Brewferm Tarwebier - Temperature and Sugar

[GDog]

Hi,

I don't ever make beer (wine only) , but I fancy a go at a simple kit wheat beer as:

A - I like it.
B - I'd heard wheat beer is the most 'forgiving' on a novice in terms of dodgy temperature control. (I don't have a brew fridge, water bath with heater, none of that good stuff and don't plan on it either if I'm honest, wine is my main hobby.)

The instructions mention fermentation should be 18-23, and the (optional) clarification period should be 20-23 degrees. I can't get my larger FV's into the airing cupboard, so I'm limited to the spare room which is 17-19 degree range max !

Am I scuppered already?

Also - what sort of sugar should I use? In wine, I just use supermarket sugar, haven't bothered with brewing sugar in quite a while but I don't know if beer brewing is the same. (it mentions substituting 'candy sugar' but I've no idea what that is)

Cheers !

Al

 

[Pavros]

Someone will be along soon who has made this kit so can tell you exactly how they did it.

You can buy Belgian candy sugar at homebrew shops or there are threads on here telling you how to make your own with normal sugar and a bit of citric acid. It's also known as inverted sugar. If you can't get candy sugar, brewing sugar would be fine.

I have also used golden syrup instead in Brewferm kits but I'm not sure whether this would be OK in a wheat beer.

 

[Fil]

Welcome to beer brewing

as a general rule for a cleaner fermentation its usually best to stick to the lower end of the suggested temp range published for any given yeast.

IM not quite sure what they mean by an optional clarification period?? generally those with temp control can crash chill to encourage the precipitation of sediment, not raise the temp. however there is a diactyl rest which is a end of primary fermentation rise of temp by a few degrees for a couple of days to encourage the yeast to finish all the available sugars which can help if you have hugged the lowest temp the yeast are comfortable in. Perhaps this is what they allude to?

Imho a temp of 17-19c should be close to ideal conditions for primary fermentation. a few gravity checks will tell you if the yeast are happy and avtive if airlock activity isnt already doing so

Glad to hear you didnt fall for the marketing ploy that is brewers sugar, brewers sugar is simply a monosacharide which is nominally easier for yeast to munch on than sucrose, which is a complex sugar made from 2 x monosacherides which the yeast will need to 'crack' before they can feed, in a commercial environment using monosacharides can save a few hours in the FV which is ££££'s in a home brew setting your not desperate to complete primary in 3 days and will generally allow the process a week or two to complete so there is little benifit if any of using expensive monosacheride options, candy sugar is simply a sucrose invert or pre-cracked sometimes singed for caramel flavour, you can make your own sugar invert by boiling a sugar solution with citric acid..

sucrose and simple monosacharides will thin the brew and contribute to a dry flavour, to add body and malty goodness to the brew consider using a suitable colour of DME or LME as both contain a complex mix of sugars, monosacharides and simple sugars for feeding the yeast activity and complex sugars that will contribute to the beers body and moythfeel as well as any residual malty flavour

 

[GDog]

Thanks for the extensive reply @Fil , I understood 80% of what you said, which is 80% more than I new before. As my first brew, I'll use the 49p granulated sugar I always do - I've no idea what DME/LME are, but I will ask google and search n the forum for my next brew perhaps :thumb:

As for the instructions on the 'optional' clarification period, here it is below. I'll probably do it, as I have the buckets ready.

So, after the 10 day 'Fermentation' section at (18�"23°C), but before the 'bottling' section, the instructions have this paragraph:

Clarification
lt is advisable to transfer the beer to a clean container with an airlock before it is fully fermented
and shows little activity in the airlock. Do this carefully using the tap, after first removing the
airlock or the lid. This way you separate the beer from the yeast sediment on the bottom. Store
the mixture for 1 to 2 weeks at a temperature of 20�"23°C. This is the clarification or second
fermentation. Measure the density again after clarificition. Note: This intermediate step is recommended,
but you can skip it if you only have one bucket.

It just sounds like an additional racking stage to me, had this been a wine.

Al

 

[Pavros]

Sorry to disagree with Fil, but I wouldn't use liquid or dry malt extract (lme/dme) with Brewferm kits. They are intended to be made to smaller volumes than normal kits (7 to 12 litres). I would make the kit up with candy sugar or brewing sugar. As the amount of sugar is a lot lower than a normal kit, it is intended to bump up the abv and dry out the beer to make it more Belgian in style.

If it was a normal 1 can kit to be made up to 40 pints I would use malt extract every time.

I think they have added the secondary conditioning period to the instructions in the last couple of years. It is optional and I haven't done it with the Brewferm kits I have done but I haven't done the Wheat beer

 

[Pavros]

There are a couple of threads on here from 2012 where they fermented this kit at the higher end of the yeast scale (22°c). One also used 500g of dried wheat malt extract as a replacement for some of the sugar.

From all accounts this takes about 3 months to come good after bottling which is faster than the Brewferm kits I have made. They usually took 6+ months but were all very good

 

[Fil]

LME and DME are abriviations for Liquid Malt Extract and Dry Malt Extract,, As i was speaking in general terms without direct experience of the kit Im happy to consed to @Pavros,

Yes the clarification stage is just an extra racking off then brewers seem more O2 and infection risk adverse when it comes to racking off the sediment from the primary fermentation than wine makers..

