How long until kegging a Belgian Wit?

[qvantamon]

So, I have a Belgian Wit on primary right now. First all-grain where I pretty much hit all my targets (aside from spilling 5 lbs of grains because my mill tipped when I was trying to crush the wheat)

Anyway... how long should I keep it on the fermenter? I don't plan on secondarying it, I'll go from the primary to the keg, and the keg will go straight into the fridge, so my primary time will pretty much be all my warm conditioning time. I've kegged and drank a couple pale ales after 2 weeks primary + 2 weeks secondary, and felt they were still a bit green... but at the same time I know the wheats are supposed to be drunk young, with the yeast still in suspension...

My plan right now is 3-4 weeks in primary... does that sound right?

 

[qvantamon]

Also, I pitched at 62 on Saturday, and let fermentation raise it to 74 (and 3 inches of krausen!). Now that fermentation is slowing down, should I let it go back into the 70F range, or keep it warm?

 

[android]

i'd just let it finish where it is temp wise, i'm sure most of the ester/phenol production has already occured.

3-4 weeks should be plenty.

 

[dunleav1]

So, I have a Belgian Wit on primary right now. First all-grain where I pretty much hit all my targets (aside from spilling 5 lbs of grains because my mill tipped when I was trying to crush the wheat)

Anyway... how long should I keep it on the fermenter? I don't plan on secondarying it, I'll go from the primary to the keg, and the keg will go straight into the fridge, so my primary time will pretty much be all my warm conditioning time. I've kegged and drank a couple pale ales after 2 weeks primary + 2 weeks secondary, and felt they were still a bit green... but at the same time I know the wheats are supposed to be drunk young, with the yeast still in suspension...

My plan right now is 3-4 weeks in primary... does that sound right?

I've turned wheats (american and belgian) around in 2 weeks from brew day plenty of times.

 

[david_42]

A week after the gravity stabilizes is plenty for a Wit. The big chunks have dropped out. Yeast and cloudiness are in style.

 

[Dilligans]

I love Belgian Wit because its so easy to get a good beer in little time. I can have a wheat beer ready to drink out of a keg in 10 days. primary 7 keg it and force carb. I make it at least once a month.. Plus the ladies love it.

 

[jason81]

Thats good to hear, i just kegged a wit yesterday after only 7 days in primary, i was a little worried it was too soon but i figured it would condition in the keg a bit while carbing. and i just wanted to get it into the keg at the same time i was kegging a pale. The only bad thing i did was when transfering to carbor i was being lazy and didnt filter the trub so im a bit worried there will be lots of hop particles in suspention with that yeast.

 

[dnslater]

Thats good to hear, i just kegged a wit yesterday after only 7 days in primary, i was a little worried it was too soon but i figured it would condition in the keg a bit while carbing. and i just wanted to get it into the keg at the same time i was kegging a pale. The only bad thing i did was when transfering to carbor i was being lazy and didnt filter the trub so im a bit worried there will be lots of hop particles in suspention with that yeast.

Wits are supposed to be cloudy so they are good early, but 7 days seems pretty quick?

 

[Yooper]

Wits are supposed to be cloudy so they are good early, but 7 days seems pretty quick?

I assume the beer would reach FG in 3-4 days, and then 3 days at FG is probably plenty. I probably would have went with 10 days, but I don't see any harm in 7 days if the beer was done by day 4.

 

[broadbill]

I've turned Belgian wits around in 10 days; its a good style to do this with since the yeast can stay in suspension.

 

[jason81]

I figured it would condition a bit wile force carbing in keg for a week or two