Hooegarden copy - race against time

[Fallen]

I'm going to brew a Hooegarden copy (Who's in the Garden Grand Cru from Charlie Papazian's book). I haven't got Papazian's recipe here (I'm writing this when I should be working) but a similar recipe can be found on the brewuk website (http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/index.php ... honey-beer):

The yeast starter is bubbling away (Wyeast 3944 Wit Bier) and I'll be brewing tonight. I'm hoping to get the brew into bottles by next Friday before I go on holiday for 2 weeks so I'll probably need advice on what to do with it if/when it isn't ready for bottling!!

Watch this space.......I'm sure I'll be needing help!

[OldSpeckledBadger]

7 days sounds tight to me.

[Fallen]

Agreed!

I'm sure I'll be needing advice on what to do with a batch of wheat beer that's been transferred to secondary but isn't ready for bottling!!

[edit1now]

I did one which I bottled in a week

[venerablejohn]

What a spooky co-incidence. I have just finished the Boil on this very same receipe from the very same book not 30 minutes ago. Now waiting the customary 2 hours for it to cool so I can chuck in the Yeast. I'm using Brewferm Blanche yeast for Wit and Wheatbeers. So it will be interesting to see how long fermentation takes.

[mysterio]

I use the White Labs wit yeast and it is an odd, awkward yeast. I pitch a large amount of it and oxygenate well but the yeast still needs regular rousing to attenuate completely. If not it tends to undergo a vigorous secondary fermentation in the keg. Don't know if the wyeast behaves the same way or if i'm just doing something wrong! Check the gravity before you bottle.

Beer always turns out great though, great yeast.

BTW I believe thats a recipe for the Hoegaarden Grand Cru rather than the witbier.

[Fallen]

Hmm, I think you might be right mysterio. Bit of an oversight on my part, I was hoping for the witbier. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be great anyway!

Finished the boil on Friday evening around 7pm (smelled great all the way through). Cooled the wort in a 25L plastic bucket in a sink full of cold water. Took about 45 minutes to go from 40 degs to 28 degs. Lost patience and the wife was nipping at me to get finished so we could go to the pub so I pitched the 2L yeast starter at 28 degs around 7:45pm.

OG (before yeast pitching) was 1.052 at 28 degs (and extrapolating out, and if I'm calculating properly 1.056-1.058 at 16 degs?)

I set up a blow-off tube submerged in a weak VWP solution and put a brewbelt around the bucket at the 10L mark (2/3 of the way up the brew depth).

Ambient temp where the bucket is sited is ~16 degs but I haven't measured the temperature of the brew since I put the belt on. It should be around 22 degs (I'll measure tonight). The bucket's swelling significantly but there hasn't been any blow off into the VWP.

Anyone have any thoughts on whether 22 degs is the best fermentation temp or if it would give better results at lower temps? I've got a converted cellar and the ambient temp is ~13degs down there.

I'll measure SG and temp tonight and report back!!

Cheers

[mysterio]

22 is fine for that yeast

[Fallen]

Think I might be in for my best effort yet!! Tasted the fermentation after measuring the SG and it's superb already (sweet and spicy).

Temp in the FV: 24 deg

SG : 1.032 (3 days since pitching)

Plenty of foamy krausen. Gave it a good stir to move things along.

All going well, I think.

[GARYSMIFF]

2 weeks, your be fine, 23 day and mine almost gone...lol, shame we did not have hot days to enjoy it.

[venerablejohn]

Mines been fermenting 8 days now, just transferred for secondary fermentation O.G 1020

[mysterio]

Great result Fallen, keep rousing that yeast! You too VJ!

[Fallen]

Nightmare! Sorry I've gone to ground for the last 7 weeks. Went down with something nasty (suspected Piggy disease).

I couldn't do anything with the brew for about 5 weeks so I need some advice now.

I left it in the primary for 5 weeks at ~22deg. FG: 1.007. Racked into a plastic bin with 180g DME then transferred straight into bottles and left it at room temperature (~18-20deg). It's been sitting there for about 1.5-2 weeks now. There's a small but significant amount of carbonation but it's nowhere near as lively as some of my other brews. I've tried a couple of bottles over the last 2 weeks and it seems to be getting fizzier but very slowly. Tastes strongly alcoholic with strong esters.

My question is what to do next? Leave it at room temperature to allow it to carbonate more? OR, shall I transfer to the cellar and let it condition and mature. I saw a couple of posts on another forum that said hooegarden can take 4-6 months to mature. I'm not sure I can hold off that long! Anyone have any suggestions/thoughts?

Cheers

[Chase24]

Seems to me that after 5 weeks in the FV most of the active yeast has dropped to the bottom and so you've got little left to carbonate the bottles. Did it myself the other day. Apparently in these situations its best to add more yeast to the secondary before you bottle. I only ever find out after I've made the mistake
Hooegarden isn't supposed to be a fizzy beer anyway, is it? So I reckon its not worth worrying about...

[badgerdan]

Anyone used a soda stream to add fizz?