Tips for my first brew...Hefeweizen

[arnobg]

Looking for any tips on my first ever brew, a Bavarian Hefeweizen. I bought a BSG kit which has Bavarian Wheat Extract, Hallertau Hop Pellets, Fermentis SafBrew WB-06, 5oz priming sugar.

Looking for any tips such as initial boil amount (I have a 9 gallon kettle but the instructions call for 3 initially), additional yeast to add (If needed?), fermentation temperature and length, bottle carbing, etc.

Besides the obvious sanitization just looking for any advice for this beer to come out it's best!

 

[flars]

The recipe is for a partial boil, and then topping off the fermentor to the full volume, 5 gallons(?), with chilled water. Topping off with the chilled water will help cool the wort to pitching temperature. My preference for extract is a partial boil.

You can do a full volume boil since you kettle is large enough. Will your heat source boil the full volume? Most kitchen stoves can only boil 3 gallons in a reasonable amount of time. Do you have the means to cool the full volume to pitching temperature? It is easier and faster to cool 3 gallons.

If you do the full volume, I would recommend starting the boil with 5 (?) gallons instead of trying to anticipate the boil off amount for your first beer, to end up with 5 gallons.

edit: Don't use water with chlorine or chloramines.

 

[GHBWNY]

Looking for any tips on my first ever brew, a Bavarian Hefeweizen. I bought a BSG kit which has Bavarian Wheat Extract, Hallertau Hop Pellets, Fermentis SafBrew WB-06, 5oz priming sugar.

Looking for any tips such as initial boil amount (I have a 9 gallon kettle but the instructions call for 3 initially), additional yeast to add (If needed?), fermentation temperature and length, bottle carbing, etc.

Besides the obvious sanitization just looking for any advice for this beer to come out it's best!

Because a hefe traditionally has a balance of banana esters/clove phenols, you can adjust it somewhat with both the yeast and ferm temp. The WB-06 should give you a good balance for your hefe. I like a little more clove in my hefe, so I used WLP380 and a cooler ferm (64F). Your 3 gal. boil should be fine. You want the 2 gal addition to bring temp down for pitching yeast. Although there are strict advocates of rehydrating yeast (I'm one of them) pitching the WB-06 dry should take off like a rocket if you aerate well. Definitely put on a blow-off tube for the first few days and then switch over to an airlock. You may also find that your kraussen takes a long time to drop after ferm is done, but give it time; it will drop. Hefes usually prime at higher vols CO2, but don't overdo it. I primed mine at 3.4-ish and although it tastes great, it takes 5 min to pour into the glass because of the extreme foaminess. I was probably risking bottle-bombs without realizing it, but so far, so good. Either way, never use MORE than 3/4 C. corn sugar.

Welcome aboard the S.S. Obssession!

 

[Psylocide]

Looking for any tips on my first ever brew, a Bavarian Hefeweizen. I bought a BSG kit which has Bavarian Wheat Extract, Hallertau Hop Pellets, Fermentis SafBrew WB-06, 5oz priming sugar.

Looking for any tips such as initial boil amount (I have a 9 gallon kettle but the instructions call for 3 initially), additional yeast to add (If needed?), fermentation temperature and length, bottle carbing, etc.

Besides the obvious sanitization just looking for any advice for this beer to come out it's best!

If you are planning to use tap water, do not forget to treat with campden tablets to remove the chlorine/chloramines. Campden tablets are very cheap.

The presence of those in your water will absolutely wreck your beer.

 

[flars]

The pack of priming sugar that came with the kit is probably corn sugar. The pack may contain 5 ounces, or a little less, or a little more. This is where you should have a scale for an accurate measurement. A good digital scale can be found at Walmart for about $20. Scale will be needed to weigh hops in some other recipes.

I typically use corn sugar because it dissolves in the boiled water very easily.

This is a good priming sugar calculator.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/priming-sugar-calculator/

 

[m00ps]

id consider the fermentation temps. YOull want to be somehwere in the 60s. Closer to 60 will get your more clove and closer to 70 will get your more banana. Choose your target fermentation temp accordingly. but keep in mind that the reading on a stick-on temp strip is likely a few degrees cooler than the internal fermentation temp

 

[arnobg]

Lots of good replies and information here.

Water: I will be using bottled spring water this batch so no chlorine here.

