Hefe

[jbowers]

Ok so I've just put down a fwk hefeweizen using 3068. Got the thermostat set to 21.5 in the hope of encouraging some nice (hopefully not over the top) banana flavours.

Was basically wondering about what to do after fermentation with a hefe. Normally I'd leave it in the fermenter and potentially cold crash for a week or two. Is this necessary/wanted with a hefe? Obviously no cold crashing - but after it's done fermenting should I leave it for a week to clean up or just bottle it?

 

[Nick JD]

I bottle at FG and drink as soon as she's bubbly.

 

[jbowers]

Exactly what I wanted to hear. Can't wait to get this bad boy in to my hefe glass!!!

 

[Snow]

Exactly. No settling period or conditioning - just bottle/keg as soon as it's fermented out. I usually go 7 days grain to brain.

- Snow.

 

[roller997]

Do you add more yeast before bottling?
I can't get carbonation up to its final level within two weeks. Normally by 3-4 weeks carbonation is pretty close to its peak.
With kegging (unless you naturally carbonate) I can understand the 7 day grain to brain timeframe but with natural carboation I must be doing something wrong.

Cheers

Roller

 

[Nick JD]

Do you add more yeast before bottling?
I can't get carbonation up to its final level within two weeks. Normally by 3-4 weeks carbonation is pretty close to its peak.
With kegging (unless you naturally carbonate) I can understand the 7 day grain to brain timeframe but with natural carboation I must be doing something wrong.

Cheers

Roller

If your hefe is bottled cloudy and you keep your bottles at 25C they should be carbed in under a week. I think the 7 days grain to brain is kegging.

 

[roller997]

If your hefe is bottled cloudy and you keep your bottles at 25C they should be carbed in under a week. I think the 7 days grain to brain is kegging.

I don't crash chill so pretty much all my beer is cloudy. I do however bottle after 2 weeks rather than 1 which does give the yeast a bit more chance to settle out so there is probably less yeast remaining in the brew. I have had a few instances where I have had the bottles conditioning at 25C (and higher in summer) but that hasn't finished in 1 or even 2 weeks. I get peak carbonation in 3-4 weeks and with stronger beers such as my last Hefeweizen bock (OG 1.076), it took closer to 8 weeks (albeit in spring at lower temps) to condition and the flavours are still improving at the 10 week mark.