Kegging Bavarian Weizen

[EdWort]

I've got a batch of Bavarian Weizen coming up on 10 days in a primary.

Should I rack straight to a keg or a carboy for some secondary aging?

It is a Hefeweizen, so I don't want to waste a bunch of yeast, but I don't want a keg dip tube clogging either.

It's my first one, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I've got a batch of Bavarian Weizen coming up on 10 days in a primary.

Should I rack straight to a keg or a carboy for some secondary aging?

It is a Hefeweizen, so I don't want to waste a bunch of yeast, but I don't want a keg dip tube clogging either.

It's my first one, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I vote keg it. That's plenty of time in the primary, and you want some yeast to stay behind, so skip the secondary and keg.

Drink it next week. Green beer makes everyone happy (it's especially good for a round of "dutch oven" with an unsuspecting SWMBO).

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've brewed a hundred HW's if I've brewed one...10 days is fine, but make sure you take a gravity reading to ensure it is done...if so, keg it!

 

[EdWort]

Sweet! Thanks guys. I've got three more starters from the original Wyeast 3068 ready to go for another batch. This looks like a simple beer at this stage.

Brew, Ferment, Keg, Drink. Hmm I like it.

 

[EdWort]

Drink it next week. Green beer makes everyone happy (it's especially good for a round of "dutch oven" with an unsuspecting SWMBO).

Ummm, what's a round of "dutch oven"?

 

[EdWort]

I've brewed a hundred HW's if I've brewed one...10 days is fine, but make sure you take a gravity reading to ensure it is done...if so, keg it!

Thanks. How long do you let your HW age?

 

[Mikey]

You may find that the yeast will drop out of suspension in fairly short order, making your hefeweizen into a Kristalweizen.

If you enjoy the cloudiness and taste of a true H/W, you will be forced to bottle or to shake up your keg every few days to resuspend the yeast.

 

[Orpheus]

Ummm, what's a round of "dutch oven"?

It's when you let one rip in bed and fan or force the cover over your wife's head so that she can more fully enjoy the aroma.

Men, ya gotta love 'em. Although, in all fairness, it was a woman who taught me this one.

 

[EdWort]

If you enjoy the cloudiness and taste of a true H/W, you will be forced to bottle or to shake up your keg every few days to resuspend the yeast.

Thanks for the advice. I do like the Hefe, so I'll keep that keg in front. Opening the door and giving it a shake every now and then is well worth effort required for the ammunition for giving SWMBO a "dutch oven" :cross:

 

[Biermann]

Ed,
When I did my hefe (with this same yeast), it stayed in primary around 10 days, and then I put it in secondary for about 2 weeks. I then bottle conditioned it. I think secondary will be a good way to go. You will have plenty of yeast in solution still, and if you keg-condition using DME, you will find that you have plenty of flocculated yeast left over to give it a cloudy nature. It may taste a little more clean (no trub from the boil accidentally sucked into your keg) if you put it through a secondary.

Either way, I'm sure it'll taste pretty damned good.

I was going to brew a 10 gallon batch of the Maßkrug Edelweizen the other day, only to wake up, go outside and find it to be 34 degrees out and raining like a bastard. I still contemplated it for a bit, but seeing as I don't like being cold, or wet, or cold and wet, I elected on staying inside and having some homebrew.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Thanks. How long do you let your HW age?

Just long enough to get carbonated...and enjoyed...

HWs are ales. They are best served when ready. Aging a HW for 6 months is not recommended (by me) unless a batch was overhopped (more on the bitter side than the sweet side). Giving the hops some time to mellow does work well.

Already sweet beers will turn sweeter. Drink them when they are fresh.

 

[EdWort]

Well, I finally got around to kegging my Hefe this afternoon. It's been sitting in my freezer/lager at 66 degrees and now it's in a corny in my kegerator under pressure to carbonate for a week.

I must say it is tasty and the F.G. came out to 1.009 for an abv of 5.6%

Sweet!