Temperature: I have a temperature controlled chest freezer so I can put it on whatever is needed. I will put the probe on the carboy. I'll aim for low 60's then, would this make up for the possible higher temp inside? I really like Sierra Nevada's Hefe lately but I don't have the taste experience yet to know what flavors are more prominent, banana or clove, as to what I should aim for?

Is there a target yeast pitching temperature or anything below 70-75 is good?

Fermentation: I have a blow off hose that I'll put on the airlock to start, thanks for the heads up. What is typical fermentation time with this beer? Do I want secondary? I have a 6.8 g bottling bucket/fermentor and a 5 gallon glass carboy. Will the carboy be large enough initially?

Boil: I have a Bayou outdoor propane burner and 9 gallon kettle. The recipe does call for partial boil with cooled water added in at fermentation time. I do not yet have a wort chiller was going to use sink/bathtub with cold water/ice bath. Should I completely eliminate the possibility of full boil with that in mind until I get a wort chiller?

Bottling: I assume it is corn sugar but not sure. I'll get a scale thanks for the tip.

 

[flars]

Lots of good replies and information here.

Water: I will be using bottled spring water this batch so no chlorine here.

Temperature: I have a temperature controlled chest freezer so I can put it on whatever is needed. I will put the probe on the carboy. I'll aim for low 60's then, would this make up for the possible higher temp inside? I really like Sierra Nevada's Hefe lately but I don't have the taste experience yet to know what flavors are more prominent, banana or clove, as to what I should aim for?
I have always used WY 3068 for a Hefe. Starts out very fast. Have gotten a 5°F temp rise with the fast start, at an ambient temp of 68°, when I have forgotten to put cooling water in the tub at the beginning. I have measured a 2° temp difference between the glue on temp strip and internal carboy temperature for about the first 12 hours of very active fermentation. Otherwise I see up to a 1° temp difference.

Is there a target yeast pitching temperature or anything below 70-75 is good?
Best pitch into a cool wort and let it rise to the fermentation temperature you have chosen. Hard to cool down a fermentation that has gotten to warm. With WY 3068 I keep the beer temperature below 64°. I like the clove flavor over banana.

Fermentation: I have a blow off hose that I'll put on the airlock to start, thanks for the heads up. What is typical fermentation time with this beer? Do I want secondary? I have a 6.8 g bottling bucket/fermentor and a 5 gallon glass carboy. Will the carboy be large enough initially?
Fermentations are variable, no set times. Take your first SG reading, with a hydrometer, 10 days after the start of fermentation.

Five gallons of beer in a five gallon carboy will lead to excessive beer loss through the blow off tube. It would be better to get a 6.5 gallon carboy or bucket, without a spigot, to ferment in. Spigots on a fermentor have the risk of harboring bacteria.

I don't secondary anymore. Three weeks in the primary produces a clear beer. This is a wheat beer so it will always be hazy, as it is for this style.


Boil: I have a Bayou outdoor propane burner and 9 gallon kettle. The recipe does call for partial boil with cooled water added in at fermentation time. I do not yet have a wort chiller was going to use sink/bathtub with cold water/ice bath. Should I completely eliminate the possibility of full boil with that in mind until I get a wort chiller?
Cooling with an ice water bath will go faster if you leave the lid partially off the kettle, and lightly stir the wort to keep warm wort in contact with the cool kettle wall. Keep your boil spoon sanitized and turn off fans/AC/furnace to reduce airborne particles.

Bottling: I assume it is corn sugar but not sure. I'll get a scale thanks for the tip.

Ask any questions. Many here with good advice.

 

[arnobg]

So it is not unreasonable to cool 5 gallons in an ice bath then?

Should I substitute that yeast you two have mentioned, what difference would the results be?

Also trying to figure out why my kit came with such a large bottling bucket and a useless 5 gallon glass carboy then. Is there any use for this thing with 5 gallon batches?

 

[flars]

So it is not unreasonable to cool 5 gallons in an ice bath then?

Should I substitute that yeast you two have mentioned, what difference would the results be?

Also trying to figure out why my kit came with such a large bottling bucket and a useless 5 gallon glass carboy then. Is there any use for this thing with 5 gallon batches?

It is possible to cool 5 gallons in an ice bath. I've just never have done it. I'm usually doing 3 gallons in the kitchen sink. After a recent shoulder injury, the thought of carrying 5 gallons of hot wort seems very intimidating.

