# Mistake with Hank's hefenweizer



## olusteebus (Sep 8, 2014)

A group of us made 10 gallons of hefenweizer wheat beer and we failed to put in the dry extract. I asked the vendor if I should toss it but they say it will be drinkable, just not as much body. 

Do you have an opinion on this.

I am not a beer maker.

Thanks


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## botigol (Sep 8, 2014)

Where are you in the process? What is the current SG?


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## richmke (Sep 8, 2014)

Instead of tossing it out, why not add the DME now and let it ferment some more.


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## botigol (Sep 8, 2014)

That's where I was heading. Boil the DME to dissolve and sanitize, then add to the fermenter.

If you did nothing, the beer would also be hoppier than expected, due to greater utilization and less malt to balance it. Since it's a hefe, this wouldn't matter as much since the IBUs are usually pretty low, but still a difference.


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## cooldood (Sep 8, 2014)

I would vote for add it now. 

It will be drinkable but higher hops thinner and lower ABV


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## BernardSmith (Sep 8, 2014)

botigol said:


> That's where I was heading. Boil the DME to dissolve and sanitize, then add to the fermenter.
> 
> If you did nothing, the beer would also be hoppier than expected, due to greater utilization and less malt to balance it. Since it's a hefe, this wouldn't matter as much since the IBUs are usually pretty low, but still a difference.



Won't DME dissolve completely in water even at room temperature? Is there really a need to sanitize DME? I would have thought that the process of making it would have destroyed any pathogens on the barley and the lack of liquid in it would have prevented any mold or bacteria from growing on it. I also thought that the basis of the idea of boiling the water before you add DME was to sanitize the water. But I could have all this completely backwards.


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## botigol (Sep 8, 2014)

The one time that I tried, I can't remember if the water was cool or room temp, it didn't dissolve and formed a nice ball. Given the low moisture and high sugar content, DME may be sufficiently hydroscopic, like honey, and not need sanitizing, but I read somewhere that Chris White (White Labs) said that the spray-drying process for DME was not sanitary and therefore allowed the possibility of contamination. This coupled with the common practice of "late extract additions" coming with 15 minutes left in the boil, for me makes boiling the safe way to go.


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## francois_du_nord (Sep 8, 2014)

Boiling does a number of things: dissolves the DME, coagulates the proteins (hot and cold break) and extracts hop bitterness. You don't need the third, but the first two will be helpful 

German hefeweisen is required to use krauesening to be true weisen. This is introducing fresh unfermented wort to the almost completely fermented beer. I'd say if you add your DME to the fermenter 3 or so days in, you are probably true to style! Aint a mistake, it's a tweak! 

But you might be a bit high in total volume since you probably are at your finish volume now without the added h20. I'd try to keep the water used to dissove to a minimum. Cool to room temp before adding to the fermenter or you will kill your yeast. I trust you are using a true Weiheinstephan yeast right? That is the one that will give you the true esters (banana and clove) of a good Hefeweisen.


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## botigol (Sep 8, 2014)

Francois made a good point about limiting the amount of water to dissolve the DME. I don't have a good number for that, but my first thought is to treat it like sugar and go for half of the volume. Again, this is just a guess.

Francois, you're definition of krausening is a little different than what I understood. From BeerSmith:

Krausening is a traditional German method for carbonating beers without using sugars or other adjuncts. Instead actively fermenting malt wort is added to the fermented beer to provide the malted sugars needed for carbonation.


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## olusteebus (Sep 9, 2014)

Thanks for all your help. the vendor said that IF I added the dme now it would be very cloudy. We decided to bottle. We will see.


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## LoveTheWine (Sep 9, 2014)

I believe DME isnt sterile so boiling takes care of this as well.

You decided to bottle?
How much time in fermenter?
I leave my ales 3 weeks before bottling but a minimum of 2 weeks is my humble opinion. Some kits say to bottle after 1 week but this is horrible advise.

Also, how many pounds of DME and what volume of beer?

krauesening is a good idea but NOT for a bigger. Too much DME at bottling will cause bottle bombs.


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