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Hi,

I recently bottled another batch of weisse beer but this time around things did not go to plan, or rather not taste to plan.
Not sure what went wrong but a few things was adjusted unfortunately. All my previous batches came out beautifully.

First the brew batch was increased from 23litres (6gallons) to 35 litres (9 gallons) All ingredients were adjusted to 1.5 times accordingly.
Second, due to the size of the batch and my cooling capabilities, I let the wort cool down in atmospheric conditions. It was around freezing (32F) outside so in the entrance hall it was about 10degreesC (50F). It cooled down over 16hours or so after which I decanted to fermenter.
During decanting to fermenter some of the residual yeast and hops found its way through the filter, about half a cup's worth in the entire batch. I thought this would just settle to the bottom and would not make a difference.

Due to the size of the kettle and wort it took very long to reach each temperature target but I do not know how this will impact taste and what temperatures are more important than the other.

malts
Wheatmalt 3.75kg (8.25pounds)
PIlsner malt 2.25kg (5 pounds)
Crystal malt 0.3kg( 0.7 pounds)
lubelski hops

Procedure
Add crushed malts to 18l water at 47˚C (116F)
Mashed for 15 min at 46˚C,
Heated up to 63˚C and kept 25min. Took about 30min to reach 63C (145F)
Heated up to 72˚C and kept 40min. Took about 15min to reach 72C (160F)
Heated up to 78˚C for mash out, kept 5min (172F)
Sparge with 24L of water at 78°C. Took about 45min to get it to boiling temp.
Boil time: 60 minutes
Added 40g of Lubelski hop pellet. Added 10g hops just before end of boil.
Fermented between around 21°C for 21 days .A little too long but I was away from home and couldn't bottle earlier.
Added 6.5g of glucose (powdered sugar this time as I did not have glucose anymore) per liter of beer.
Bottled and left for 14 days before first opening.

Hope someone can identify a culprit. The beer is rather flat, some off tastes but very little and drinkable.
 
I have no experience using powdered sugar for priming but it sounds like it may just need a bit more time. What temperature are the bottles sitting at? They will condition slower at lower ambient temps.

How long did you have the bottle in the fridge before you cracked it open? The yeast work faster warm but CO² dissolves into solution better at cooler temps. I know I have opened bottles right at the two weeks + 8 hours in the fridge and I got a really good hiss as I opened the bottle but the actual beer was mostly flat, most of the CO² was in the neck and I let it all out.

I try to brew enough beer that I can let it bottle condition two weeks and then spend a week or two in the fridge. I hope that helps!
 
I have no experience using powdered sugar for priming but it sounds like it may just need a bit more time. What temperature are the bottles sitting at? They will condition slower at lower ambient temps.

How long did you have the bottle in the fridge before you cracked it open? The yeast work faster warm but CO² dissolves into solution better at cooler temps. I know I have opened bottles right at the two weeks + 8 hours in the fridge and I got a really good hiss as I opened the bottle but the actual beer was mostly flat, most of the CO² was in the neck and I let it all out.

I try to brew enough beer that I can let it bottle condition two weeks and then spend a week or two in the fridge. I hope that helps!
Hi there,

The bottles are sitting in similar temperature as the fermenter at around 20degrees Celcius. I usually only put the beer in a day before I intend to drink. I have lots so I will let it sit and hope it gets better. The beer itself is not flat but the lid does not pop like it usually does when I open it. Also the head disappears rather quickly after pouring. Never happened before.
 
In my opinion, I'd point the finger at the powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is granulated sugar that's been milled with corn starch. I'm not familiar with corn starch in beer but from what I've read, it can lead to off flavors.

I am a bit confused by your process. You said after cooling, you decanted to fermenter but "...During decanting to fermenter some of the residual yeast and hops found its way through the filter, about half a cup's worth in the entire batch."

How did you have yeast in wort that just finished cooling and you just put into the fermenter?
 
In my opinion, I'd point the finger at the powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is granulated sugar that's been milled with corn starch. I'm not familiar with corn starch in beer but from what I've read, it can lead to off flavors.

I am a bit confused by your process. You said after cooling, you decanted to fermenter but "...During decanting to fermenter some of the residual yeast and hops found its way through the filter, about half a cup's worth in the entire batch."

How did you have yeast in wort that just finished cooling and you just put into the fermenter?
Hi yes sorry not yeast. I meant hops and malt, or whatever the technical term is. Well spotted :)
 
What sort of CO2 level were you targetting?
I bottled a hefeweizen last week and the 2 plastic PET test bottles were firm within 24 hrs.

I was aiming for 3.5 CO2 so added what works out to 12g per litre of dextrose (would be around 10g if using table sugar). Your figure sounds on the light side?
 
What kind of off flavor are you tasting? Can you describe it?

Long lag time (time from the end of the boil until you pitch yeast) is not best practice. Ideally you want to use some kind of chiller and cool quickly and get yeast pitched and established. Long lag times and long cooling times can allow bacteria or other unwanted critters to get in and get set up before your yeast does.

I’m not familiar with lubelski hops. I had to look that one up. Says its a lower alpha acid hop, about 5% range. 40g is a little less than an ounce and a half (forgive me, I’m an American and most of us just don’t do grams) which is hardly any hops for a 9 gallon batch. Looks like about 5% AA, around an ounce in the boil and about 1/3 ounce at the end of the boil. In 9 gallons. Did you use any software for this recipe to determine bitterness or ibus? Have you made this recipe before? Just doesn’t seem like enough hops, even for a wheat beer. I’d expect that beer to taste sweet.

As Rob2010ss said, powdered sugar contains some corn starch or other agent.
“Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, 10X sugar or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent such as corn starch, potato starch or tricalcium phosphate to absorb moisture, prevent clumping and improve flow.” I don’t think 2-5% is enough to cause a problem. Maybe just that it reduces your total sugar weight by 2-5% which is not a whole lot.
It also doesn’t say anything about the yeast you used. 21 days in primary is on the long side. Much of the yeast could have settled out.

As others said, I’d give it more time and see.
 
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