I wouldn't use a different yeast just because another brewer has not used the yeast recommended for your recipe. WB-06 is probably a good Hefe yeast. I just got used to using liquid yeasts.

Notes from Fermentis data sheet:
"fermentation temperature: 12-25°C (53.6-77°F) ideally 18-24°C (64.4-75.2°F)
for clover flavors : below 22°C (71.6°F)
for banana flavor: above 23°C (73.4°F)"


The 5 gallon carboy is the right size for a secondary. Would have very little head space to limit oxidation. You may have a need to secondary a beer sometime, but a 6.5 gallon bucket, without a spigot, or carboy, would be ideal for a fermentor. The large bottling bucket is probably also used in wine making kits.

 

[GHBWNY]

I, too, would not secondary a wheat beer because of its traditional haziness. You're not looking for super-clear beer. And the suspended yeast is what gives it its flavor.

You may or may not want to try this, but during the pour, when it gets down to about an inch left in the bottle, I swirl up the settled yeast and pour it quickly into the glass. Unlike most other beers, a hefe is the one beer that benefits from doing this.

 

[arnobg]

So I guess in my case the plastic ferment or/bottling bucket is what I need to use since the glass carboy isn't big enough. The logistics seem like it is going to be a pain. I'll have to move it into the carboy on bottle day, then clean the bottling bucket and move it back.

 

[kombat]

The logistics seem like it is going to be a pain. I'll have to move it into the carboy on bottle day, then clean the bottling bucket and move it back.

Or just buy a 6.5 gallon carboy, or a bucket. I see used carboys on Craigslist/Kijiji all the time for $10 - $15. Give it an overnight soak with some warm Oxyclean or PBW, rinse it out good the next day, good as new.

 

[Steady-Hopper]

Re hydrating your yeast is an easy way to improve your beer. Make sure everything is sanitary first.

 

[jmpreiks]

So it is not unreasonable to cool 5 gallons in an ice bath then?

Definitely possible, but slow, annoying, and quite dangerous moving a giant pot of near boiling liquid that likes to stick to skin. Make sure you have very strong handles and don't move it more than the bare minimum distance.

I used an ice bath on my first full volume boil and never did it again. Built my counterflow chiller right after.

Also trying to figure out why my kit came with such a large bottling bucket and a useless 5 gallon glass carboy then. Is there any use for this thing with 5 gallon batches?

10 drops of Fermcap S added to the fermenter will keep your fermentation under control so much so that you will never need a blow-off tube and need very little head space for krausen. Give it a shot with a blow-off tube for back up your first time but it will very likely not be needed.

 

[GHBWNY]

Or just buy a 6.5 gallon carboy, or a bucket. I see used carboys on Craigslist/Kijiji all the time for $10 - $15. Give it an overnight soak with some warm Oxyclean or PBW, rinse it out good the next day, good as new.

This^^^

I have two 6.5 gal buckets (with spigots and airlocked lids) and one 6.5 glass carboy. I RARELY use the carboy, the disadvantages being:

*It's big
* It's bulky
*It's heavy (esp. with 5 gal. beer in it, even with the nylon carrying strap that you pray doesn't give out as you're carrying it)
*It's a pain to clean
*It's slippery/dangerous when wet
*Being glass, it's potentially dangerous even when dry
*You have to make sure to either cover it or keep it out of the light
*If the airlock gets plugged, the glass can explode
*If the glass is exposed to thermal shock, the bottom can fall off

Read current thread, "Another Carboy Horror Story" and many others

The advantages: it makes you look more like the professional that you're not when you post a pic of it on HBT.

They say plastic scratches and therefore holds microbial matter that can lead to infection. Sure, if you don't clean, disinfect and sanitize --- all the same things you'd do to a carboy before using it.

 

[arnobg]

Yeah I already have a 6.8 gallon bucket with sealing lid and spigot so that makes that part easy however, I'd have to move it to something else then back in to bottle....seems not necessary.

Where I live there's nothing on Craigslist really, to the home brew store I go I guess.

Does the ferm s stuff cutting down krausen not affect fermentation or taste?

 

[jmpreiks]

Yeah I already have a 6.8 gallon bucket with sealing lid and spigot so that makes that park easy however, I'd have to move it to something else then back in to bottle....seems not necessary.

