My first partial

[AZMike]

Well, only my 3rd batch, but I thought I'd try a partial mash. I got a hefe recipe from by LHBS and ran with it.

Aside from the thermometer not completely cooperating, I think I did OK. Temp read 150 - 155 for most of the mash and then suddenly shot up to 180. I think it got some steam in the probe and that's why the reading was off. I didn't have any grain bags, but luckily, we had a bunch of cheesecloth on hand so I got creative.

I pitched the yeast at 7:00 pm on Sunday. Woke up yesterday to a vigirous fermentation and a closet that really, really smells like bananas. I put some of the wort in a 12 oz bottle next to my fermentor and covered it with foil so I could check the gravity without getting into the beer itself. But the fermentation was so out of hand, that the bottle fell over. Apparently, Hefeweizen stains both tile and grout - glad it's in a closet.

So, since it's a hefe, I should skip the clarifying in a secondary - and just bottle it up when the frementation is done - right?

The wort tasted less than stellar, but the batch smells really good as it's fermenting. Both me and SWMBO are really looking forward to this batch.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Yep, no worries about secondary on a hefe. I would wait at least 12 days to 2 weeks before bottling though, just to let it age a bit and not be toooo green. And, congratz! Lots of hefe fans here (including me!).

 

[peterfuse]

aww id love to do a hefe partial. what was your recipe if you don't mind me asking? ive done an oatmeal stout and larger partial and im gona try the stout this weekend. smelled amazing during fermentation.

 

[AZMike]

Here's the recipe I used:

1.5lb wheat malt
1lb 2 row barley
.5lb Crystal 10
1lb DME
4lb LME
1 oz tettnang hops
1 oz spalt hops
White labs hefe yeast in the smack packet

Mashed grains at about 152 for 60 minutes (assuming my thermo was correct)
Sparged with 2 gallons of water at 180
Added DME and started boil
Added tettnang hops at beginning of boil
Added LME and 1/2 of spalt hops at 45 minutes
Added other 1/2 of spalt hops at 55 minutes

OG was 1.042 - which seems a bit low, but I topped of to about 5.25 gallons.

Fermentation has slowed down a lot now - only 1 bubble every 10 seconds or so. It wnet strong for the first day and a half though.