BIAB Weissbier (more banana, light colour)

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you might want to check out champagne or sparkling bottles, or stainless bottles, there are higher rated ones out there if you want higher carb pressures.
 
The Weihenstephaner bottles are rated slightly higher I believe - or there's champagne bottles. Grab a carton from Dan Murphy's. Or PET. I buy cheap champagne in six-packs and use these bottles.
 
Two days into the fermenter and it's bubbling like a rabid dog! jejeje
I have a 15L carboy-style fermenter with a regular airlock with just over 10L of beer and the bubbles are almost reaching the lid. Those little yeasties are devouring the sugar like crazy. They will finish eating all in 4 or 5 days in total... anyway I'll wait until saturday to take the first hydrometer measurement and I guess on sunday (1 week after brew day) I'll get the same reading.

I'm still thinking about the carbonation though. This kind of beer should be carbonated from 3.6 to 4.5vol (according to all the links posted here), but I've read the regular "long neck bottles" are only safe until 3.4vol. Most of the people have told me not to waste time, energy and take risks on that and carbonate with the measure-priming-spoon as usual, but I want to experiment and give it a go, I want them to have a little extra... however I want to be safe, I don't want to spoil my beer and the hours doing it, so what do you think? should I try 3vol? 3.2? 3.4?

For instance:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Amount Being Packaged: 0.33L
Temperature of Beer: 20º

Volumes of CO2: 3.2
CO2 in Beer: 0.86v
Table Sugar: 3.1g
Dextrose / Corn Sugar: 3.4g
DME: 4.5g

I'm using dextrose instead of table sugar this time because someone told me it's better for obtaining the banana flavour.

The bottles I have are exactly identical:
- 4 pines (very very difficult to remove the labels, damm glue)
- Lord Nelson (very easy to remove the labels)
- Feral (difficult to remove the labels, damm glue)
- Kosciuszko (difficult to remove the labels, damm glue)

I have enough of them for having 2 batches at the same time, I'm leaving australia relatively soon so I don't want to collect more... I've also read recomendations of bottles to use for this, but as I just said, I don't want to collect more.

I agree! 4 Pines labels are a pain in the arse! Feral labels I find come off with a soak in hot water and sodium perc.

As for carb rates, I just opened a weiss I made and its carbed to 3.0 vols in PET bottles. It is on the lower end of carbing for the style but its not anything bad. I was a bit hesitant to go much more as I didnt know what the bottles could take.
 
... and the OG was... 1.065 so I did the typical thing everyone say not to do: I added 1.5l of cold water directly from the tap to the blender jug and to the fermenter!

Not an issue, every kit brewer does it with the can and sugar and they largely manage to knock out infection-free beer.
 
Two days into the fermenter and it's bubbling like a rabid dog! jejeje
I have a 15L carboy-style fermenter with a regular airlock with just over 10L of beer and the bubbles are almost reaching the lid. Those little yeasties are devouring the sugar like crazy. They will finish eating all in 4 or 5 days in total... anyway I'll wait until saturday to take the first hydrometer measurement and I guess on sunday (1 week after brew day) I'll get the same reading.

I'm still thinking about the carbonation though. This kind of beer should be carbonated from 3.6 to 4.5vol (according to all the links posted here), but I've read the regular "long neck bottles" are only safe until 3.4vol. Most of the people have told me not to waste time, energy and take risks on that and carbonate with the measure-priming-spoon as usual, but I want to experiment and give it a go, I want them to have a little extra... however I want to be safe, I don't want to spoil my beer and the hours doing it, so what do you think? should I try 3vol? 3.2? 3.4?

For instance:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Amount Being Packaged: 0.33L
Temperature of Beer: 20º

Volumes of CO2: 3.2
CO2 in Beer: 0.86v
Table Sugar: 3.1g
Dextrose / Corn Sugar: 3.4g
DME: 4.5g

I'm using dextrose instead of table sugar this time because someone told me it's better for obtaining the banana flavour.

The bottles I have are exactly identical:
- 4 pines (very very difficult to remove the labels, damm glue)
- Lord Nelson (very easy to remove the labels)
- Feral (difficult to remove the labels, damm glue)
- Kosciuszko (difficult to remove the labels, damm glue)

I have enough of them for having 2 batches at the same time, I'm leaving australia relatively soon so I don't want to collect more... I've also read recomendations of bottles to use for this, but as I just said, I don't want to collect more.

