Please critique my recipe

Hey guys. So here's what I'm going for:
I'm making a 1 gallon batch of American wheat beer with orange and honey flavors. It like it to be lightly hopped, a light color, and highly carbonated.
Here's my recipe:
1 lb LME- wheat
35 grams flaked wheat (steeped)
12 grams 2 row pale malt (steeped)
1/3 cup of light honey
5.66 grams saaz hops (60 mins boil)
1.5 grams citra hops (last 5 mins)
400 mg grains of paradise (last 15 mins of boil)
1 shaved orange peel (last 10 mins of boil)
US-05 yeast

I'm open to any suggestions. I'm particularly interested in any advice regarding the orange and honey flavors. I've read a lot about extracts and whole fruit during secondary. Do you these these flavors will be strong enough as is? When should I add the fruit or honey? Also, any comments about grain/hop selection would be appreciated.

Thanks guys


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I do not think you can or maybe should steep a base grain. Base grains do not have sugars converted for you whereas caramel and other specialty grains do. The base grains have enzymes and you take starches from the grains and convert to sugars. You do this at a temp that is generally lower than the temp used to steep. Also, if you have too much liquid, I believe you won't be able to convert what you intend to convert from the base grain.

Best to use all LME, such as the 1 lb wheat LME and then 3/4 lbs of a pilsner LME. You're going to maybe want some caramel 10 in there as well, if you ask me. Not much, but just enough.

Grains of paradise is something I used. I used what amounts to 16 seeds and I think that was good for a high ABV 1-gallon batch. I think the whole orange zested will be good but orange will be pretty darn present. Just so you know. As for the honey, that looks good but do that at flame out. Honey will ferment out and you could have a twang. I highly recommend using it at flameout.

What do you think?

I've noticed a better honey flavor with honey malt vs actual honey.

Thanks, hello.

A lot of good advice in there. My only reservations about using all LME vs grains are on the subjects of head retention and price. I've found that in order to hold a head well a beer needs to have some sort of base malt. Is there another alternative to grains that would provide a similar result? Also, LME tends to be more expensive than the grains. One of the things that draws me to home brewing is that I can make great beer for a price that's cheaper than I'd buy it for. Any thoughts on these?

Thanks


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You use crystal/caramel malts for head retention.

Your recipe looks like an American witbier. If you mash (~67 degC) your flaked wheat with some base malt, you'll get a bunch of protein which will make the beer cloudy, give a smooth mouthfeel, and aid in head retention. If the flaked wheat isn't mashed (you don't use base grain, or you steep it at >75 degC), you'll get an unpleasant "gloppy" texture (way too much starch).

Hello and Brewmex41 have good advice about honey. The White House Honey Porter and Honey Ale recipes add the honey with five minutes remaining in the boil. Several recipes use honey malt to give honey flavor. A light crystal malt can help enhance the sweet honey flavor.

Have you looked at the recipes for Hoegaarden and Celis White? Your recipe bears a resemblance, except for the use of US-05. For a little more flavor contribution, you could substitute WB-06* if you want to stay with dry, or Wyeast 1010 Widmer or 3944 Celis if you would be interested in liquid.

*This is the yeast included in the Brewer's Best witbier kit.

Post your result.

Hey guys:
Thought I would update you on where I'm going with this recipe. As of now it looks like this:

1lb LME-wheat (70% late addition)
1/3 cup light honey (5 min left)
30 g crystal malt 10 (steeped)
15 g light wheat specialty grain (steeped)

5.6 g saaz (3.75% - 60 minutes)
1.5 g citra (12% - 5 minutes)

.4 g grains of paradise (15 min boil)
1 orange peel (shaved and removed after boil)

Safale S-05 yeast
OR
WB-06 yeast

Predictions:
3 weeks primary

OG: 1.044
FG: 1.009
20.8 ibu
6.8 srm

I won't get the chance to brew this for a few weeks, so there is plenty of time to propose changes. I'll let you guys know how it goes!


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What is "light wheat specialty grain"?

I'm not entirely sure. I took parts of this recipe from an extract recipe I found in my LHBS. The recipe calls for no mashing or partial mash so I assume these grains to be a way of getting wheaty haze/texture from steeped grains


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If it's really for steeping, then it should be CaraWheat, which is a wheat crystal malt. It will emphasize wheat flavor and aroma, and give added sweetness and color (~45L). But it won't give you protein haze.

To get the protein haze, you need to mash a flaked, unmalted grain. Without mashing, you'll get too much starch, which gives an unpleasant texture. For 15 g of flaked wheat, you'd need about 10 g of pale two-row.

If, on the other hand, it's malted wheat, then it won't give you protein haze, even if it's mashed (still about 10 g of pale needed). If it's mashed, then it will give you the same thing that wheat DME will give you - lighter body and flavor, better head retention, etc.

I had no idea what WB-06 yeast is so I had to look it up. I would definitely use this because it is a yeast tailored to the style you are seeking.

Your recipe looks fine providing the light wheat malt is truly a malt for steeping. I've never seen it myself but that means pretty much nothing.

The orange peel could stand to be left in the fermenter. Use sweet orange peel, less pith and won't add as much bitter character. Do you have concerns about leaving it?

3 weeks in primary is long. I like to see the patience but I think 2 weeks should be enough. Reading up on WB-06 yeast, it looks like it could be a bear and power through the fermentables easy. Obviously, just make sure you have a stable gravity reading.

Go get to brewing and report back on the results!

Trox said:

You use crystal/caramel malts for head retention.

Click to expand...

I thought this as well but it's actually not the case. Most of the crystal/caramels have anti-foam retention properties. Wheat is the easiest way to good foam.

Check out this awesome episode of Brew Strong... great bits about foam..

- via the 2/14/2014 ep Brew Strong with Charlie Bamforth http://s125483039.onlinehome.us/archive/ses_2014-02-24_BamforthFlavorFoam.mp3

TheCanisDirus,

Do you think carawheat would fall under the category of crystal/caramel malts that would harm head retention? How would you recommend maintaining a good head if you aren't mashing wheat? Do you think the addition of some carafoam could help?


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If anyone was curious, I opened this brew up last week. It was an all around good brew, but neither the orange nor the honey was particularly notable. I added orange peel from 1 large orange to the boil, but there wasn't really an effect. I would add fruit or extract to the secondary if I were to do it again. I'm not sure how to solve the lack of honey problem. I used honey at the end if the boil, steeped honey-flavored grains, and added honey to the bottles during bottling.

Again, a good beer (mildly hopped and very refreshing), but didn't have the orange flavor I was looking for


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Have you ever thought about using Orange Blossom water? It has the citrusy notes of orange without the bitterness of the peel, though the aroma is very strong.

Nope, never heard of it


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Here is a link to some available for sale on Amazon. Just remember, a little goes a long way...

Cortas Orange Blossom Water 10fl Oz by Cortas http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LQJ6DK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Thanks!


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