Today's brew - Bavarian Hefeweizen

[The Mad Hatter]

Today I am brewing a Bervirian HefeWiezien. This is my first Hefe ever. I have high hopes for this brew. Please follow along and add any advice along the way. This is my third brew. Recipie follows...

3.3# Briess Barvarian Wheat malt Extract
2# Wheat Dry malt Extract
.5# Cara-Pils Malt - Crushed
1oz Hallertau Hops - 45 min.
.5oz Tettnang Hops - 1 min.
WLP300

I placed 2.0 gallons of water into my clean brew pot and brought the temp up to 165*. I bagged my Cara-Pils and steeped them for a full 30 min. I did not allow the temp over 175. This is the first time I have used steeping grains. This alone I think smells better than my entire first brew did. During the sttp, I placed my LME in a sink of warm water to make it come out of the can better. And it did!

At the end of the steep, I added in the LME first. I added it slowly and stirred it well so I did not scorch on the bottem of the pan. I then stirred in the DME, stirring all the while.

Once this was all stirred in, I then jacked up the heat to bring the wort to a boil. I did not leave the brew pot at this time. I kn ew the risk was great for a boil over. The Wort came to a boil, I plopped in the bittering hops. It surly did try to boil over, but my persistance pervailed and I dominated the boil over. I set the timer for 45 min. I watch, I wait, and I smell. The whole house smells awesome!

More to follow. Please feel free to add advice along the way....

 

[Dr Vorlauf]

Did you make a starter?

 

[The Mad Hatter]

No. My LHBS guys said that I did not have to. Should I have?

 

[killian]

I think I read some where that a hefe is a good beer to under pitch. generally making a starter is always a good idea.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I am going to have to study up and learn how to make a starter. It seems like that is the thing to do. Now....onward!

I added in the aroma hops at the last thee min. Then pulled it into the sink for a cool down. I got her chilled out to 75* and pulled a hydrometer sample. The sample as I am reading it came in at 1.040 @ about 73-75*

Once I had my sample and reading. I then stirred the wort for a full timed five minuets in hopes to get the airation done better. After that I pitched my yeast, and closed her up with a sanitized airlock.

I also followed all man law rules and cousumed the hydrometer sample. It had a nice sweetness to it, with a blend of carmel. My wife said it tasted like tea.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Now we are all closed up tight and sitting in our new brew room in the basement.

The temp is about 60* in the brew room. I was concerned that it would be to cold down there to get the fermintation. I called my LHBS where I got the kit. He told me that it will start fine down there at that temp, and that it was better to do it that way because when it does get going it will create a greatr deal of energy. It could gain as much as ten degrees and when that happens it will be in the correct tempature zone for the yeast producing a better brew that if I had kept it upstairs in the closet where it is 75*.

Please fire away with any advice that you may have. But after tasting the sample I think that this thing will rock! :rockin:

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

Watch out for a violent fermentation. You could lose your lid and have a big mess.

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

Also, 68 is a great temp for a bavarian HEfe to get both clove and banana into the beer. too cold or hot should increase one and decrease the other.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Watch out for a violent fermentation. You could lose your lid and have a big mess.

I was afraid of this as well, and I was going to buy an extra carboy whit a big blow off hose but my LHBS guys said that since I am using the taller primary just the airlock will be ok. Time will tell.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I was a bit worried to say the least about possibly having a stuck fermintation due to the fact that I did not make a starter, and the brew room is 60*. I checked it before I went to bed last night and the ale pale had dropped from 75* to 66*. Aw crap I thought. It not going to take of. Well, I got up this morning and SCORE! Fermintation had started some time last night! Its bubbling away. Not very fast yet, but bubbling just the same. Now, for my next learning project will be the proper way to make a starter. Oh, and a bit OT but I scored a fridge for fifty bucks for a keggarator for the brew room. Double score! hehehe :rockin:

 

[SteveM]

If your yeast is good and fresh, a starter is not an absolute necessity.

 

[killian]

you could wrap your bucket in a light blanket to raise the temp a couple of degrees it probably isn't necessary but it might help.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Nope. No need. I checke it before I left for work Sunday night. It was bubbling at about six seconds. I got home this morning, and is is just under a half a second for the bubbles, Its going to town pretty well. :rockin: I also checked my stickt thermometer that I have on the outside of the ale pale and its reading 66* to 68*. My wall thermometer in the brew room is coming in at 61*. Should be about on target I think.

 

[SFsorrow]

Starters are very easy. Pour some dry malt extract into some water (google for some good ratios for malt to water volume for different OG's, you want your starter to be about the same OG as your wart), boil it for 10 or so minuets (just to make sure it is super-saturated with malt extract and more sterile then before) and cool it off.
Get the wart into your container (I use half gallon growlers), pitch and let it ferment for 12 to 24 hours (it should be quick). When you are ready to use it, shake the container up to get all the yeast into a suspension (some prefer not to do this and just pour the active yeast in) and pitch that into your wart.
That Hefe looks very promising! Should be a good session brew.

 

[fishnfever]

Check here for a starter. http://www.homebrew.com/how_to/advanced_brewing.shtml#whitelabs

 

[homebrewer_99]

Just a few observations/comments. I may or may not have gotten all the details, but here goes:

You did a 2 gal boil but added all the malt, right? This will result in under utilized hop bitterness extraction which will create a sweeter brew than expected. In the future try to keep the amount of water equal to the amount of malt; e.g., 1 gal to 1 lb. This will help you maintain gravity closer to 1.040 which is better for hop bitterness extraction/utilization AND keep the density of the wort low which will reduce carmelization (burning) of the malt. Even thogh it's all dissolved scorching does take place.

You mentioned cooling the wort down, but not topping off to 5 gals or more.

HWs don't use any hops except for bittering so adding flavor/aroma hops is really a waste of hops (save them for another brew ).

A starter is always recommended (except for dry yeast) because it gives the yeast time to reproduce and reduces the lag time (the time between pitching your yeast to first activity). Doing a starter (24-48 hours prior to brewing) is actually simulating your lag time before brewing. Adding active yeast to the wort in the fermenter decreases the lag time to just hours instead of days.

Keep us informed to the brews progress.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

49 bottles of HefeWiezien. FG of 1.011. Hydro sample had a slight clove taste to it, but it was not overpowering. Should be really good in a month I think.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Sounds like you did well! Congrats!

A minor nitpick - the spelling is, "Bavarian Hefeweizen."

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I owe allot of what I have learned to you guys here on HBT. The info is priceless. Now I am off to the LHBS. I am thinking Dunkel, but we shall see what I end up with when I get home.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I know with the hefe that you do not have to do the secondary for clearing. So thats what I did. I spent 14 days in the primary and went straight to bottles. I noticed tonight that there is a great deal of sediment in the bottom of my bottles. Is this common with skiping the secondary with the hefs? I would guess its probably 3/16" in the bottom, maybe more. Is this OK?

 

[homebrewer_99]

This is the main reason why I do a secondary with my HWs.

I find a couple days in the secondary gives me a pretty clear brew. I just suck up SOME of the yeast when racking to the bottling bucket/keg to get it cloudy again.

IMO it also reduces some of the bittering yeast bite.