Bulk prime if you can, it is much more accurate, 3 vols will be plenty but make absolutely sure fermentation is complete.
 
Bulk prime if you can, it is much more accurate, 3 vols will be plenty but make absolutely sure fermentation is complete.
Thanks. I Will do 3!
The problem is i only have one container, but you don't know my secret weapon for priming... Jejeje I'll post a picture when I do it ;)
 
Well, I'm convinced. I went with essentially 50:50 barley/wheat, and had 6% dextrose on top of this and and 6% light ME in the mash with a 25min rest at 44-45°C. 3638 was the yeast, which in my experience has been reasonably balanced with a bit more going on in the phenolics.

Pitched at 16.5°C, naturally rising to 17.5, 18.5, 19.5 each 24hrs (freezer temperature, not wort) and at 1.020 (62% attenuation) is throwing a massive amount of banana. I would call the temperatures for this yeast on the low-moderate side - certainly not up in the 20's which throws more strawberry/bubblegum - so hopefully the phenolics are still there. But has definitely done the job.
 
Well, I'm convinced. I went with essentially 50:50 barley/wheat, and had 6% dextrose on top of this and and 6% light ME in the mash with a 25min rest at 44-45°C. 3638 was the yeast, which in my experience has been reasonably balanced with a bit more going on in the phenolics.

Pitched at 16.5°C, naturally rising to 17.5, 18.5, 19.5 each 24hrs (freezer temperature, not wort) and at 1.020 (62% attenuation) is throwing a massive amount of banana. I would call the temperatures for this yeast on the low-moderate side - certainly not up in the 20's which throws more strawberry/bubblegum - so hopefully the phenolics are still there. But has definitely done the job.
Sounds great! Well done, mate.
Are you kegging or using bottles?
Keep us posted!

I will certainly bottle mine this Sunday, so 16 days more...

For my next one I plan to make a Witbier /Blanche. I will put a similar post to this one for it. They're having a lot of views.. (the 3 I've posted so far) so I guess you like them, don't you? ;)
 
Sounds great! Well done, mate.
Are you kegging or using bottles?
Keep us posted!

I will certainly bottle mine this Sunday, so 16 days more...

For my next one I plan to make a Witbier /Blanche. I will put a similar post to this one for it. They're having a lot of views.. (the 3 I've posted so far) so I guess you like them, don't you? ;)
Going to try to speise a small amount in a 5L keg, and also speise some champagne bottles. Going to use Coopers lager LME with some Halletau MF but need to decide on the yeast - may actually use 34/70, we'll see. Keen to hear what Mark thinks?
 
I am eyeballing one too!
for your consideration
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/i-need-some-advice-wb-06.62622/
and
https://byo.com/bock/item/1647-witbier-style-profile

Need to get another lager done first though.

I guess it's the wheat season... jejeje

Yes, I'm waiting for this one too, that's why I haven't posted about the witbier yet, but oh! I've been studying quite a bit! I had already read the second link but I haven't read the first one yet, I'll do.
Thank you very much for your advice. I'll put the post next week, I have it almost ready.

Going to try to speise a small amount in a 5L keg, and also speise some champagne bottles. Going to use Coopers lager LME with some Halletau MF but need to decide on the yeast - may actually use 34/70, we'll see. Keen to hear what Mark thinks?

mmmm i'm going to need a translation for this... I get you're going to keg a part of it and bottle in champagne bottles the rest, but you lost me in the second part... Coopers Lager LME, Halletau MF 34/70 yeast? I still have lots to learn...
 
Allow me
LME - light malt extract
Halletau MF - hallertau mittelfrueh I assume?
34/70 - Saflager's 34/70 Dry yeast.
Adr_0 you might need to give that wb 06 link a read too.
 
Allow me
LME - light malt extract
Halletau MF - hallertau mittelfrueh I assume?
34/70 - Saflager's 34/70 Dry yeast.
Adr_0 you might need to give that wb 06 link a read too.
Yes I think I do... Thanks
But what s the relation of those with the kegging adr was talking about?
 
