Wheat Beer: More flavour needed!

[CodenameJames]

Without wanting to hi-jack this cider topic, I am wondering if this latest brew of mine is going to stop...

 

First time I've made a wheat beer, and I was told that they bubbled like crazy.

I used:

1x can of Thomas Coopers selection wheatbeer

1x kg of malt/ dextrose mix

~ 12gms Hallertau hops @ 10mins

Some yeast from the homebrew shop the guy recommended for wheatbeers

 

So after pitching into the froth at 24deg C, not much happened for the first half day or so, and then after a while it bubbled every 20sec.

I've been regulating the temp at 21deg C, and it has now had 6 days in the fermenter.

 

I've just taken a sample, smells and tastes like wheatbeer should (I'd doubt any infection) but the SG is 1032!!! Initial gravity was 1046, and by now, based on prior brews I would've expected to be somewhere around 1008-1015.

 

Any cause for concern?

It's still bubbling away about every 20secs, should I cast the yeast that came with the can?

Or just hang on, and let this good thing take its time?

[Muddy Waters]

I wouldn't worry [ninja] James. Ignore the bubbles they are about as helpful as a fart in an elevator. Trust your hydrometer.

 

Take a deep breath and give it time.

 

As a point of comparison - I've got 2 brews on at the moment (a Scotch Ale and a Centenarillo Ale). Both have been fermenting at 18C and at the 7 day mark they were at 1031 and 1032 respectively. I had a moment of panic as I'd assumed they'd be done by then (They usually take about 4-5 days with the yeast I'm using). I checked them again yesterday (day 11) and they are both down to 1010. It is weird - They seem to be mirroring each other in their slowness.

[Andris]

leave it there for another week. I know its hard to wait, especially if its your first brew.

 

from info you provided, it seems like yeast at the moment is chewing on complex sugars.

 

fermentation usually have two visible stages - first one is very rapid fermentation accompanied by formation of "kreusen" - the foamy crust on your fermenters walls, its couple days long and thats when yeast snacks on simple, easy to chew sugars. after that there might be a pause for day or so and then yeast starts eating on more complex sugars - its slower process, depending on many variables and beer types, can take weeks.

 

so, dont worry, just leave it there for week more, your beer will be perfectly safe if you have been careful enough with sanitation.

 

there is new hype on some US boards - people say that having beer in primary fermenter for up to month is actually beneficial for it and they follow it religiously saying, that if yeast is healthy enough, it will clean up the mess after active fermentation leaving you with tastier and cleaner beer.

[CodenameJames]

Thanks Muddy and Andris -sage words from experienced brewers!

 

As I'm sitting here (after a few good samples of an earlier brew) it's still bubbling away - but as noted - in the hydrometer we trust.

 

Thanks for your help guys. I'm heading away for the weekend - hence my misplaced concern about leaving it (should it finish without me). Will have a look after the weekend and feel much better now the seppos condone leaving it in the fermenter for a decent stretch.

[CodenameJames]

Alright It's been bottle aged for a couple of weeks, so is still pretty young. Hasn't turned out to be a complete disaster though - despite the very long primary fermenter time.

 

The FG didn't get all that low - I think 1018 but wouldn't budge from there for a week, so I figured that was all it was going to do.

 

So - first pour:

biggish bubbles - these will hopefully get smaller with time

Good nose - wheaty, bit fruity(but not as in infected) and some good subtle hop smells coming through

Ok to drink - bit of residual sweetness - no surprises given my FG reading.

 

BUT - really lacks strength of flavour!!!

It's not the level of ABV that I'm after, it's just a bit insipid - and I've found this with a couple of previous brews.

They just lack full flavour.

It's like you've got a beer and watered it down...

 

I've been trying to ferment down the lower end of the temperature range - 21-22deg C to stretch out the process, rather than going hard and fast.

In terms of recipes - generally I've been using a Can + 1kg of fermentables.

 

Some have suggested using 2 cans, or more fermentables to give more flavour, or possibly only filling up to the 20L mark.

 

Any suggestions appreciated!!!

[Andris]

are you talking about lack of flavor in wheat beer or general?

 

what I have noticed is that when I brew using BE1/2, beer tends to go on the "dry" end, being bit "plain" - good for certain occasions, but not really my style, so I go with the 2 cans or use weight equivalent of dry malts instead of dextrose/sugars - adds more body and that velvety feel to it

 

if yourea talking about wheat beer - mine was very drinkable about 10 days after bottling but only now, about month later (when most of the brew is gone), I noticed those orange peel and coriander flavors in it...

[CodenameJames]

are you talking about lack of flavor in wheat beer or general?

A bit of both, my beers using the stock recipes have been a bit insipid - like beer, just diluted.

 

But with respect to the wheat beer - all the nice flavours are there, just not enough of them!

 

Good suggestion on the BE1/2 - I have been using these. Is it the Maltodextrin in these that is making them dry?

[Andris]

I'm not sure, but I think that BE1/2 sorta dont add any flavor to beer, just alcohol while malts will add both.

 

try one brew you know well and like with spray malt or liquid malt instead of sugar/BE's

[Kearnage]

Andris, BE2 contains 500g light dry malt, so if malt adds flavour, so does BE2.

 

Dan

 

[PB2]

Is it the Maltodextrin in these that is making them dry?

quite the opposite, it is a complex carbohydrate, which increases the body of the beer

BE2 contains 500g light dry malt

250g of LDM

BUT - really lacks strength of flavour!!!

do you know the ratio of the malt/dextrose blend?

 

What commercial beers do you like and consider to be flavoursome?

 

[Kearnage]

BE2 contains 500g light dry malt

250g of LDM

 

That's quite amusing - I copied the 500g from a previous post that said 500g. The next post was me correcting that figure with a link. Ouch...