Priming Sugar Amounts for Hefeweizen and Dunkelweizen

[stephenbp]

I just finished fermenting 2.5 gallons of hefeweizen and 2.5 gallons of dunkelweizen. I tried several priming sugar calculators and it seems the amount vary depending on the calculator. I be using corn sugar for priming and I am not sure which calculator to use. First, the calculators ask for the temperature of the fermented wort. Do I use the current temperature (63F for both) or the temperature that the wort fermented at (70F on average for the three weeks)? Second, for the hefeweizen and the dunkelweizen, is the desired volume of CO2 3.6 for both? Thanks.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

I bottled a dunkelweizen a month ago. I used 6.8 oz of corn sugar, shooting for 3.4 volumes on a 5 gallon batch. Well, I only ended up packaging 3.75 gallons, there was lots of trub in the fermenter. My actual carbonation came out closer to 4.0 volumes. I haven't had any bottle bombs or gushers, and the beer is quite refreshing.

As far as which temperature to input into the calculators, that's a judgement call and won't affect your final numbers all that much. I think for any German weizen beer, you should keep the carbonation as high as your comfortable going in whatever you are using to package the beer. 3.2 to 4.0 volumes is a good range to stay in. And now, with my above experience, I wouldn't be scared of 4 volumes in 12 oz glass bottles.

 

[tgolanos]

Yeah, all the calculators are a bit different. The range for a Hefe is usually anywhere from 3.5-4.5 volumes. I tend to prime my Hefes with 3.9 volumes, but you should be good with 3.6 if you want. I end up with about an inch-and-a-half of head at 3.9.

As far as temperature goes, in an ideal situation, your fermentation temp and secondary temps should be the same. Reality says otherwise. I use the temperature my beer spent the most time at to figure out my sugar amounts.

 

[Smellyglove]

You should input the highest temp during the fermentation, unless it was very early on. It is because priming calcs takes into account the dissolved co2 already in the fermented beer. If you f.ex dropped the temp to 10C to drop out some yeast for a few days, but fermented at 20C, you should input 20C.

I prime all mye hefeweizens to be about 7g/l co2, which to me is perfect, you can still serve them not ice-cold, to avoid excess foaming in the glass, and warm enough to get the esters. But I have to pour very carefully comparing to other beers.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You should input the highest temp during the fermentation, unless it was very early on. It is because priming calcs takes into account the dissolved co2 already in the fermented beer. If you f.ex dropped the temp to 10C to drop out some yeast for a few days, but fermented at 20C, you should input 20C.

This. So for you it would be 70F unless it was more warm at some point.
Also I want to clarify that the temperature you enter in the calculator should be the highest the beer reaches at any point up until bottling (unless it is with the first couple days).

Science:
Higher temperature decreases the amount of dissolved CO2 that resulted from the initial fermentation because CO2 is less soluble at higher temperature. This slightly affects the amount of sugar needed to achieve a particular final CO2 volume target, but probably not enough to make a big difference unless the temperature variation was extreme (it will be less than one volume difference in any case). Really this is just an estimate anyway since CO2 is super-saturated until it gases off, so depending on the length of time from start of fermentation to bottling and whether it was racked, opened, or situated, the CO2 dissolved decreases over time. A calculator can't possibly account for all these variables. Use the calculator as a guide but take notes and try to get a feel for how much carb you get based on your temperature, time fermented, and CO2 volume target.

Dissolve your corn sugar before adding it and make sure it is mixed thoroughly by racking onto it in your bottling bucket and then very gently stirring before bottling.

Cheers

 

[Smellyglove]

The reason for the confusion about this matter is usually that most calculators just write "temp at bottling" or such. It should actually be "temp during fermentation", as that wording excludes for instance cold crashing, or just lower temperatures after primary fermentation is over.

However, this is not on topic. Take it as a tip. Look into "Speise", it seems like more work than it actually is, but you'll end up with a better Hefeweizen. There's something about hefeweizen/phenolic/estery-wheat beer yeast and sugar for carbonation which gives an incredible off-flavor. Imho the sugar itself gives an off-flavor in light beers, but if you pair it up with a wheat strain it's even bigger.

It's worth checking out if you brew another one, if you're in to just a little bit more work for a beer.