American Wheat Beer Summer Citrus Wheat

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TwoHeadsBrewing

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2008
Messages
3,949
Reaction score
53
Location
Chico, CA
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Wyeast 1010
Yeast Starter
Activator Pack
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.045
Final Gravity
1.009
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
16.3
Color
3.7
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 days @ 65F
I've only brewed this one time, but it's so good it will be a staple around here. I've got so many good comments from friends and family, and it's a nice refreshing drink...and low enough ABV I can have a few and not be completely drunk :). I thought at first taste the orange peel might be a little much, but after 2-3 weeks of aging, it's perfect and I wouldn't change a thing.

EDIT: Thanks bitterpeanut for the BeerSmith file!

Equipment and Brewing Notes
Converted 5 gallon Igloo cooler with Stainless Steel braid and brass ball valve. I use the batch sparge method and typically get between 70-75% efficiency. On this batch I collected almost 7.5 gallons of wort, much less grain absorbtion than I expected.

Mash Schedule
1. Mashed in with 4 gallons at 154F, mash for 60 minutes
2. Add 4 quarts of 175F for mashout
3. Vorlauf and drain
4. Add 3.5 gallons of 175F for sparge; stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Vorlauf and drain.


Ingredients
1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 9.09 %
6.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 54.55 %
4.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 36.36 %
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 8.9 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 4.4 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
0.25 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.25 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs American Wheat Ale (Wyeast Labs #1010) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.009 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.84 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.69 %
Bitterness: 16.9 IBU
Calories: 197 cal/pint

View attachment SummerCitrusWheat.xml
 
Right on, I hope so too! It really turned out good, and I've got nothing but compliments from friends and other homebrewers about it. Some people have gone so far as to say, "Wow, this is homebrew? It's better than most beers you can buy!". :mug:
 
Going to make this one again tomorrow....headed to the LHBS in a couple hours. I still need to get my new 10 gallon MLT put together tonight, so this one will be brewed up in the morning.
 
I made this one with TwoHeadsBrewing this weekend. I made the extract version. it looks pretty good! I cant wait to try it out.
 
I made this one with TwoHeadsBrewing this weekend. I made the extract version. it looks pretty good! I cant wait to try it out.

Hey, is yours done yet? I've got mine kegged...you should come over and bring a couple bottles of yours!
 
I'm in an apartment so I can't temp control very well. Anything below 68 degrees is tough for me to acheive without constantly keeping the fermenter wrapped in cool, damp towels. Would this be ok for 14 days at 68 degrees?
 
I'm in an apartment so I can't temp control very well. Anything below 68 degrees is tough for me to acheive without constantly keeping the fermenter wrapped in cool, damp towels. Would this be ok for 14 days at 68 degrees?

Yep, 68F is fine but you'll get more banana esters than normal. That's not a bad thing either, just a matter of taste. The wyeast 1010 is a pretty tolerant yeast strain. Let me know how it turns out!
 
How did you like the Wyeast 1010? is it completely ester free? have you ever made this recipe with a clean ale yeast like S-05? how would that compare
 
How did you like the Wyeast 1010? is it completely ester free? have you ever made this recipe with a clean ale yeast like S-05? how would that compare

I really like the 1010, very clean profile if fermenting at normal ale temps (65-68F). Smells like rotten egg farts while fermenting tho so watch out :D. I think using US-05 or Nottingham would work really well with this recipe, you'd end up with something more like Blue Moon or Lost Coast's Great White. It's totally worth the experiment, I'm sure it will be tasty.
 
I brewed this recipe yesterday as my second batch. I added a half pound of honey malt to the bill. I think that will complement the citrus, hopefully not make it too complex. We'll see.
 
I brewed this recipe yesterday as my second batch. I added a half pound of honey malt to the bill. I think that will complement the citrus, hopefully not make it too complex. We'll see.

Right on, I'd love to hear how the honey turns out. It's about time for me to do this one again as well, I need to add another light summer ale to the mix. Cheers!
 
Should I keg this after 14 days and start drinking as soon as it's carbed, or let it rest for a while? I know wheat beers peak early, but how early?

2 weeks is plenty for fermentation, as long as you pull a sample and
1) it tastes good
2) the gravity is close to target

After that carb, chill and serve! That's what I love about wheat beers, grain to glass is under 3 weeks. Cheers!
 
You might have another fan of this one! I'll have a fermenter opening up soon and this may be my first AG attempt. I have some honey malt left over too and I might just got with that as well.

I am excited about this one. Based on the schedule you talked about, hopefully I'll will have this ready in time for the dog days of summer!
 
I kegged this the other day and have tasted it a couple of times. It is very tasty. The 1/2 lb of honey malt I added is the prominent note though. The citrus comes through, but is well in the background. Next time I would cut the honey malt back to 1/4 lb, or maybe just do honey malt OR orange peel, not both. Over time, the orange might move forward more (hoping), but if not, it's still a mighty fine summer beer.

To clarify, I'm not saying the honey flavor is too overpowering. It's pretty balanced for the beer overall, but if you want to taste the citrus, I would use less or no honey malt, that's all.
 
