Why is my hefeweizen this color? (Pic)

[Boleslaus]

Like I said...its a strange tan color. I expected more of a pale golden orange. It is BM weizen recipe but brewed with a double decoction. It's my first weizen and my first real decoction.

At first I thought it was just a TON of yeast in suspension, but this is after a week in the kegerator and two other growlers full poured. It tastes like I expected it too and doesn't feel thick like it would if it was slurry. I figured if there was an excess of yeast in the keg it would have settled and been cleared in that first .5-1 gal right?

Any thoughts about my process that could have resulted in an odd color?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I'd still blame it on yeast. Post a bit more about the recipe, your process, and the timeline.

 

[beerandloathinginaustin]

Put the recipe in a program like BeerSmith so you can see the expected SRM.

 

[Boleslaus]

3.5 lbs soft red wheat malt
1.5 lbs pils
2 lbs wheat dme
1 lb pils dme

Double decoction (protein rest, sacc rest)

Primary for 3.5 weeks, kegged and force carbed for 1 week

Put the recipe in a program like BeerSmith so you can see the expected SRM.

Its more the hue than the color. What I see is telling me that its yeast, but I just don't know why it wouldn't settle.

 

[ISUBrew79]

I haven't brewed a Hefe myself, however I understand that Hefe yeast strains can be notoriously non-flocculent. I wouldn't be surprised if you are pulling up yeast sediment through the diptube every time you pour from the keg. Try filling a glass with the beer and put it in the fridge for a couple days, and see if you get yeast to settle out. Alternatively, you might have a starch haze, but I still think it is yeast.

 

[Boleslaus]

Its been in the fridge for just over 24 hrs and there is no sedimentation.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Can you explain your process for the double decoction?

 

[IrregularPulse]

I blame Super Grover.

 

[kcross13]

I have one in the primary that was 3lb plzen and2lb wheat which did not come out as gold as I expected either. Granted it is only one week in, I skipped the protein rest and just did sach. interested how yours comes out.

 

[Boleslaus]

Classic double decoction, 125F protein rest, 154 sacc rest, 169 mash out.

Is there any way the pH could affect something like this since I used a lot more wheat than pils?

No change in the growler in my fridge btw. Shouldn't something have settled now?

 

[Ravenshead]

"Is there any way the pH could affect something like this since I used a lot more wheat than pils?"



I think you hit it there--not because of pH but your wheat/malt ratio. I've never brewed a hefe with more than 50% wheat. My current version is almost as cloudy as yours but has a more golden color. It's about 50/50 2-row to wheat. I think your issueboils down to: Too much wheat=not enough color.

 

[Shonuff]

Is that a growler? Looks like you brewed one beer.

 

[Boleslaus]

Is that a growler? Looks like you brewed one beer.

I didn't brew it in the growler...I made 5 gal.

 

[Boleslaus]

"Is there any way the pH could affect something like this since I used a lot more wheat than pils?"



I think you hit it there--not because of pH but your wheat/malt ratio. I've never brewed a hefe with more than 50% wheat. My current version is almost as cloudy as yours but has a more golden color. It's about 50/50 2-row to wheat. I think your issueboils down to: Too much wheat=not enough color.

Is your hefe as cloudy?

 

[erikpete18]

If its not settling in the fridge, I'd be leaning towards protein chill haze. I see you did a protein rest, how long was it? Also, how quickly were you able to get to boil and cool after the boil?

I had an IPA that I brewed a while back when my IC broke, so I had to revert to ice-bath cooling. After I tossed it in the fridge I kept getting murky beers and dumping them thinking I was still pulling yeast from the keg (normally gone in half a pint). After 2-3 pints dumped, tasted it and it tasted just fine, so I figured it was just since I wasn't able to get a good cold break after boil to drop all those proteins out (could also have been polyphenols from the dry hop, but not likely in your case). It never did clear up, but since it tasted fine I didn't worry too much about it. I've not used as high a percentage of wheat as you have, but its possible.

 

[Boleslaus]

I only use the ice bath method for all my beers, but have never had protein haze. I'm able to get it down below 100 in about 10-20 minutes. Then I either mix with near frozen water to bring it to ~60 or change the ice and give it another 10. Like I said, same process I always use, no problems on brew day.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Whaddya know, a yazoo growler. I use a couple of those all the time for starters.