Where I live there's nothing on Craigslist really, to the home brew store I go I guess.

Does the ferm s stuff cutting down krausen not affect fermentation or taste?

Fermcap S does not affect fermentation or taste. It is left behind with the trub in the fermenter when you bottle it. It is a surfactant, which just means it lowers surface tension and doesn't allow bubbles to form.

 

[kombat]

I RARELY use the carboy, the disadvantages being:

In the interest of allowing people to make an informed decision, I feel someone should point out the advantages of glass carboys as a counterpoint:

* You can see the state of the beer
* Less oxygen permeability
* Less head space
* Less prone to scratching and harboring problematic bacteria
* Generally more easily found second-hand

As for the disadvantages:

It's big

Bigger than a bucket of similar volume?

It's bulky

That's different from "big?"

*It's heavy (esp. with 5 gal. beer in it, even with the nylon carrying strap that you pray doesn't give out as you're carrying it)

Only heavier than a bucket by a pound or two. I carry my carboys in a milk crate.

*It's a pain to clean

If you clean them right after use, before stuff has a chance to dry on and harden, they're trivially easy to clean. After emptying a carboy of beer, I pour in a couple quarts of warm water, swirl it around, and dump it to get out most of the remaining yeast and trub. Then I fill the carboy to the brim with a warm Oxy/PBW solution, cap it with foil (to limit evaporation) and leave it overnight. The next day, I dump it out and rinse it twice, then sanitize it and cap it with a fresh, sanitized foil cap. It's completely clean, and ready to be used again.

*It's slippery/dangerous when wet

I wear leather gloves when handling my carboy during cleaning, and use milk crates and BrewHauler straps when transporting them otherwise.

*Being glass, it's potentially dangerous even when dry

So don't drop it.

*You have to make sure to either cover it or keep it out of the light

How much sunlight makes it into your fermentation chamber?

*If the airlock gets plugged, the glass can explode

Same with a bucket. If you're not standing next to them when it happens, what's the difference? Either way, you've got a mess. Keep your fermentation temperatures under control and use a blowoff tube.

*If the glass is exposed to thermal shock, the bottom can fall off

So don't do that.

 

[GHBWNY]

In the interest of allowing people to make an informed decision, I feel someone should point out the advantages of glass carboys as a counterpoint:

* You can see the state of the beer
* Less oxygen permeability
* Less head space
* Less prone to scratching and harboring problematic bacteria
* Generally more easily found second-hand

And that's the great thing about a "forum": a place to exchange ideas. In the spirit of further "informing decisions"...

My observation re: "seeing" the state of the beer, while perhaps interesting, is that it potentially exposes it unnecessarily to light and really doesn't offer an "informed" analysis of anything going on in the ferm. Except that it may appear to be active or not is useless in assessing the "state of the beer" apart from the use of a hydrometer.

Whatever negligible amount of O2 makes it through the plastic walls is negated by the CO2 layer both above and in solution in the beer. So much so, that the worst of oxygenating hazards --- headspace --- is completely negated by this process.

Head space for 5 gals of liquid in a 6.5 gal vessel, regardless of plastic or glass, is the same.

Potential scratching -- I'm not sure where and when something would cause scratches in the plastic. Immediately following racking to bottling bucket, I hot rinse the ferm bucket, fill with hot soapy water and let sit. Later, scrub it with a dishcloth, hot rinse, turn upside down. I've never used anything in my plastic bucket that would scratch it.

 

[arnobg]

While I appreciate the info there are plenty of plastic vs. glass posts that I have already visited.

Right now I'm at a crossroad trying to decide to buy something additional than what my kit has which is a 6.8 gallon bucket with air tight lid and spigot and a 5 gallon glass carboy.

I've already bought tons of additional stuff and I haven't even made my first batch yet, just looking for options besides having to buy another glass carboy and having a useless 5 gallon one.

Would it be ridiculous to ferment in the plastic then move to the glass to clean the plastic for bottling, then move back to the plastic or will this cause issues?

 

[kombat]

My observation re: "seeing" the state of the beer, while perhaps interesting, is that it potentially exposes it unnecessarily to light

Light doesn't harm beer. UV rays do. Incandescent bulbs do not emit UV rays. Sunlight skunks beer. Light bulbs don't. So keep your beer out of the sun. Like I said - my fermentation chamber (a chest freezer) is pretty darn dark. Isn't yours, too?

