Hefeweizen

[Calum]

What a difference a week makes.

I "tested" a bottle of the Hefe last night and it is very nice indeed. The difference in the carbonation and the reduction in sweetness was quite dramatic. I think it will continue to improve in the bottle for quite a time but I think it is now open season. I must get another batch on fairly soon.

[Pete]

Hi Seveneer

My Hefe, 2 days after the shake, is still too high a gravity, in fact it looks nearer 1030 than the original 1026 I said. I am presuming I haven't found a magical means to convert alcohol back to sugar and I miss read it first time.

Should I repitch the same yeast back in (from a different packet)? Would that do anything?

I have shaken it again a bit more vigourously.

Pete

[Seveneer]

Hi Pete,

if you're sure the gravity hasn't come down any further I'd just keg it or bottle it. If you do this though and it does still have a high gravity you will need to check the carbonation often as you don't want any bottle-bombs.

If you have worked out how to change alcohol back to sugar then stay away from my beers

/Phil.

[chrisbooth0070]

Tried one of mine last night that I bottled Christmas Eve just to see how it was and it was completely flat??? Added a level tablespoon sugar to each pint bottle. Gonna leave it another month before I try another one.

[mysterio]

Tried one of mine last night that I bottled Christmas Eve just to see how it was and it was completely flat??? Added a level tablespoon sugar to each pint bottle. Gonna leave it another month before I try another one.

Probably not the best idea - It usually takes two or three weeks for carbonation to develop. A tablespoon of sugar per pint bottle sounds like a bomb recipe!

[chrisbooth0070]

Never had any problems before using this method. Even though it is a tablespoon, I'm not sure that it measures a tablespoon.

[Orfy]

That equate to a possible bottle bomb to me. I only ever mix priming sugar to the full brew. I've read half to one teaspoon per bottle from those who do it that way.

But Hey, if it works for you then good. (But be careful, they can explode!)

[DRB]

Can you use torriffied wheat for this recipe?

[chrisbooth0070]

Thats what I used because they didn't have any flaked wheat. Can't really advise to the taste yet though.

[Seveneer]

Should really be malted wheat but I'd be interested to hear how you get on.

/Phil.

[tubby_shaw]

Would using unmated wheat not produce a belgian style Wit beer rather than a german heffe
Both very nice beers though

[mysterio]

You'd have something closer to a Wit beer using unmalted wheat but it would still be good. The key elements in a Hefe are at least half of the grist being unmalted wheat and a Hefe yeast, the key elements in a Wit are malt, unmalted wheat, sometimes oats in the mash along with spices such as coriander and sweet/bitter orange peel in the boil along with a phenolic Wit yeast. Both are delicious but quite different.

[Seveneer]

I use malted wheat not unmalted.

/Phil.

[mysterio]

Pardon me I meant malted wheat.

[Calum]

Tried one of mine last night that I bottled Christmas Eve just to see how it was and it was completely flat??? Added a level tablespoon sugar to each pint bottle. Gonna leave it another month before I try another one.

I used the bottle priming calculator on the Tastybrew site and it came up with around 270g of sugar for 5 gallons. I eventually filled 43 pint bottles out of it which probably equates to about a tablespoon per bottle (6 or 7 grams). I was looking for the typical Hefe fizz which I have certainly acheived with this and if I can keep my hands off the stuff it will continue to improve for months to come.