Questions on priming witbier. Bonus question inside!!!

[Rahahb]

Alright, I'll try to make this simple.

Brewed first batch ever 2 weeks ago. Brewer's Best Witbier. Everything went really smoothly. Cooled the wort to right about 60 and pitched. Yeast range was 59 to 75, and I read(palmer maybe?) that pitching yeast AT fermentation temperature is good. I actually went just a tad low on the cooling but it came back up to 62 fairly quickly and has been 61-63 every day.

It's got another week in the secondary before I'm ready to bottle. I read somewhere that using the supplied 5oz of sugar wasn't enough to give a good carbonation. Should I just do the 5oz or consider using a bit more to get a little more fizz? Any other recommendations for the remainder of the process?

BONUS

I had hoped to have another brewday this weekend or next. I already have a BB Koelsch and got the recommended liquid yeast(wlp 029) too. I see plenty of people saying the Koelsch will benefit from a cold conditioning. My current setup will only allow for constant temps of around 60(maybe 56-58). I guess that's not really cold conditioning but if kept at that temp for a few weeks, should I have any problems with the yeast not making any carbonation during bottle conditioning?

Lastly(for now), what would be a good beer to brew and just pour right onto my yeast cake from the koelsch? I was thinking an altbier but am open to suggestions. Either that or saving it for a later brew depending on how I feel that day.

Thanks for any help!! :rockin:

 

[trigger]

That 5 oz is about 142g. That will give you a carbonation level of approximately 2.6 vol CO2. That's pretty average for pale ales, etc. I prefer to carbonate my lighter wheats to 3.5 volumes, which comes out at 212g, or 7.48 oz. Beware, though, if your fermentation isn't quite done or you over prime you may wind up with bottle bombs or gushers. I force carb everything, so I go by PSI, but according to BeerTools those are the numbers.

As far as conditioning, that temperature will be fine. Colder would be better, as it will cause the yeast to drop faster and help precipitate any chill haze, but 60 is fine. There will be plenty of yeast left in the bottles to carbonate them, it just may take a bit longer for the lower cell count to chew through the sugar, so give them an extra week or two (for a total of 4 or 5).

As far as what to brew next: An alt would be great, but you can make any sort of ale or lager that goes well with a clean yeast profile, especially if you find a way to get your ferment temps down to around 60F. Cream Ale, Blonde, APA, IPA... as long as you don't mind hazy beer you can do it! I used the wyeast version once on an american rye (think widmere hefe, but dried out and spicier). If you plan on re-using this yeast do yourself a favor and wash it first. It's stupid easy, and if you've got a spare canning jar you've got everything you need. Here's how. I don't boil to sanitize the jars, I keep a keg or 5 gal bucket of starsan around, and just soak them and the lids in sanitizer for 10 mins before filling them.

 

[Rahahb]

Cool, thanks. I'll stick with the 5oz this time. Rather have peace of mind. So far, I racked to secondary on the 6th day. Going to keep in secondary for 2 weeks, then bottle for 2 weeks. Plus any time they stay in the fridge. So 5 weeks minimum.

A 60 degree should be easily doable. Probably even 58. I really wanted to make an IPA instead of the koelsch but I wanted something my dad would drink with me and he doesn't like hoppy beers. :/ So, I think you just made my day by telling me this.

 

[trigger]

That yeast will make a fine IPA, and really you can ferment an IPA with it a bit warmer. It's only if you were doing a beer that needs a really clean profile, like a lager style or cream ale, that you would want the temp way down. If you can manage to make room in the fridge for a week for the carboy, then you could do your cold crash in there and wind up with some decently clear beer.

Edit: Sorry, I was a bit with that. If you're bottle conditioning at 60 then you should give it at least 3 weeks to carb. The colder the longer. If you want to clear your beer you can do it by putting them in the back of the fridge AFTER they're fully carbonated at room temp for a few weeks. They won't carb in a reasonable time at lower temps, however.

 

[Rahahb]

NO room for a carboy, lol. I'll have to settle with what I get until I can upgrade equip. And I'd love to be able to ferment at higher temps. However, my house is usually set on 60 and most rooms are that or a couple less.

