Wheatbeer fermentation time....

knickerbocker

Put on a Wheatbeer for the first time a month ago, this being my 4th brew to date.

Initial fermentation was a very active affair compared to the pale ale's I've done to date, and after 2 weeks I transfered the brew to a clean fermentation bucket, but to my surprise after another 2.5 weeks (17 days), the fermentation continues, albiet at a much slower pace, bubble through the airlock approx. every 4 min.
Is this normal for a wheatbeer? ... a month fermenting!
Should I move the fermenter to a cold area to kill off the yeast and then bottle? or leave it be?
Gravity reading is stable at 1.006 (5 days)

Any advice welcome.
Thanks.

mayto

I would bottle that as bubbling just c02 coming out of suspension at this stage. Wheat beers are meant to be cloudy so moving to a second fermenter to clear further is not necessary.

knickerbocker

Cheers mayto.
Decided to bottle tonight anyway, as I'll be away for the next 10 days.
Only transfered to second fermentor to get rid of any dead yeast. Had a sip of it a few minutes ago and am pleased with the taste. Will be looking forward to having a bottle in a month or two.

WallsToTheBall

Always go by the hydrometer reading, if it gets reasonably low (as suggest by the kit instructions/online reviews) and gives the same reading 3 days in a row then it is done.

Also, Your wheat beer will probably be great to drink a lot sooner than in a month or two, as the yeasties have already cleaned up a lot of their by-products by leaving it in the fermenter so long, I would think they will be grand once they have had a week or two to carbonate in bottle.

knickerbocker

WallsToTheBall wrote: »

Always go by the hydrometer reading, if it gets reasonably low (as suggest by the kit instructions/online reviews) and gives the same reading 3 days in a row then it is done.

Also, Your wheat beer will probably be great to drink a lot sooner than in a month or two, as the yeasties have already cleaned up a lot of their by-products by leaving it in the fermenter so long, I would think they will be grand once they have had a week or two to carbonate in bottle.

I like the sound of that!!!!!!

fobster

Yep, wheat beers are great. 2 weeks in the bucket + 2 weeks in the bottle and you're good to go!

thelaoislad

Good to learn that bout the wheat beers ..had no idea they came good that quick .
I m due to try a new brew soon , so I might give that one a go ..
I assume Coopers do a kit ?
would someone advise a diff kit ?
Any advice on the additives , 1 Kg BE/ SPRAY MALT or should I try the LME for a change..
Any point adding 2-300 gr Brewing sugar as an extra , read that on some site at wend

WallsToTheBall

HomeBrewWest have their own line of kits (made in Barna), my friend tried their wheat and said is a damn good kit and is loving the resulting beer. They are all all-LME kits, ready hopped with additional dry-hopping hops (some of their kits have a small additional bag of Dextrose but I think that might just be the stronger ones like their IPA) so no need for any additions other than what comes with the kit, they are a bit on the pricey side, but probably near enough what you would pay for kit+LME/spraymalt. I reckon from my experience they are fresher and tastier than cans like Coopers, probably as a result of not travelling half-way around the globe XD

ian_m

knickerbocker wrote: »

Gravity reading is stable at 1.006 (5 days)

You did well to get it that low. I'm no master brewer but mine never get down that low.

WallsToTheBall

Well not to burst any bubbles but it more likely comes down to the attenuation of the particular yeast strain used and the amount sugars that are actually fermentable in the brew. For instance my last EvilDog IPA went from 1.065 to a crazy 1.004, that is a good example of a high-attenuation yeast coupled with what would appear to be consisting of almost completely fermentable sugars. The polar opposite of this situation would be the batch I just finished brewing of Woodfordes Wherry that started at 1.042 & I was lucky to not fully stall at 1.020 (as Munton's and Coopers kits seem to do...) and got it down to 1.013, tis a lovely brew but going to have to drink a bucket of them to get anywhere near buzzed!

ian_m

Just looking back on my notes and all of my wheats end up with an FG in the 1014range.

thelaoislad

so is the best advice not to use the yeast that comes with the kits , and buy a Danstar or SA04 seperately .. Sorry , i',m not too knowledgeable on yeast strains for specific beers, they're the only 2 I can think of .. I think danstar is more for a stout as well
My last brew of a Muntons Yorkshire bitter didnt go below 1013-4 fg , from a start of 1042..
It actually tastes good , and people have asked for some more bottle of it , but def is lacking that kick that you want ..
So try a diff yeast ?

knickerbocker

ian_m wrote: »

You did well to get it that low. I'm no master brewer but mine never get down that low.

ian_m wrote: »

Just looking back on my notes and all of my wheats end up with an FG in the 1014range.

The 2 IPA's I've done to date had FG's of 1.006 also. The 1.006 is only just in the 'Yellow' zone on my Hydrometer......... The kits say to not bottle above 1.008. Thought I was even coming in high on 1.006, but I guess not.

The wheat beer, when I bottled, was a lot clearer than I had expected, clearer than the IPA's I had done.

Carawaystick

I'd always buy yeast seperate from the kit

SCOL

I've just started brewing my first batch ( Pale Ale ) as I got a kit for christmas. Is there any shops to buy supply's. I live in Drogheda but work in North Co. Dublin

WallsToTheBall

Carawaystick wrote: »

I'd always buy yeast seperate from the kit

I have started messing about with non-standard yeasts from kits but really some kits have great yeast with them already, like BullDog kits yeast seems great to me, takes off like a rocket with no starter (seen it going in 6hrs!), never stall and brew out just fine in a timely manner. They also seem to be quite tolerant of temperature fluctuations, which I know I know, should be avoided but not really possible with current set-ups and house. Varies kit to kit I guess, I don't think I would trust Cooper's yeast again, that stuff is tardy and constantly reading about stalls!

SCOL wrote: »

Is there any shops to buy supply's. I live in Drogheda but work in North Co. Dublin

You might do well to just shop online and get stuff delivered, is only €5 delivery from homebrewwest.ie and €4 delivery from geterbrewed.ie (cheaper kits but more expensive equipment). €5 delivery charge is not that much of a blow really if you buy 3-4 kits and some extra gear every 6-8 weeks + is fast-as, maybe 2-3 days from ordering to being delivered. There is also The Mottly Brew homebrew shop in Glasnevin if you really want to physically look at stuff.

loyatemu

WallsToTheBall wrote: »

You might do well to just shop online and get stuff delivered, is only €5 delivery from homwbrewest.ie (use the code 'beoir' at checkout for 5% off)

If you're not a member of Beoir you shouldn't use the code.

Ronan|Raven

SCOL wrote: »

I've just started brewing my first batch ( Pale Ale ) as I got a kit for christmas. Is there any shops to buy supply's. I live in Drogheda but work in North Co. Dublin

Check out www.themottlybrew.ie
They are based in Glasnevin