 

[erikpete18]

Sounds like your chilling was just fine, there goes my idea!

 

[kcross13]

I am thinking it is from the high wheat ratio.

 

[Boleslaus]

I am thinking it is from the high wheat ratio.

That's what I am starting to think too.

 

[Cellarbrau]

-Are you sure you used wheat malt and not flaked wheat? If you did you would be very enzyme scarce with only 1.5lbs. of pils malt in the mash. You need 70* lintner to fully convert a mash.

-Did you do an Iodine test?

-How were your target gravities?

 

[MaltnHops]

I say it's yeast. I made an APA with a slurry once and WAY too much yeast made it into the keg. The beer looked like that for the first 2/3 of the keg. Learned a lesson that day.

 

[Ravenshead]

Is your hefe as cloudy?

Maybe not quite as cloudy but I didn't use as much wheat either. Mine's also quite a bit darker so it's hard to compare.

 

[Boleslaus]

-Are you sure you used wheat malt and not flaked wheat? If you did you would be very enzyme scarce with only 1.5lbs. of pils malt in the mash. You need 70* lintner to fully convert a mash.

-Did you do an Iodine test?

-How were your target gravities?

Positive that it was wheat malt.

 

[smokinghole]

Do an iodine test on the beer as it sits. If you get black you have lots of starch left. Your mini-mash was 70% wheat. There are breweries that use or have used wheat in the quantity according to "Brewing with Wheat". There is a possibility that you did not give the mash enough time to fully convert and you got a starchy wort.

Other than that I got nothing.

 

[Cellarbrau]

I've mashed 100% wheat malt. It was clear and golden yellow. What you have sounds and looks like starch.

 

[Boleslaus]

I've mashed 100% wheat malt. It was clear and golden yellow. What you have sounds and looks like starch.

So, what did I do to leave so much starch in the beer? I don't want to make the same mistake again.

 

[Navy_Chief]

If it is a starch haze you need a longer mash rest, do a starch conversion test before you lauter if it show positive for starch you are not done converting and need to leave it longer.

 

[Cellarbrau]

1) Always get a lot analysis and learn to read it.
2) Use an iodine test.
3) Review your decoction process.

 

[StMarcos]

How's the taste now? It does look to me as well that it is chill haze. Starch haze is hard to get these daze (!) unless you really try. A 30m mash is going to be very different than a 90min mash, but it isn't going to be from too much starch.

 

[Boleslaus]

So here it is after a few more days. I guess it is mostly yeast. That layer on the bottom is still so loose that just picking it up swirls it around. I guess the Weihenstephan yeast just has super low flocculation. I know that weizen yeasts are like that since you want some yeast in the finished beer, but this is ridiculous. It was in primary for 3.5 weeks and it still looked like that. Hopefully in another week it'll have compacted a bit more, then I can just dump the first 2-3 glasses from the keg and have it be better.

 

[kcross13]

How is it looking now? I have one five days into bottles. Had a tester last night and it was that color. THree weeks primary, and then three days secondary for some dry hopping. Color when bottle pale straw, now it is rain soaked sun bleached straw. Hoping a few more weeks in bottle will help.

Tastes fine, not even that yeasty. Very sweet though.

 

[kcross13]

Two days in the fridge and clearing up

 

[badhabit]

I would be willing to bet that it is starch. I get the same thing when I brew a Rogen using 70% Rye Malt. To correct I leave in primary 2 weeks and then in a secondary another 2 weeks. After conditioning 3 more weeks it is pretty well clear. After 6 weeks in the bottle it is crystal.

 

[Boleslaus]

The keg kicked last week, but it got better. There wasn't any yeast left in it (I decided not to worry about keeping it in suspension since I wanted to see what color it really was). It turned a more appealing golden color but was still rather pale (or bleached like someone said). I do agree with most people that it was starch that affected the color.

 

[Jtasher]

I'd still blame it on yeast. Post a bit more about the recipe, your process, and the timeline.

It is the yeast, I had the same problem. Yeast is still in suspension, try hitting it with gelatin, cold crashing and using a floating dip tube, they solved the problem for me.