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Date: 23 Aug 2006 22:38:48
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Hefe is icky
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While everyone is talking hefe I figured I'd chime in and ask a few
questions. I just moved my hefe, my third brew, to the secondary. This
is from the Midwest kit:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=3478
I used the Wyeast 3068 smack pack.
This brew has been strange from the get-go. The yeast packet was
slapped on Friday and didn't expand by Saturday, I was afraid it was
dead, but the starter wort went like gangbusters and overflowed the
glass jar I was using. Should this have been a warning sign of
anything? The starter wort was 11g of DME from the hefe kit and about
a quart of water, boiled 10 min, and I added a few hop pellets.
So I made the stuff, and the OG was... 1.035. WTF?
And now, after an energetic fermentation that bubbled for days the SG
is... 1.020. WTF again! There was still a lot of krausen on top.
Should I have waited? I never actually saw either of my ales bubbling.
They were made and pitched and basically neglected for a week, but
whenever I checked I never saw bubbles. But this stuff kept going and
going, whenever I checked it.
Also the krausen included some black nasty crap that gathered around the
sides of the head. Didn't see this in either of my ale brews. What the
hell is it? I'm glad I'm using a pail, it would have been a bitch to
clean off the inside of a bottle.
I didn't taste any but it didn't smell like I expected. Not like clove
or bananas. It didn't smell good at all, really.
What would be a good name for a wheat beer hopped like an IPA? Cowboys
and Indians? Is there such a thing?
If anyone cares or is keeping track of me, my Irish red has all been
greedily consumed and my second ale has just been bottled.
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 14:55:04
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:38:48 -0700, <dmille15@hotmail.com > wrote:
> While everyone is talking hefe I figured I'd chime in and ask a few
> questions. I just moved my hefe, my third brew, to the secondary. This
> is from the Midwest kit:
> http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=3478
> I used the Wyeast 3068 smack pack.
>
> This brew has been strange from the get-go. The yeast packet was
> slapped on Friday and didn't expand by Saturday, I was afraid it was
> dead, but the starter wort went like gangbusters and overflowed the
> glass jar I was using. Should this have been a warning sign of
> anything? The starter wort was 11g of DME from the hefe kit and about
> a quart of water, boiled 10 min, and I added a few hop pellets.
Maybe, but it's probably nothing to worry about. The smack pack not swelling
in one day is no big deal, sometimes they can take a few days. The starter
overflowing is a little strange, usually starters are pretty calm. However,
it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad.
> So I made the stuff, and the OG was... 1.035. WTF?
I'm guessing you did a partial boil, topped off the fermenter with water
and then took your sample for the gravity reading from the top of the wort?
Lots of people get confused by this, it's no big deal though. The top
off water and the boiled wort don't mix very well. Usually what happens
is that the heavy sugars sink to the bottom of your fermenter and the
water sits on top. It screws up your OG reading, but doesn't really hurt
anything. As long as you made the recipe as it was listed on the website
and did a 5 gallon batch size, you should have had an OG somewhere around
1.052 or a little higher.
> And now, after an energetic fermentation that bubbled for days the SG
> is... 1.020. WTF again! There was still a lot of krausen on top.
> Should I have waited? I never actually saw either of my ales bubbling.
> They were made and pitched and basically neglected for a week, but
> whenever I checked I never saw bubbles. But this stuff kept going and
> going, whenever I checked it.
Assuming that the OG really was around 1.052, then 1.052 - 1.020 is 61%
attenuation. That's a pretty good start, but I doubt that it is completely
finished yet. I'd leave it alone in the secondary for awhile and check
the gravity again. I bet it'll have dropped some more in the secondary.
> Also the krausen included some black nasty crap that gathered around the
> sides of the head. Didn't see this in either of my ale brews. What the
> hell is it? I'm glad I'm using a pail, it would have been a bitch to
> clean off the inside of a bottle.
Gunk in the krausen is usually not anything to worry about. Usually it's just
trub, hop residue, yeast, etc that gets caught up in the foam. It can look
nasty sometimes, but shouldn't hurt anything.
> I didn't taste any but it didn't smell like I expected. Not like clove
> or bananas. It didn't smell good at all, really.
Give it some time. The taste/aroma of a beer while it is still fermenting
can sometimes be misleading. Let it finish before you make any decisions
on how it came out.
> What would be a good name for a wheat beer hopped like an IPA? Cowboys
> and Indians? Is there such a thing?
IWA (India Wheat Ale)? I don't generally give beers unique names until
I've made a recipe a few times and decide to add it to my regular rotation.
Until then I usually just call them by style, etc.
John.
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 07:03:26
From: Ryan Case
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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For my tastes you really didn't have to go past the subject line.
Yep, Hefe IS icky!
Ryan
LOL
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 03:43:04
From: GeoffT
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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It is a strangely behaving yeast. I've got a wit yeast in a 2L starter
at the moment and it overflowed my gallon starter jar, I think the wit
strain is closely related to the hefe strain.
