Is anyone making great wheat beer with canned kits?

ApolloSpeed · 10-09-2008, 04:49 AM

Just wondering...

I'm trying to make something like a Paulaner or Hoegarden clone by using canned wheat beer kits from Cooper and/or Muntons. I'm kinda too lazy to make completely from scratch

I tried using muntons wheat canned kit, and using WB-06 yeast.... started out tasting WONDERFUL... but ended up getting sour or funky.

Now I'm in process of Coopers canned Wheat kit, and using WLP300. The yeast was about 12 hours slower than the WB-06 to start fermenting....but its bubbling away great right now.

Back to the point.,.. is anyone else here making some great wheat/or hefe beer using the process I'm trying to use?

**Yuri_Rage** · 10-09-2008, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApolloSpeed

I'm kinda too lazy to make completely from scratch.

Then you'll never get a Paulaner or Hoegaarden clone.

With WLP300, you might get reasonably close to a Bavarian hefe.

It's probably impossible to create a Hoegaarden clone using canned extract. The color and texture will be completely off. Also, orange peel and coriander need to be present.

ApolloSpeed · 10-09-2008, 07:47 AM

welll....I'm not saying it has to be an exact clone of either of those beers. I just want a good tasting german or bavarian wheat beer.

I was damn close on my batch with WB-06.....it was great the first few days in the bottle, unfortunately it went sour about after a week. And never got back to like it was.

I'm hoping the WLP300 will get me there.

fratermus · 10-09-2008, 12:09 PM

I've had good results with 3068, which I understand is the functional (or real) equiviant of wlp300.

ApolloSpeed · 10-09-2008, 05:07 PM

curiously, I notice alot of recipes for german and bavarian hefes call for alot of dried malt extract... But no mention of dextrose. Are they not putting in any dextrose for fermentation?

If so, what kinds of ratios of DME to dextrose should I be shooting for?

**Chriso** · 10-09-2008, 05:47 PM

Most commonly-brewed ales do not use dextrose for fermentation, ApolloSpeed. There are really three places where dextrose is commonly used.
1. Introductory "kit and kilo" brewing kits, where you combine 1 can LME, 1# sugar, and water. The sugar ups the alcohol content with negligible flavor impact. Many brewers move past these kits because they don't like using sugar in their beers (I don't either.).
2. Belgian style beers, where Candi (invert) Sugar or Dememera Sugar are commonly used to dry out the finish of a beer. Dubbels, Tripels, Belgian Golden Strong Ales, and other similar styles commonly use sugar.
3. "Big" specialty beers, such as Double-IPAs or Barleywines, often use a small percentage of sugar to boost alcohol content while keeping the beer balanced, but also finish a little drier.

You will find that many brewers, once they settle into their routine, make beers with DME or LME as their primary/only source of fermentables, and skip the dextrose altogether. Either way, I wouldn't exceed 2# dextrose in any 5 gallon batch unless you're basing it off of a recipe that calls for more for a reason.

**Saccharomyces** · 10-09-2008, 05:51 PM

Belgian Wit is a notoriously difficult beer to make. You can't get reasonably close to a Hoegaarden clone without all-grain, since it is made with 50% raw wheat and wheat extracts are made with wheat malt.

You can make a decent Bavarian hefe with extract though.

broadbill · 10-09-2008, 06:39 PM

I'm not sure ANYBODY is making ANY great beers with those canned kits...I never could anyway...

Can't help you on the specific style, but I would recommend a kit from one of the larger online homebrew shops (midwest, northern brewer) that contains all the stuff you need to make 5 gallons of beer and stop messing around with the canned kits. Just my 0.02...

DD2000GT · 10-09-2008, 07:21 PM

I just made a great hefe-wizen from a canned kit. I did use specialty hefe-wizen dried yeast and added about 1/2 oz. of pellet hops at the end of the boil for some aroma/flavoring. I have had rave reviews on it and all my family is draining the keg fast!

Here is the post I made on it a few days back:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/you-can-make-good-extract-only-beer-82788/

Dan

**BigKahuna** · 10-09-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fratermus

I've had good results with 3068, which I understand is the functional (or real) equivalent of wlp300.

Skip the can kit...you're fooling yourself into thinking it's easier than putting ingredients together. I think if you got the AHS weissbier kit, added some bitter orange, and some coriander, upgrade to the 3068 liquid yeast, and ferment at or about 70 - 72 I'd think you'll have a great beer...maybe not a paulaner clone...but very good indeed.