When to bottle: Wheat?

[Levers101]

I'm brewing Dude's Boulevard Wheat clone this weekend. My only question is:

When, in everyone's experience, is the best time to bottle a wheat? Should I do it straight from my primary vessel after I'm sure all attenuation is done? Or should I do a short secondary? I definitely want the characteristic wheat yeast in my beer, which was a problem in my first wheat because I had it in secondary too long (2 weeks) and everything settled out. Thanks!

 

[BarleyWater]

I'm wondering that myself. Been fermenting my weiste..., wiehesteph..., (whatever the hell it's called) hefewiesen for 16 days now and it's bubbling about once every 1.5 - 2 minutes.

From what I've been told, just a primary should be fine for a wheat, so that's what I've been doing. Besides, just a few weeks shouldn't be long enough to cause any off flavors.

Anyway, feels like mine's getting close, and I don't want it to settle out too much so I can have those tasty yeasties (sounds kinda wierd to say tasty yeasties), but I also don't want to bottle too early.

 

[BarleyWater]

Also been using my secondary(carboy) as my primary(single-dary?). I prefer the glass to the plastic, and I get to watch everything that's going on, some pretty cool stuff in there.

 

[homebrewer_99]

IMO, Hefe Weizens are the most simplest and enjoyable beers on the planet to brew and drink. I've been drinking them since Feb '75 (my first tour in Germany lasted 4 years) and brewing them since '94 (when I started HBing).

You can use a primary only if you want to try to maintain some of the cloudiness or rack to the secondary for more clarity.

The number of days in each is up to you. It's just so flexible.

Here's what's NOT flexible: You shouldn't bottle before it reaches its intended FG per the range of the amount of malt used and the attentuation of the yeast.

Too simple, huh?

 

[redpale]

Also been using my secondary(carboy) as my primary(single-dary?).

first-ary, maybe?

 

[homebrewer_99]

first-ary, maybe?

Primary, secondary, tertiary...

 

[redpale]

Primary, secondary, tertiary...

yeah, I know: first-ary, second-ary and third-ary does sound a bit plebeian, huh?

 

[homebrewer_99]

yeah, I know: first-ary, second-ary and third-ary does sound a bit plebeian, huh?

...if you have to ask...

 

[redpale]

I think I've just severely threatened any chance of, or aspirations of, EAC status...sigh

 

[homebrewer_99]

I think I've just severely threatened any chance of, or aspirations of, EAC status...sigh

I wouldn't worry much about it...sometimes those things are forgotten about in a really short time...something to do with killing brain cells or something like that...

 

[Levers101]

Thanks for the advice. I agree, HB99, my whole reason for brewing a wheat now was that I've been busy, but wanted to brew as my stock is getting low and figured a wheat was a low input as far as total time in racking, and bottling and fussing, etc. I have a hydrometer and normally use it when I think things are looking close to done. But now I have a problem due to not making a starter as I have the big Wyeast activator and have had good luck with them when I use them, as far as quick starts. I beat the daylights out of the packet as I normally do, but apparently the inner packet didn't break in doing this, so when I went to pitch nothing much had happened. Not a big deal, but I'm thinking I'm going to need to bring my fermentation bucket into bed with me tonight as this 10 degree Iowa whether has our apartment at about 64 deg F.

On a side note, quite a cold streak we have going here in Iowa... We're supposed to get a couple days of ~20 degree weather and another snow storm and more 10 degree weather. Quite the contrast to the December and early January we had. I hate to turn the heat up for yeast, but it may have to be done!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Uh, I'm right across the river...I know how cold it is...

 

[BarleyWater]

I'm afraid that I can't share in your delima on that one. Brewing in Texas has some definate plusses in the winter, supposed to be 70 tomorrow. Of course a bath is a must in the summer.

 

[homebrewer_99]

...a bath is a must in the summer.

We've been trying to tell you Texans that for years...WHEW!!!