In cases where the beer comes out of the ferm chamber for a few days to "finish up" or whatever, I just cover it in a black t-shirt. No direct sunlight comes in through the windows in that section of my basement anyway (the windows face north).

doesn't offer an "informed" analysis of anything going on in the ferm.

Maybe not, but it sure is reassuring to look in the next day and see that thick layer of krausen.

Whatever negligible amount of O2 makes it through the plastic walls is negated by the CO2 layer both above and in solution in the beer.

How so? Oxygen isn't "negated" by CO2 - it mixes with it. Any oxygen at all, post-fermentation, is a risk of oxidizing the hop oils and spoiling the beer. There isn't really a "layer" of CO2 covering the surface of the beer, that's not how gases work. The headspace is filled with CO2, but if the container is oxygen-permeable (as plastic buckets are), then there is a small amount of mixing going on as oxygen intrudes into the bucket, and CO2 bleeds out.


That said, under regular fermentation schedules, I don't think this is a serious concern. Anecdotally, it seems 3-4 weeks is not nearly long enough for any significant amount of gas exchange to occur through the plastic walls.

Potential scratching -- I'm not sure where and when something would cause scratches in the plastic.

Cleaning, stirring (in cases where the buckets are also used to make wine, as mine were when I first started), scraping the walls of the bucket with the siphon, storing things in the bucket to minimize storage space, etc.

I only meant to point out that there are pros/cons to both containers, and that folks (like me) who swear by glass carboys are not simply misinformed, reckless idiots, but rather we have our (perfectly valid) reasons.

 

[kombat]

just looking for options besides having to buy another glass carboy and having a useless 5 gallon one.

I wouldn't say it's "useless" - you may decide to use it to age bigger beers down the road, like darker beers or higher ABV beers that can benefit from sitting for a few weeks/months. In that case, racking the beer to a 5 gallon carboy (with minimal headspace) will better protect the beer from air than keeping it in a plastic bucket for so long. That said, I concede that such circumstances are likely admittedly rare.

Would it be ridiculous to ferment in the plastic then move to the glass to clean the plastic for bottling, then move back to the plastic or will this cause issues?

I wouldn't recommend it. You expose the beer to the risk of oxidation by transferring it twice, as well as infection. After fermentation finishes, beer's two biggest enemies are oxygen and UV rays. You'll get a better product by actively working to minimize exposure to both at every stage of the process on the cold side.

 

[arnobg]

I'll just go ahead and buy a bigger one, I'll want to expand later down the road anyways. Thanks.

 

[jmpreiks]

Only heavier than a bucket by a pound or two. I carry my carboys in a milk crate.

I know I should just let this die, but where do you find your 2 lb carboys???

 

[kombat]

I know I should just let this die, but where do you find your 2 lb carboys???

Alright, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration. I haven't weighed them, but surely they're less than 10 lbs.

 

[GHBWNY]

I only meant to point out that... folks (like me) who swear by glass carboys are not simply misinformed, reckless idiots...

I sometimes use a glass carboy and I don't consider myself misinformed or reckless. I just don't like that it is big, heavy, cumbersome, harder to carry, slippery, breakable, harder to clean, vulnerable to my fluorescent lights, liable to draw blood, more expensive, non-spigotable, harder to bottle from, harder to dry-hop, sensitive to wide temperature swings, doesn't fit under my faucet easily, harder to drain upside down, harder to float a hydrometer in, harder to aerate (by my method). Other than that, I swear by it.

 

[arnobg]

Picked up a second 7.8 gallon plastic fermenting bucket (this one has no spigot) as it was a lot cheaper than glass and the guy at my LHBS recommended it over glass.

I brewed it today and it is currently fermenting with a blow off tube in a 7.8 gallon bucket at 65F in the chest freezer. Everything went smooth and it was fun, already looking at what I want to brew next!

 

[jmpreiks]

Picked up a second 7.8 gallon plastic fermenting bucket (this one has no spigot) as it was a lot cheaper than glass and the guy at my LHBS recommended it over glass.

I brewed it today and it is currently fermenting with a blow off tube in a 7.8 gallon bucket at 65F in the chest freezer. Everything went smooth and it was fun, already looking at what I want to brew next!

Nice, I hope it turns out how you hoped!