I guess it's the wheat season... jejeje

Yes, I'm waiting for this one too, that's why I haven't posted about the witbier yet, but oh! I've been studying quite a bit! I had already read the second link but I haven't read the first one yet, I'll do.
Thank you very much for your advice. I'll put the post next week, I have it almost ready.



mmmm i'm going to need a translation for this... I get you're going to keg a part of it and bottle in champagne bottles the rest, but you lost me in the second part... Coopers Lager LME, Halletau MF 34/70 yeast? I still have lots to learn...
It's basically using fermenting wort to carbonate. Faster and fresher as the wort has been hopped and doesn't affect the alcohol content of the beer.

Another way to speed up carbonation is to add dextrose to a bottling bucket/fermenter and leave it for a few hours. Have to make a judgement call whether there is enough yeast to kick off again. A good sign that you have left it long enough is if there is a lot of dissolved CO2 coming out of solution when filling bottles.
 
It's basically using fermenting wort to carbonate. Faster and fresher as the wort has been hopped and doesn't affect the alcohol content of the beer.

Another way to speed up carbonation is to add dextrose to a bottling bucket/fermenter and leave it for a few hours. Have to make a judgement call whether there is enough yeast to kick off again. A good sign that you have left it long enough is if there is a lot of dissolved CO2 coming out of solution when filling bottles.
Oh! Yes! Now I see... I had read about it and totally forgot. Thanks for the explanation jejeje
That's very pro..
 
It's basically using fermenting wort to carbonate. Faster and fresher as the wort has been hopped and doesn't affect the alcohol content of the beer.

Another way to speed up carbonation is to add dextrose to a bottling bucket/fermenter and leave it for a few hours. Have to make a judgement call whether there is enough yeast to kick off again. A good sign that you have left it long enough is if there is a lot of dissolved CO2 coming out of solution when filling bottles.

Sorry
If it ferments it makes Alcohol and CO2, 1 molecule glucose makes 2 molecules of each.
Not trying to be contrary but
The longer it sits in the fermenter, the closer it gets to equilibration, so it will lose CO2 down to the natural level for any given temperature.
I would recommend a bit more reading on the subject.
Mark
 
Sorry
If it ferments it makes Alcohol and CO2, 1 molecule glucose makes 2 molecules of each.
Not trying to be contrary but
The longer it sits in the fermenter, the closer it gets to equilibration, so it will lose CO2 down to the natural level for any given temperature.
I would recommend a bit more reading on the subject.
Mark
The first point is talking about speise. If you have 23L of 1050 wort and add 2L of 1050 wort does the final alcohol % of the beer change? What happens if you have 23L of 1050 wort and add 300mL of concentrated dextrose solution, does the alcohol % change? So for using speise I would argue the alcohol % doesn't change. And yes I appreciate that when it's forming a krausen it would have dropped a few points.

The second point is talking about using dextrose in the traditional bulk priming method, but waiting a few hours (2-4) allows some mixing and the yeast to start chewing on the dextrose. For wheat beer carbonation levels I'm not sure that the attenuation over the first 2-4 hrs will be appreciable vs the 100+hrs of fermenting the rest of the way in the bottle.
 
Fair enough, it was more the relationship between it being hoped made it faster and fresher.
To a large extent Sugar is Sugar is Sugar and late in the ferment it shouldn't make much if any difference to the flavour/freshness of the beer.
Most important being to understand how much to add for a given level of carbonation, anyone interested in speising should read Braukaiser, he covers it well.
Mark
 
I've finally bottled the weissbier.
Yesterday I had 1.010 and today exactly the same, so:
OG 1.050
FG 1.010
ABV 5.25%
152.2kcal per 33cl bottle
I was low on water, so it's going to be a little strong for this kind of beer but still on the range.

I used dextrose for priming and finally did 3.0vol (3.1g per 33cl bottle) with my custom-sugar-priming-measurement-scoop.

It has a very strong banana smell! I had the beer from the hydrometer and it was ok, lots of banana going in and going out from the mouth to the nose. Full banana.

The colour is very very clear, I regret not having used some Munich, I'll definitely do it next time, I love that orange hue in weissbier.

I kept an eye on the temp while fermenting and it's been around 18° all the time with peaks of 16° and 20°

Now wait another 2 weeks... :mad: this is the worst part of making beer. Poor whiskey makers.
500cc9a74d1185593a5a5ebb8b22758c.jpg
 
About the adjustable-priming-sugar-scoop... 5ml of my particular dextrose is exactly 3.1g which is the needed quantity of it for having 3.0vol of CO2 in a 33cl bottle.
Of course it also depends 9n the amount of yeast still on the beer, but... Close enough ! Jeje
 

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