One think I noticed about White Labs hefe yeast (WLP300?), is that it
took 3 or 4 weeks to ferment out in the primary, which seems like
abnormally long for an ale.
Give it time, and don't taste it too early. The last hefe I did tasted
rancid after a week in the bottle then amazing after another week. I
can't speak for your kit though, I followed a simple all-grain recipe.
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 07:29:09
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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GeoffT wrote:
> It is a strangely behaving yeast. I've got a wit yeast in a 2L starter
> at the moment and it overflowed my gallon starter jar, I think the wit
> strain is closely related to the hefe strain.
I think I just jumped the gun. It made some more krausen last night.
I'll wait for it to fall this time, then rack again.
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 07:53:15
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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Lefty Skywalker wrote:
> GeoffT wrote:
>> It is a strangely behaving yeast. I've got a wit yeast in a 2L starter
>> at the moment and it overflowed my gallon starter jar, I think the wit
>> strain is closely related to the hefe strain.
>
> I think I just jumped the gun. It made some more krausen last night.
> I'll wait for it to fall this time, then rack again.
Which raises the next question - have I lost anything by not letting the
krausen fall and racking the beer out form under it?
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 17:29:01
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 07:53:15 -0700, <dmille15@hotmail.com > wrote:
> Lefty Skywalker wrote:
>> GeoffT wrote:
>>> It is a strangely behaving yeast. I've got a wit yeast in a 2L starter
>>> at the moment and it overflowed my gallon starter jar, I think the wit
>>> strain is closely related to the hefe strain.
>>
>> I think I just jumped the gun. It made some more krausen last night.
>> I'll wait for it to fall this time, then rack again.
>
> Which raises the next question - have I lost anything by not letting the
> krausen fall and racking the beer out form under it?
Not at all. The whole "when do I rack to secondary thing" is pretty much
up to you. There is no set rule that says it is better to rack at any
specific time. Generally I like to let the krausen fall before racking,
but that's mainly so that I don't have to worry about more krausen being
created in the smaller secondary container and overflowing.
John.
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Date: 23 Aug 2006 22:41:45
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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Lefty Skywalker wrote:
> The starter wort was 11g of DME from the hefe kit...
100g I should say.
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 28 Aug 2006 22:36:01
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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This thing is STILL perking more than a week after brewing. I don't get
it, all my ales did all their primary stuff in a few days.
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 14:09:30
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:36:01 -0700, <dmille15@hotmail.com > wrote:
> This thing is STILL perking more than a week after brewing. I don't get
> it, all my ales did all their primary stuff in a few days.
Some beers are just different, let it work at it's own pace. There are
lots of factors that go into determining how long the primary fermentation
will last (OG, type of yeast, temp, pitching rate, aeration, etc) Also,
don't pay too much attention to whether or not the airlock is perking. The
bubbles in the airlock don't really mean anything. Have you taken a SG
reading recently?
I don't remember if you mentioned it before (I tend to get threads confused
sometimes)... are you planning on racking to a secondary next, or bottling?
If you're going to a secondary, then you can pretty much do that whenever
you want to. You don't have to wait for activity to stop. However, if you're
planning on bottling then you want to make sure it's done first. Use the
SG readings to tell you when fermentation is done. The airlock perking
doesn't necessarily mean that you still have fermentation, other things
can cause the airlock to perk.
John.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 18:23:48
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:36:01 -0700, <dmille15@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> This thing is STILL perking more than a week after brewing. I don't get
>> it, all my ales did all their primary stuff in a few days.
>
> Some beers are just different, let it work at it's own pace. There are
> lots of factors that go into determining how long the primary fermentation
> will last (OG, type of yeast, temp, pitching rate, aeration, etc) Also,
> don't pay too much attention to whether or not the airlock is perking. The
> bubbles in the airlock don't really mean anything. Have you taken a SG
> reading recently?
>
> I don't remember if you mentioned it before (I tend to get threads confused
> sometimes)... are you planning on racking to a secondary next, or bottling?
> If you're going to a secondary, then you can pretty much do that whenever
> you want to. You don't have to wait for activity to stop. However, if you're
> planning on bottling then you want to make sure it's done first. Use the
> SG readings to tell you when fermentation is done. The airlock perking
> doesn't necessarily mean that you still have fermentation, other things
> can cause the airlock to perk.
It's at 1.01 and the last of the krausen just fell from me shaking it
around as I moved it to take the reading. But it's still perking.
Reading was about 1.01 and the stuff seems a bit sweet still.
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 14:33:33
From: Gerard Eberlein
Subject: Re: Hefe is icky
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"Lefty Skywalker" <dmille15@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:44f3d1d3$0$97238$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net...
> This thing is STILL perking more than a week after brewing. I don't get
> it, all my ales did all their primary stuff in a few days.
>
> --
> Daniel O. Miller
I used to question activity as well. Thanx to the advanced brewers here on
the group I now rely on "The Force" (hydrometer). 3 days with no SG change
and I bottle, unless I dry hop or clarify more. Trust in The Force :)
Gerard
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