I checked out the yeast washing. Seems like that way will need a few days to complete. If I'm looking at brewing the same day I'm taking the koelsch out of the primary, I'll need something quicker. I'm assuming I could at least do the big jar and let that settle for a couple of hours, then pour however much I want out of it back into the wort.

 

[trigger]

For the first couple years I brewed I lived in a drafty old house. We kept it at 58 to save $$$. This was actually a great setup in the winter. I would chill to a couple degrees above my desired fermentation temperature, then pitch and put an old sweatshirt over the carboy. It would usually hold in the mid 60's while actively fermenting, higher if I used a blanket as well. After some trial and error you'll be able to work out a system of layers. I would suggest taping a thermometer to the fermenter, or getting one of those stick on ones so you can check, but during active ferments it's actually easier to work from a low temp up.

As far as yeast washing, you can do a wash in the carboy, let it settle while brewing, then decant to a jar/measuring cup and pitch that. The extra yeast that you don't pitch you should bank in the fridge, though. I usually get at least 10 beers per smack pack using this method, which equates to less than 1/2 the cost of dry yeast including the DME to make a starter for the initial pack. It's really worth doing.

 

[EarlyBirdBrew]

All I have to say is dang y'all keep your homes cold. Also my first two beers were a wheat and a kolsch.

 

[Rahahb]

The extra yeast that you don't pitch you should bank in the fridge, though. I usually get at least 10 beers per smack pack using this method, which equates to less than 1/2 the cost of dry yeast including the DME to make a starter for the initial pack. It's really worth doing.

Smack pack? Please explain.

All I have to say is dang y'all keep your homes cold. Also my first two beers were a wheat and a kolsch.

Less money goes to light bills, leaves more money for beer.

 

[dandw12786]

Smack pack is yeast from Wyeast.

 

[Rahahb]

Seems like he means he can get 10 brews with the same yeast?? If so, I'll be learning how to properly yeast wash and reuse. I plan on doing it this time with the koelsch cake.

 

[Who_Dey]

How did your's turnout? Did you wind up using any additional adjuncts or upgrade the yeast? I am getting ready to brew the same for my nephew's first birthday party in June and I'm trying to decide on a few items:

-The kit came with WB-06, but I've considered upgrading to a liquid yeast.

-I've read some notes about the spice pack not being that great and I'm considering supplementing with some fresh orange or grapefruit zest and/or grains of paradise. One extra piece of info...the primary dish at the party will be this http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...ato-tamale-and-pecan-butter-recipe/index.html

-The recipe calls for adding the spice pack with 15 minutes left in the boil, but I read some Witbier recipes that suggest adding adjuncts at flame out or secondary fermentation.

I'd love any feedback or advice.

Thanks

 

[Rahahb]

This beer turned out great. My dad and g/f both like it which surprised me since they are the typical domestic beer drinkers. :/

I followed instructions per kit. Sure you could alter the taste with different addition times, storebought spices and orange peel, but I didn't bother. Also just used the supplied priming sugar. Carbed nicely. Although, I can see where some would want just a tad more.

I took it to my beer club meeting while it was still on the green side(2 weeks in bottles) and got good reviews. The host, who is a beer judge, said it was good. He could immediately get the orange and coriander. The beer has a nice spicyness to it too. Since I fermented low 60s, it has a nice touch of banana aroma.

If I don't go to all grain soon, I will probably brew this kit again.

 

[Who_Dey]

Thanks for the feedback.

Just out of curiosity, did you do a full or partial boil (as called for). I prefer full boils and will likely still use the full complement of hops provided, despite the extra IBU's.

 

[Rahahb]

I'm not sure of the difference between full boil and partial boil.

I boiled the 55 minutes it called for, after I had steeped the grains.

 

[Who_Dey]

I just mean starting with a full 5 (or 6) gallon boil, rather than 2.5 and top off up to 5 gallons after transferring to the primary.

 

[Rahahb]

I just mean starting with a full 5 (or 6) gallon boil, rather than 2.5 and top off up to 5 gallons after transferring to the primary.

I followed the instructions so I only boiled 2.5 gallons. Pretty good boil though since I boiled about a gallon off.