# Hefeweizen Terminal Gravity



## hockadays (28/9/10)

Hello folks,
Just probing for some thoughts on what the final gravity for a hefeweizen should be. bjcp and other guidelines are that it should be around 1.010 to 1.014 where Eric Warner says it should be from 1.015 - 1.020. The batch I just brewed slowed right down at 1.016 so I roused it by swirling the fermenter and it finished at 1.013 where I crashed chilled it as I noticed the flavor began to get a bit tart. I'm thinking that lower then 1.015 you start to get tart flavours which is similar to erdinger where if it stops at 1.015 you get creamer fuller mouth feel more like shofferhofer and fransikaner. Next time I'm thinking I'll stop at 1.015. Has anyone else noticed this. Also yeast is wyeast 3068 at 18degc 30 rule.

Hockadays


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## Fourstar (28/9/10)

3068 yeast with 67 deg mash temps

hefeweizen finished at 1.011, top cropped onto a dunkelweizen and finished at 1.012

they need to be quite dry to help the tartness shine IMO


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## Nick JD (28/9/10)

A little bit of caramel spec malts (I go hard on the melanoidin) help out with balancing that tartness - as does lowering the wheat proportion to under 50%.


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## hockadays (28/9/10)

Yes I added a bit of carabelge to the last one which is good.


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## sam (28/9/10)

The new wheat beer book by Stan has some really good numbers in it from commercial weizens. 

From memory, they are low - around 1.010 terminal gravitys. I'll post the numbers when I get home (if I remember).

The idea of 'stopping' a yeast scares me.


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## jakub76 (28/9/10)

I use the same yeast and normally ferment at 18C, finishing at 20C. Mine finish 1.012-1.013. I always use a little bit of crystal (<200g) and have been using some munich. I've not had any tartness from my all grain Hefeweizens though I did get some when I used extract and a different yeast.

PS: I tried using a bit of melanoidin malt and hated it - nothing like decoction character. I always keep the wheat between 50-65%.


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## sam (29/9/10)

Remembered:

Beer;OG;FG;Attenuation
Franziskaner Hefeweissbier;1047;1007.5;84%
Erdinger hefe-weizen;1050;1008;84%
Schneider weisse original;1052;1011;79%
Paulaner hefe-weissbier;1051;1009;82%
Source: brewing with wheat, hieronymus

Drryyyyyy.........


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## hockadays (29/9/10)

Thats interesting indeed. When I say tart in my hefe it's not to much tartness but balanced and I know this is to style it's just that the information in Eric warners book it quite different. A beer that finishes at 1.010 to 1.015 is quite different. I need to check that book out I think. Zwickle are you there?


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## warra48 (29/9/10)

The best hefeweizen I ever brewed started at 1.051 and finished at 1.008.
It was 50/50 pils/wheat, with just 100 gr carahell added.
It had plenty of body, delicious clean balanced weizen flavour, balanced towards clove with hints of banana.

The next two I brewed finished at 1.006 and 1.008.


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