3-6 months is a fairly long maturation period for a modern kit, however i expect the wine making has provided you with a fair degree of patience and this can be subjective so dont let it stop you cracking a sample or two to judge progress ..

 

[Pavros]

Yes , I agree that 3 to 6 months is a long maturation period but Brewferm kits are known for this. The Christmas one that I made was poor after 3 months but was really complex and tasty after 12 to 15 months!

I understand that wheat beers are usually best drunk young and 3 months is young on the Brewferm scale

 

[serum]

Just use normal white sugar or, if you want a better flavour, wheat extract. You don't need Belgian candi sugar for a witbier.

A cooler fermentation is fine for Belgian yeast.

It's not a strong beer so shouldn't need tons of time to come good. Don't worry about clarification with a wheat beer. They're meant to be cloudy. Brewferm gives the same instructions with all beers they do but you handle that beer differently.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[GDog]

Great stuff fellas, thanks very much. I'm putting this on this morning.

It's nice to see the beer side of the forum is every bit as helpful as the wine side. (and yes I've some wines that won't be sampled for 12 months +)

 

[GDog]

re-reading the instructions, I'm confused again

So, these are the three stages.. I'm about x3 days into initial Fermentation, and it's bubbling away nicely.

*IF* I decide to do stage 2, which I almost certainly will, do I do this at some point DURING the first ten days, or AFTERWARDS?

I assume it's 'During' the ten days, as it mentions racking off the yeast BEFORE fermentation is complete, but I don't know when would be best. I know I bottle at 1.010, is that "Finished" fermentation for beer?


1. Fermentation
-------------------
Close the bucket with the lid and fit the airlock on the lid. Pour water into the airlock until it is half full and close it with the plug to keep out dust and fruit flies. Set the bucket in a warm place (18–23°C) and allow the mixture to ferment for approximately 10 days. For best results, keep the temperature as constant as possible. The fermentation time depends on the ambient
temperature, but in any case you should see some activity within 12 to 24 hours. The lower the temperature, the longer the fermentation time. When bubbles stop rising to the surface or the water level in the airlock stays the same, this indicates that fermentation is completed.

2. Clarification
--------------
lt is advisable to transfer the beer to a clean container with an airlock before it is fully fermented and shows little activity in the airlock. Do this carefully using the tap, after first removing the airlock or the lid. This way you separate the beer from the yeast sediment on the bottom. Store
the mixture for 1 to 2 weeks at a temperature of 20–23°C. This is the clarification or second fermentation. Measure the density again after clarificition. Note: This intermediate step is recommended,
but you can skip it if you only have one bucket.

3. Bottling
---------
A hydrometer is essential for determining when you can start bottling. You use the hydrometer to measure the bottling density. This is the final density, which may vary depending on the beer type (see the WATER AND SUGAR TABLE). For all Brewferm® beer kits, the optimal bottling density is 1.010.

Cheers !
Al

 

[Pavros]

I 'think' you leave it for 10 days in primary then syphon carefully to secondary and leave it for 1 to 2 weeks. Then, when you have had 3 hydrometer readings the same over 3 consecutive days, transfer to bottles. They suggest this reading should be around 1.010 as an indication.

I would never use an airlock as an indicator that fermentation has stopped as I use buckets with clip on lids which are not airtight. If you use fermenters with screw lids, then they might be better with airlocks.

 

[GDog]

thanks @pavros , i may just leave it ten days, batch prime, and bottle. Skip the middle stage.

I don't actually have any bottles yet, 500ml would be best for me I reckon - are emptied fizzy water bottles OK from Asda, or do I need something specific like the PET bottles you can buy? I won't be saving/capping, as I don;t drink bottled beer.

I kept an emtpy warsteiner easykeg, but damaged it removing the vent plug, it was too big for my needs and the remainder would go flat

 

[Pavros]

It will probably take longer than 10 days (instructions are always optimistic). I would leave for 2 weeks and only bottle when you have 3 hydrometer readings the same over 3 days.

Wheat beers may be quicker but I would leave in the fv for 2 weeks minimum. Some beer yeasts in kits can take 3 or 4 weeks to finish.

Any bottle which has had carbonated drinks in can be reused for bottling.

 

[GDog]

It will probably take longer than 10 days (instructions are always optimistic). I would leave for 2 weeks and only bottle when you have 3 hydrometer readings the same over 3 days.

Wheat beers may be quicker but I would leave in the fv for 2 weeks minimum. Some beer yeasts in kits can take 3 or 4 weeks to finish.

Any bottle which has had carbonated drinks in can be reused for bottling.

thanks mate, will just leave it 2 weeks - am in no rush this is a summer beer anyway

 

[GDog]

just had a bbq, and although there was shop bought beer, my wine (unopened, along with rose and white from next door), the tarweibeer has gone. Everyone was going mad for it and has asked me to make some more.

Had two myself, and it is smashing.