First Brew - Wheat - How Long To Condition?

[fnaah]

Hallo!

After receiving a Coppertun kit for xmas (with an ESB bavarian wheat 3kg can instead of the default kit ingredients), i spent most of my holidays reading a mind-bogglingly large amount of often-contradictory information about this whole crazy homebrew scene, and I've got to say, I'm fascinated. It's all so sciency, and at the end of the day, there is (hopefully) tasty, tasty beer.

So, after confusing myself sufficiently with lots of different information, I plunged ahead and got the fermentation running. I was happy that the next day, the airlock seemed to be bubbling away nicely, so I figure I got it mostly right. I left it go for twelve days at roughly 22deg which I understand is slightly high (next investment will be a temp mate), I then took a gravity reading (1.01), decided it was finished (bubling had stopped 5 days previously), tasted the result (surprisingly good!) and added the finings before cold crashing the fermenter for another three days. (Yes, I know. Should have taken multiple gravity readings over several days, but I figured with the slightly high fermentation temp and the length of primary fermentation, I was pretty safe. Also, the timing fit nicely with Aus day [when i added the finings and started the cold crash] and bottling yesterday.)

Bottling into the 750ml PET bottles was relatively straight forward (using carb drops), although the mate who helped me insisted that we add an extra drop to two bottles. "For science". I told him he can clean it up when it explodes. I placed those two in a bucket to condition, separate from the rest. They haven't expoded *yet*...

I am slightly confused about the length of time to condition though - from what I can gather, the "standard wisdom" is forget about it for a month, and then start tasting, however I've seen a few people say that wheat beers are better when young, and should condition no *longer* than a month.

What say you all? Should I put one in the fridge (to stop/slow the carbonation process - is that right?) after two weeks, then another at three, and try and compare the two? Or should I just chuck half in at two and the other half at three, in case the two week option is better?

Grateful any advice, and thanks for reading.

 

[Pennywise]

I've not brewed that particular kit, but every what beer I've brewed tells me drink it young. If it's carbed, it's ready.

I only got one question, and a suggestion. What yeast did you use? And forget the airlock, it's only job is to keep shit out of the fementer

 

[fnaah]

I used the yeast that came with the ESB kit (i think my LHBS added it, possibly?) - Safbrew WB-06 (the packet says FG high, temp 15-24)

When you say "if it's carbed, it's ready" - pardon my n00bishness, but that means opening it to find out, right?

 

[gavinl]

I used the yeast that came with the ESB kit (i think my LHBS added it, possibly?) - Safbrew WB-06 (the packet says FG high, temp 15-24)

When you say "if it's carbed, it's ready" - pardon my n00bishness, but that means opening it to find out, right?

If it's in PET bottles you can gently squeeze them. If they feel like an unopened bottle of coke they are ready.

 

[fnaah]

good tip, thanks.

 

[Pennywise]

If it's been in the bottle for two weeks, and been stored at the same temp as you fermented, then it'll most likely be carbed. I say whack one or two in the fridge and see how it fairs.
Re finings, I'd leave it out of wheat beers as it's the yeast that gives it most of it's character. Apart from maybe krystalwiezens (sp?) which are very bright, but I've not a lot of experience in that department. The thing with a lot of wheat beers is the character the yeast gives diminishes over time, so once you sample it and it's good (or even better, great) and carbed, you really need to hook in. In my experiences once they hit their prime, you've got 2 weeks before it starts fading, it'll still be a good beer, but that great character the yeast gives fades, and quickly

Edit: Yep, a PET bottle will feel pretty firm once carbed. Awesome word, firm

 

[yum beer]

try one each week till its good to go then hook in.

 

[enuun]

wheat is best at young.
jus have a taste every couple of days and once you reach happiness... whack!

 

[fnaah]

Awesome, thanks for the advice. So if I test one and it's good, will refrigerating the rest help it keep longer?

 

[Pennywise]

IMO not really

 

[Pennywise]

Taste wise anyway, it'll keep beer wise though

 

[kario]

I'd be interested to see how it turned out for you. I did one of these kits last month and it turned out "interesting". Mine has/had a very strong clove finish following the fruity start....I like it!...but anyone else who has tasted it hasn't been too impressed by that strong clove finish.
I believe the clove taste comes from the yeast (or is it the hops?....or is it both?)....which yes, in line with what's been said here, is slowly diminishing/fading/blending whatever you want to call it, as the days go by.

 

[fnaah]

I'll be sure to let you all know. Only bottled it on the weekend, so I'll give it at least another week, but I'll keep checking the bottles in case it carbs up quickly in the slightly warmer weather we're having.

 

[fnaah]

hokay, so here we go:

it's a ripper!

Got it into the fridge after two and a half weeks, and i'm loving it. It's a split-personality beer: give it a gentle roll or invert the bottle for that traditional wheat cloudiness, or pour carefully for a krystalweizen-style! It's well carbed, has a distinct (and refreshing) citrus hit - but no clove. Crisp and delicious, wish we had some warmer weather to enjoy it more.

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions.

 

[fnaah]

The pic doesn't do it justice, that particular shot was of a barely-week old one - just to show the clarity. The two-week and older bottles were much more effervescent, and had a long-lasting creamy head. I've been too keen to drink it to take a decent pic! XD

 

[cdbrown]

I'd be interested to see how it turned out for you. I did one of these kits last month and it turned out "interesting". Mine has/had a very strong clove finish following the fruity start....I like it!...but anyone else who has tasted it hasn't been too impressed by that strong clove finish.
I believe the clove taste comes from the yeast (or is it the hops?....or is it both?)....which yes, in line with what's been said here, is slowly diminishing/fading/blending whatever you want to call it, as the days go by.

Clove comes from the yeast. Keeping the ferment on the cool side will promote the clove, warmer side promotes the banana.

 

[Edak]

I have a "leffe blonde" kit brewing at the moment with the same yeast, it's kept at 17.5 degC (I have a ferm fridge controlling this and a data logging system attached so it's quite consistent).

BOY that yeast really pushes ahead! Within a few hours of pitching (pitched at 22) it was going crazy and still is about 5 days later.

I will see if I get that clove taste, I couldn't really say I know what a clovey beer tastes like and I never considered leffe blonde to have this taste so hopefully its good..