T58 Belgian Wit... stuck fermentation or what.. krausen and cloudy!

[lucasszy]

So I made a belgian wit a while back and used Fermentis T58 yeast.

Original gravity was 1.070 from the honey that went into it.

After a few days, the airlock stopped bubbling, still had a ton of krausen on the top of the brew. Gravity was 1.018 today. With a flocculation of 71-75%, can I assume that its done. The math is spot on, but Im more wondering about the fact that there is still krausen on the top as well as being very cloudy.

Does the T58 result in a very cloudy beer, especially when used with honey?

I will say that the taste is awesome!

thanks

 

[Parker36]

No, its not done. Airlock activity doesn't mean anything. If there is still krausen on top, that means it is still going.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

It's probably still going if there is a krausen on top. However, if you plan to keg this you can rack it off any time if you're happy with the taste. BUT, if you plan to bottle and you bottle to early you'll be getting bottle bombs. The general rule is to take gravity readings 3 days apart. If it doesn't change in that time, then you're done. If it's lower on the 3rd day, then it's still fermenting.

 

[malkore]

No, its not done. Airlock activity doesn't mean anything. If there is still krausen on top, that means it is still going.

not true. many yeast strains hold on to a thick krausen up to a week after fermentation has completely ended.

wyeast kolsch is great example of such a strain.

just trust the hydrometer readings though...never a need to rush it.

 

[Tlylebrew]

Wait another week.. It won't hurt anything but your patience

 

[ArcaneXor]

1.070 OG is one hell of a witbier!

Witbiers are supposed to be cloudy, but I'd let it sit until after the kraeusen has fallen until doing anything with it - or you may end up with a Hefewitbier, which may not taste very good.

Using an airlock to monitor the progress of a fermentation is certainly possible, but you need to know what you are doing and test the system for leakage. Buckets almost always leak.

What is your fermentation process like? Did you rehydrate the yeast? Did you use nutrients? What's your temperature profile? For a relatively big beer like this, it's almost always a good idea to let the temperature free-rise as fermentation winds down to maximize attenuation.

 

[BierMuncher]

I've used the '58 on a dubbel and the krausen took a long time. My dubbel was a 1075 and I let it go for three weeks.

Don't try to second guess the airlock or the hydrometer. That beer needs some time on that yeast (even if it seems to have fermented out) to let the yeast finish its job.

 

[lucasszy]

Did a hydrometer reading and FG is down considerably as of last night.

1.012

I'll give it till the weekend and test again.

Lucas

 

[lucasszy]

This morning all the krausen is gone. Looks like its ready to keg and carb. Any recommendations for carbing a wit?

thanks

 

[humann_brewing]

How long has it been in the primary. If your answer is less than 4 weeks, I would say wait until 4 weeks

If you can't wait, start another brew to keep yourself occupied.

 

[lucasszy]

How long has it been in the primary. If your answer is less than 4 weeks, I would say wait until 4 weeks

If you can't wait, start another brew to keep yourself occupied.

Its actually coming up on 4 weeks already. So looks like Im good.

In the meantime, the wife has already demanded that I put together an apricot hefe for the coming summer.

Cheers

Lucas

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

How do you like the t-58?

 

[shaundesjardins]

How do you like the t-58?

Believe it or not I really like it for hefeweizens. It kinda give it a subtle complexity of spicy/peppery notes that I like.
I'm using it for a Wit on Sunday and I'll post my results in a month or so when I get to taste the final product.

 

[DPlan00]

A year later, and I have to revive this thread. I am on hour 36 of primary fermentation on a Belgian Wit that included a partial mash of 8 oz. German Pils, 8 oz. What Malt, 1 pound Flaked Oats, with 2 pounds of honey and 4 pounds extra light DME in the boil. I used Wyeast Belgian Wit.

There is a thick layer of krausen on top, but appears to have nothing going on otherwise. I will take hydrometer readings 3 days apart beginning today, but was unable to test the wort prior to pitching as my hydrometer was unknowingly broken at that time. I have read that honey is low in nutrients required for the yeast, and if I had to do it again, I would probably lower the percentage of that in the fermentables.

I am wondering how your Belgian eventually turned out, and what I should do moving forward with this batch?

Any help would be extremely appreciated!