Frank, I need to check what my numbers were. Off the top of my head I believe my ABV was 14%. I don’t recall what OG was.
Random newb question: After the fairly consistent fermentation gases yesterday, today at approx. hour 64 there’s 3 bubbles of gas leaving the air lock, at least when I sat and watched for 60 seconds. I’m assuming that for this style of beer (German Hefeweizen) it’s normal?
Thanks again,
14ABV…is that right??? as far as your hefeweizen fermentation after 2.5 days, no its not right not to have Co2 still being produced and coming out of your airlock. i’d check that airlock for junk plugging it.
edit: perhaps you have an unseated lid leaking C02 and stopping airlock activity.
Ok, I have a couple observations and/or recommendations…
I’m not thinking that you have a 14% beer. You need the OG and the FG to figure that out. I use this formula (OG-FG) X 131 = ABV. For example (1.060-1.012) X 131 = 6.3% ABV.
With that being said, I would expect your OG and ultimately your ABV to be a bit higher than your targets for this kit. It looks like that you are using a 6 gallon better bottle (nothing wrong with them). It appears that your volume is low. The 5 gallon mark in those is about 1/3 of the way up the top bevel. So, you ended up at least 1/2 gallon on the volume. This will push your OG up because you have made your sugars more concentrated. Since this is a partial boil extract, you would simply top it off with water next time.
Now this volume shortage will have an impact on your priming sugar amount. You won’t want to calculate how much to use based on 5 gallons of beer, but instead for 4.25-4.5 gallons.
I’m going to agree with the above post… Your fermentation is not complete. You might have a bad seal somewhere. Let is go. I’d leave that beer on the yeast for a few weeks.
Don’t take these suggestions the wrong way. I’m pretty sure that I went these same growing pains with my extract kits, so I’m just trying to help you iron yours out through experience. My first was a Dunkelweizen. It ended up being about 8% ABV because I undershot my volume by a gallon. I followed the instructions to a T, but you will learn your system and learn to improvise quickly.
But guess what?! You just made beer! It will be good! And you’ve just increased your awesomeness by at least 15%!
The co2 output didn’t completely stop. It just slowed considerably from yesterday. As of this AM I was seeing 3-4 bubbles per minute.
I’m a photographer so I am happy to receive any constructive criticism! In the pot I had 3.5 gallons of wort when things cooled down. I poured this through my strainer / funnel into the carboy. Then I added 1.5 gallons of cold water. I figured this totals 5 gallons if the pot and my measurements were correct.
FWIW, here’s the recipe I’m using:
Good Brewer Hefeweizen
The Good Brewer, Livermore, California
5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains; OG = 1.061 FG = 1.015; IBU = 16 SRM = 5+ ABV = 5.9%
Ingredients:
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Briess wheat dried malt extract
12 oz. (.34 g) wheat malt
4.0 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (10 °L)
4.0 oz. (113 g) CaraPils® malt
4.0 oz. (113 g) flaked wheat
3.0 AAU crystal hops (60 mins) (1.0 oz./28g of 3% alpha acids)
2.25 AAU crystal hops (20 mins) (0.75 oz./21 g of 3% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Czech Saaz pellets (0 mins)
2 tsp. Irish moss
1⁄2 C. maltodextrin
2 tsp. citric acid or fresh lemon or orange
Wyeast 3068 (Weihenstephan Weizen) yeast
0.75 cups corn sugar (for priming)
1.0 oz. (28 g) heading powder (optional for extra head retention)
Step by Step:
Place all grains in a grain bag in the boil kettle. Water should be at 150–155 °F (66–68 °C). Turn off heat and steep for 30 minutes. Remove grains from kettle and slowly add wheat drid malt extract (DME) to kettle while stirring. Once DME is dissolved, return kettle to heat and bring to a boil.
Make first hop addition at beginning of boil. Total boil time is 60 minutes. With 20 minutes left, add the second crystal hops, two tsp. Irish moss, 1⁄2 C. maltodextrin and 2 tsp citric acid or fresh lemon or orange.
Make final hop addition at the end of the boil and turn off the heat. Cool wort to 70–75 °F (21–24 °C), pitch yeast and aerate well. Consider using a blow off tube as this is a pretty aggressive fermenter.
