?

Hydrometer readings help. After fermentation completes, residual CO2 remains in the beer. If you agitate it, you see gas evolution and foam production. Maybe not the third stage of fermentation (although it may look like it).

So you take sequential hydrometer readings to assess the state of fermentation. Two identical readings three days apart is my standard for a finished ferment.

A CO2 related caveat to hydrometer reading is that if you agitate your sample in the hydrometer jar, gas forms and may stick to the hydrometer float, making it artificially more bouyant and giving a falsely low gravity reading. I degas samples with a wire whisk prior to taking readings.

 

[catdaddy66]

That has nothing to do with it. Extract is fermentable right out of the gate. I don't know why you think that the boil has an effect on that.

Moreover, traditional wits do actually have low boils.

Obviously I thought that because of my lack of knowledge. Duh...!

 

[andy6026]

oh that beer is totally ruined. Best give it to me for proper disposal.

 

[Clonefan94]

In general, Wit beers are supposed to be a little cloudy. I didn't think the style is supposed to clear completely. Yours does look pretty cloudy, but that will be magnified by looking at it in the volume you have there, it isn't like looking through a beer in a glass. Beers always appear more cloudy and dark the larger the volume.

You definitely didn't ruin it though.

 

[gwapogorilla]

Hey, thanks for the input guys. I think I'll let it set for another 2 weeks, then just go ahead and bottle it. I checked the gravity before I racked it...OG was 1.048 and the other day it was 1.009, which brings me to about 5.0 ABV...just what I was shooting for.
I will check it again this weekend. I really don't want to handle it too much...scared of oxygenating it too much.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm no expert on "Wits" but they are hazy, not opaque like yours is at the moment.

You say it doesn't taste really good yet. Depending on what it tasted like, it may need more conditioning. Racking it 3 times in 3 weeks is not a good thing. That yeast layer in the 2nd stage (second pic) looks very good and yummy and the beer would have done well staying on that for a few more weeks to condition out.

If you're sure it's done fermenting, same low gravity readings at least 3 days apart, and it looks you're close to that already, I would cold crash that carboy for a week. That should clear it up quite a bit. Then bottle it. Now how much yeast is still in there at that point is a question I want to leave to the next qualified speaker.

 

[Black]

1.009 this beer sure looks finished. Check it again tomorrow and if it's still there, bottle and condition. You might be surprised at how good it will taste once cold and carbonated.

There should still be plenty of yeasts in suspension to bottle condition, no problem.


Cheers !

 

[IslandLizard]

Hey, thanks for the input guys. I think I'll let it set for another 2 weeks, then just go ahead and bottle it. I checked the gravity before I racked it...OG was 1.048 and the other day it was 1.009, which brings me to about 5.0 ABV...just what I was shooting for.
I will check it again this weekend. I really don't want to handle it too much...scared of oxygenating it too much.

"Fermenting out" is your first target. You have very little control over the final gravity and alcohol %. They just come with it, they are what they are.

2nd target is conditioning. Let the yeast clean up after itself. Takes a few weeks. Preferably done in Primary.

3rd is cosmetics and flavor. Dry hopping, fruit adjuncts, lagering, clearing, etc. Preferably done in secondary, although some may use primary.

4th is long term storage and conditioning. This is once it's bottled or kegged.

And you're right, each time you rack into a new vessel you're introducing exposure to oxygen. I wonder why there is not much talk on flooding vessels with CO2 before or after racking...

 

[gwapogorilla]

Yeah, I'm gonna leave it as is for a couple of weeks. I figure there are more yeast in the carboy than in a bottle. So the "conditioning" actually has a better chance right where it is. I don't wanna fudge it up any more...or I might just have to send it to "andy6026" after all.

 

[billpaustin]

That looks like a wheat beer color, wheat beers are always cloudy.

 

[brettg20]

The one thing that probably happened is that your OG was lower due to the lack of a full boil. Less water evaporated than may have been accounted for therefore a lower OG. Other than that I wouldn't really worry too much at this point.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

It could also be that cloudy due to starches picked up from "steeping" flaked wheat. If I I recall correctly flaked wheat needs to be "mashed" to covert the starches to sugars. I believe that could be the main reason your beer is so cloudy. Could also contribute to a low OG as you didn't get any fermentables from the wheat. Not positive on that last part but fairly certain that's why your beer is so cloudy now.

 

[grem135]

Its a wheat and should be cloudy. My wit looked like that in the carboy (only time I ever used that carboy). give it a little time, rake to bottling bucket on top of your priming solution, bottle them babys up and let sit 2-3 weeks. chill for as many days as can handle - my bet is you drink one as soon as its cold enough the first time lol.