Hefeweizen temp?!

[David20Hersch]

Just brewed a Hefeweizen! First AG batch!!

Started to ferment in a room of ambient temp of 68. The liquid crystal strip read 75!! Way to high and the banana aroma was too much for my liking. I read that 62 f is the ideal temp to get the best balance of crispness, banana and clove. I moved it to my basement which ranges from 59-63 f and it stopped bubbling for the most part! Did I shock the yeast? Somebody help! Now the liquid crystal strip reads 68 on the fermenter. Should I move it to the warmer temp????

 

[David20Hersch]

I forgot to mention that it fermented in the warmer temp for about 20 hours before I moved it.

Is 59 too low??

 

[orangehero]

It's prolly done. Measure the S.G. Flavors are made within the first 48-72 hours. If you could already smell the banana it was too late.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

It's prolly done. Measure the S.G. Flavors are made within the first 48-72 hours. If you could already smell the banana it was too late.

Agree with above diagnosis. Next time, I'd try to keep the temperature below 70f for a Hefe... Personally I like 65-67* for my hefe's... Too low and I don't get any banana aroma from it, clove is more pronounced for me at the lower temperatures. Also don't go by ambient temperature... Go by wort/beer temp... I have a taped on temperature probe that controlls my fermentation fridge and I set it and forget it.

 

[TheHappyHopper]

The batch is ruined, please send to me for proper disposal.


You will be fine. Yeast can give off some pretty strong aromas while fermentation is going on, I don't think it is a direct indication of how strong the banana flavors will be in the final product. If it ends up too banana-y for you after it is all done, let it sit in the bottles a while longer and it may mellow out. If not, then you know what to change for next time.

 

[dobe12]

Agreeing with the others here. Nothing you can do now, but let it ride and drink it. The flavors imparted by yeast and fermentation are created in the first 24-72hrs. Definitely shoot for the mid 60's (66-68F) for the flavor you are looking for. Low 60's is going in the other direction.

The best Hefe I ever made was when I experimented with fermentation temps using Wyeast 3068. I split the batch into two 3gal fermentors. Fermented 1/2 at 60F and the other 1/2 at 70F. I bottled some of each and blended some of each. The blended version was by far the favorite from a group of taste testers.

 

[David20Hersch]

Yea but if stopped bubbling in the cooler temp does it mean that it stopped fermenting? Only moved it after 22 hours after pitching the yeast.

 

[Cake]

What type of yeast are you using? That depends quite a bit on temperature, if you were at 75 the yeast most likely took off and attenuated fairly quickly, depending on your OG and FG readings. 68 is the ideal temperature (for ales, even a bit lower actually still), I would keep your carboys in that area from now on

 

[dk21]

It's possible that it's finished. One of the members of my home brew club does a three day hefe (from brew day to glass in three days). It's also possible that moving it to the cooler area made the yeast go dormant, though, it would take a while for a batch of beer to cool, particularly if it's actively fermenting. Take a gravity reading. If it's in the expected final gravity range for a hefe, you're good.

 

[David20Hersch]

Should I just throw it out?! It smells of super ripe bananas which is a real disappointment because I wanted a balanced clove favour. Would it be worth it to start over? Or is there some how still hope

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Have you tasted it yet or taken a gravity reading?
I would hold off till you have gotten to that point. Shouldnt be throwing anything out until you have your numbers and flavors.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Give that little fella a chance!
I had a similar issue with a hefe I recently made. I used a yeast I wasn't too familiar with. It was sending out all sorts of undesirable smells, and was pretty disappointing when I tasted it while taking a gravity reading. Had a huge temp swing in my area and really thought I'd biffed the batch.

Fast forward 3 weeks cold-conditioning and carbing in my keezer and it's one of my favorite brews. Some brews just need some time