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Fermenting Heffeweizen
a couple of tips when fermenting a Heffeweizen:
First of all when brewing up a 5 gallon batch I recommend using a 6-6 1/2 gallon carboy simply because most wheat yeasts have a tendency to jump out of the beer so to speak.So having extra headspace allows a great deal of yeast to fall back into the wort rather than being blown-off through your blow-off tube.It will decrease fermentation time because you aren't blowing off that considerable amount of yeast that would otherwise contribute a quick healthy fermentation
Second they tend to have 2 peak krausen stages.1 being more bubbly containing bitter resins and proteins.The second peak is usually more gooey and sticky containing considerably more yeast than the first peak.So i recommend leaving your blow-off tube on for longer "around 5 days" or risk filling your air lock with yeast increasing chances of contamination.
I also recommend a longer fermentation rather than secondary to drop out some yeast since technically you want some yeast suspended in your finished beer "mit-heffe"german for yeast,and "weizen" for wheat
Lastly,fermenting between 65 and 68*f will produce some phenol's, a smoother spicy clove-like flavor and higher temps 68-75*f will produce ester's, a fruitier flavor reminiscent of banana's and or bubble gum "which I personally like a little of both in my heffe"
Kweifoman wrote:
a couple of tips when fermenting a Heffeweizen:
First of all when brewing up a 5 gallon batch I recommend using a 6-6 1/2 gallon carboy simply because most wheat yeasts have a tendency to jump out of the beer so to speak.So having extra headspace allows a great deal of yeast to fall back into the wort rather than being blown-off through your blow-off tube.It will decrease fermentation time because you aren't blowing off that considerable amount of yeast that would otherwise contribute a quick healthy fermentation
Second they tend to have 2 peak krausen stages.1 being more bubbly containing bitter resins and proteins.The second peak is usually more gooey and sticky containing considerably more yeast than the first peak.So i recommend leaving your blow-off tube on for longer "around 5 days" or risk filling your air lock with yeast increasing chances of contamination.
I also recommend a longer fermentation rather than secondary to drop out some yeast since technically you want some yeast suspended in your finished beer "mit-heffe"german for yeast,and "weizen" for wheat
Lastly,fermenting between 65 and 68*f will produce some phenol's, a smoother spicy clove-like flavor and higher temps 68-75*f will produce ester's, a fruitier flavor reminiscent of banana's and or bubble gum "which I personally like a little of both in my heffe"
"He was a wise man who invented beer"
-Plato-
Any particular favorites as far as yeast? I'm a big fan of the banana/bubblegum esters as well. I've been looking for a yeast that will produce higher amounts of these.
I prefer to have a nice but very moderate balance between the two yeast derived flavors. I like to ferment them a bit cooler to obtain this. Wyeast Weihenstephan 3068 is the go to.
Definitely,I prefer to use Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan wheat yeast.I typically hold wort temp at 70-75*f until fermentation starts then i bring the temp down to about 65*f and let it run it's course.I also never add finings to my heffeweizens as to not disrupt yeast suspension "I like em' cloudy".And from the descriptions I've read about this particular strain it produces the widest range of fermentation flavors such as spicy clove-like phenols and fruity banana/bubble gum-like esters
Trying to see if anyone krausens this type of beer? I plan to take a yeast sample from the primary, add that to a starter and then at high krausen add it to the secondary.
The secondary is not to clear, but to make sure I have plenty of suspended yeast at bottling. It will only take 1 day for the yeast to propagate again. Please tell me if this is not a good idea. I just love the really cloudy hefeweizens.
Couple things. I have a dunklewiezen fermenting right now. couldn't get 3068 so went with wlp 300. I used fermcap drops and it kept the krausen doen to a 2 inch krausen on the wort. I only made a 3 1/2 gallon batch in case it didn't work as I made a brown ale last week, 5 1/2 gallons in 6 gallon carboy, used the drops but they didn't keep the krausen down and it blew the airlock off. Figured out I didn't shake the bottle of fermcap enough before using it that time. shook the crap out of it before adding to dunklweisen and it worked fine. 2 drops per gallon is the amount to use.
DC
kyarmymedic wrote:
Trying to see if anyone krausens this type of beer? I plan to take a yeast sample from the primary, add that to a starter and then at high krausen add it to the secondary.
The secondary is not to clear, but to make sure I have plenty of suspended yeast at bottling. It will only take 1 day for the yeast to propagate again. Please tell me if this is not a good idea. I just love the really cloudy hefeweizens.
Do you plan on krausening to carbonate the beer? Or are you doing this for off flavor removal? If it is just to add some extra yeast for bottling, there will be a significant carryover of fermentables as well.
If doing it for carbonation purposes I believe the ratio is 1 gallon for 5 gallons of fermented beer, however I have never tried this method. Due to varying carbonation levels per style, this ratio probably varies as well, and I think there is a lot of trial and error that must be done. Typically in krausening, just straight wort is added without more yeast, the technique you describe is really just adding more yeast. I would suppose though it would replicate the same type of results. I do however think that once a good routine is established, this could be very effective.
Certainly let us know your intent as well as results.
I guess the main question i have is:
If I just bottle directly after primary fermentation is over and add 5-7oz DME fo carbonate, will I still have a lot of yeast to swirl in the bottles?
The other method i mentioned earlier was taken from more historical brewing. Basically all I want is to achieve a good hefe with lots of yeast. Thanks
kyarmymedic wrote:
I guess the main question i have is:
If I just bottle directly after primary fermentation is over and add 5-7oz DME fo carbonate, will I still have a lot of yeast to swirl in the bottles?
The other method i mentioned earlier was taken from more historical brewing. Basically all I want is to achieve a good hefe with lots of yeast. Thanks
Certainly you will have this. The profile of the strain is going to lend the hefe flavor and phenols. This strain does not flocculate all that well, and you will have plenty left to both carbonate, and swirl. After a bottle carbonates, it then conditions. This is not just the melding of flavors, but also clarifying by the yeast dropping out. In almost every profile, this is desired, leaving the "lees" behind in the bottle. The weizens will do pretty much the same thing, but rolling the bottle gently before opening stirs up and redistributes the lees, or flocced out yeast. There is no need to add more, it will be there.
And for a 5 gallon batch, I would go with the 7 oz of DME. Hefes should have a nice effervescent and crispness. If using DME make sure they are stored at at least 70 deg, and it takes longer it seems for DME to fully ferment out, I would wait at least 4 weeks before even checking.
I actually just checked the tastybrew calculator http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html (I do not usually ever bottle prime anymore) and it says a hefe should be at about 4 vols, which will require 14.5 oz of DME for proper carb level.
One word of advice, if you do go after this profile, I would use a heavy glass bottle, and make damn sure your FG is final, and there is no more fermentables left! A good way of doing this is when you are convinced ferm is done, raise the temp to a high 70s for a couple of days. If there was any fermentables left, they will finish up, if there are none the warm temp will not effect flavor anyhow.
I use and save belgian 11.2oz bottles for when I am putting a higher carbed beer in. (usually forced carb) Leffe bottles are good for this, a 6pack is only $10, and it is fun making empties! 
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