Ferment one to two weeks and rack off into secondary for an additional week. At bottling time, use 2/3 cup corn sugar, and 1 oz. (28 g) of heading powder if you want some extra head retention. Condition for three weeks and enjoy!
Thanks again for all the helpful comments. I’m here to learn and to perfect as best I can this already addicting new hobby!
I made a mark on one of my carboys 2 1/2 years ago. Maybe I miss measured then lol. Once you bottle this beer, pour 5 gallons of water in the carboy and make a mark on it for a reference point.
I wouldn’t bother with a secondary for this beer. The only time I do a secondary is when I’m adding fruit or dry hopping (which has been debated 1000 times on this forum).
What temperature are you fermenting at?
Remember, there is no exact science that you have to follow (there are certainly guidelines), so take what advice that you want to take, find out works best for you, and go with it. Everybody is on this forum for two major reasons…first is to continue learning about the craft, and second to help others with the craft. You chose the right place to be if you want to learn from very good homebrewers and communicate with super nice people. This membership was the best tool that I have purchased since I started brewing.
Another thing to consider is your assumption on volumes. You say you had 3.5 gallons in kettle at the end of boil, and then strained your wort into your fermenter. How much did the strainer keep out of the fermenter? his could account for at least part of the missing volume that fmader thought he saw. Just an observation, nothing scientific here. I have also made marks on outside of my fermenters, its very helpful and a lot more accurate than eyeballing it.
That’s a great idea on the 5 gallon mark. I’ll go ahead and do that afterward. Thank you.
Ah, that’s great news. A whole week earlier to drink the beer in the long run is great! I am a huge Belgian Lambic fan and really enjoy sour beers as well, so that’s all in the future of my home brews. I’m excited to cross that bridge when I get there.
Last I checked the temp was around 65 degrees, though I just glanced at the temp on the outside of the carboy. I’ll verify again when I get home. It’s in the pantry (no windows) and on the floor. The cooler temps from our basement are felt for the first foot or so off the pantry floor.
Again, I do appreciate all the help from you and the others here on this forum. I’m on a hundred forums for anything from muscle cars to Jeeps to motorcycles, headlights, firearms, scuba diving and more. With that said, this forum is great thus far with all the information available and the speedy replies. Thanks!
You know what, you’re absolutely correct. I had a lot of solids that were kept out of fermenter. I didn’t account for that. I need to do the fill to 5 gallons and mark. Thank you!
Cutting out the secondary doesn’t necessarily mean you’re cutting down the time. You’re just cutting out the transfer. Combine the time. Also, I think it was stated in an earlier comment… Beer ferments on it’s own schedule and not your calendar. For me to say that it should be left in the fermenter for three weeks is a general estimate. It will be done when it’s done.
65 degrees is good. I was concerned that it was colder which could have slowed fermentation.
Ah, understood now. Thanks again. I’ve seen that to be the case as well. “1-3 weeks in general”.
It is 24 outside right now here in PA. We keep the heat at 68 during the day and down to 52 at night. Not sure as to what the actual interior temps hit overnight, though. Should I consider adding some sort of blanket or something at night?
you might need a small heater in your pantry. 65 is good but if it’s at 65 and then drops to 60 or 55 later in the fermentation there is a good chance that the yeast will drop out and stall before it is done working.
24? You are experiencing a heatwave compared to the 16 here haha. Yeah, a blanket would be beneficial. As Mort, said… 65 is a solid temp to ferment at, but if it drops below 60, it could stall fermentation. I like to bring mine up to 70ish towards the end of fermentation to make sure it cleans out well.
+1. if you have small enclosed space a little space heater will do the trick.
Or water. I’ve used that for over 400 batches without a problem.
+1 Denny pragmatism generally does the trick for me.
Here’s a shot of the temp when I got home:
I have a wool sweater that no longer fits me. It’s now my fermenter sweater:
That’s a good looking sweater.
He’s so cute! Small head and no neck though!
I tried to think of something clever, but couldn’t. You win.
Thanks Steve, it reminds me if guy in waiting room in Beetlejuice!
When you’re doing partial boils, you can just freeze the top-up water ahead of time and add it directly to the hot wort in the kettle or fermenter (if you use a bucket). 1.5 gal of ice won’t quite get it down to pitching temperatures, but it should drop to ~110°F.
