Wyeast 3944 long fermentation?

[bohicarlp]

Hello all and cheers. Two weeks ago I did my first Belgian Wit using Wyeast 3944. The kraeusen is still high and CO2 is still spitting out. On average how long does this type of yeast take to ferment out? Also, temp. has been 70 steady. And I know patience is a virtue.

Thanks for your help.

[brewinhard]

That yeast is a vigorous top-cropper and will rise to the top of your wort and hang out there for a long time. Try giving your fermenter a good swirl 1-2 times per day until the krausen drops down. Be prepared for some more activity and possibly a blow-off when doing this. If you have any anti-foam solution (fermcap-S foam inhibitor) a couple drops in the fermenter will drop that krausen in no time and let the yeast finish off that beer in a timely manner. On the other hand, if you take a gravity reading and find that your beer has reached its terminal gravity (and you have given 2 wks in primary) than by all means you can rack from beneath the krausen and out of the fermenter.

[bohicarlp]

Thanks brewin. Been already swirlin for two days now, and activity increased with the bubbler some(even though this is no way to determine what is taking place below), but gonna wait two more days for a reading. If my reading is within target range, I was just worried about havin blown bottles all over the place, especially if those yeasties were not quite done. Thought about puttin her in a Secondary but still wanting the cloudiness for this style.

[Gahr]

3944 tends to ferment quite slowly, especially at "conventional" temperatures. Try ramping the temp up a few degrees. Starting at arounc 20 C (68 F) and letting it rise to about 23 C (~74 F) usually works great for me.