Right on, glad you're enjoying it! I'm going to be brewing this up again soon as well. Might actually add in some orange zest in addition to the dried curacao orange peel, for a bit more citrus flavor.
 
I agree with all the praise on this one. My first wheat brew attempt, 5th all grain. Fantastic so far. Pretty much got me back into wheat beers.

I've had a lot say, "for a wheat, that's actually really good".

:)
 
I am drinking this one right now. It turned out great. The amount of orange is just right. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely brew it again. Next time I will time it better for summer :)
 
I am drinking this one right now. It turned out great. The amount of orange is just right. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely brew it again. Next time I will time it better for summer :)

I'm glad you're enjoying it! It's one of my favorite beers, not only for the flavor and taste but because it only takes 3 weeks to get from grain to glass. Speaking of...I just kicked my last keg of it so it's time to brew another!
 
I just stepped up from extract batches to partial mash and am really enjoying how much better beer is now with a wider variety of grains to use. I live in a very small apartment so AG isnt an option yet but am working towards it. Can you help me convert this to a partial mash as the SWMBO is a huge fan of blue moon and i would love to brew this for her.

Thanks
Warren
 
I've never really done a partial mash, and really only did extract for 4-5 batches so I'm not sure if it would be right. I would start with a high quality wheat extract (usually 60/40 wheat/2row split), and then just use some 2-row and wheat malt for steeping grains.
 
Help me out with one of your ingredients. What exactly is sweet and bitter orange peel? Something you purchase? Something you make?
 
I brewed this one today. I needed a lighter beer on the tap and a wheat was requested....My gravity came out a little shy and I boiled for 90 minutes as there was so much water (8.5 gallons total). It did end me needing less than a gallon to top off the fermenter. Do you suggest leaving it in the primary for the full 2 weeks or transfer to secondary after fermentation stops?
 
Ordered my ingredients last week.

Yeast is doing its thing in starter.

Brewing this one tomorrow. Let you know how it turns out!
 
I brewed this one today. I needed a lighter beer on the tap and a wheat was requested....My gravity came out a little shy and I boiled for 90 minutes as there was so much water (8.5 gallons total). It did end me needing less than a gallon to top off the fermenter. Do you suggest leaving it in the primary for the full 2 weeks or transfer to secondary after fermentation stops?

Wow, can't believe I missed your post. As you've probably figured out, transferring when fermentation is done is just fine. However, Wyeast 1010 produces some sulfur and if you let the yeast sit for a week or so after main fermentation it will clean up after itself. Either way, it will taste great...just a little cleaner in aroma and flavor if you let it chill out for a week.
 
I brewed your recipe about a month ago. Its been in bottles for 1 week. I just cracked the first one open to sample and it is a very nice beer.

I had the wheat yeast you mentioned but my starter didn't show any activity. I was worried and just pitched S-05.

This leave the beer extremely clean and clear. I have never had such a clean wheat beer before. I am noticing at 1 week the taste is a little bitter with the hops and the peel. I'm sure as soon as it conditions more and settles, I will have a VERY quaff-able beer on my hands.

Thanks for the recipe, I will write back in another few weeks

CHeers
 
I'm thinking of brewing this one up next. I'm not a huge wheat fan, but thought I'd give this one a try. A couple of questions though, my LHBSs don't carry Wyeast products, would White Labs WLP320 work? It's an American Hefeweizen yeast also. Also, the orange peel additions, I'm assuming that when it says boil 5 minutes it means add to the wort the last 5 minutes of the boil, correct?

Thanks
 
I'm thinking of brewing this one up next. I'm not a huge wheat fan, but thought I'd give this one a try. A couple of questions though, my LHBSs don't carry Wyeast products, would White Labs WLP320 work? It's an American Hefeweizen yeast also. Also, the orange peel additions, I'm assuming that when it says boil 5 minutes it means add to the wort the last 5 minutes of the boil, correct?

Thanks

Yes on the yeast, and yes on the orange peel. Let me know how the White Labs yeast works out, I've only used it once before but not on this recipe. Cheers!
 
I have made this twice now and just wanted to give props to TwoHeadsBrewing for this recipe. The first one turned out great. As a matter of fact, it went over so well with my wife and friends I had to make another batch today. It was gone in just over a week.

Thanks again!
 
i saw in an earlier post someone asked if this has been done with a clean ferment yeast (e.g. us-05). was thinking of doing this with wlp001 as we dont get wyeast out here in the south bay area of california.

anyone have experience with this? ill prolly brew it anyway in the next couple of weeks.
 
I brewed this with us o5 and it came out wonderful, the cascades and the orange peel shined right through. i would definately do it with the wlp001.
 
I have made this twice now and just wanted to give props to TwoHeadsBrewing for this recipe. The first one turned out great. As a matter of fact, it went over so well with my wife and friends I had to make another batch today. It was gone in just over a week.

Thanks again!

I'm glad it turned out well, sounds like everyone else around liked it too! I have to brew this every 4-6 weeks just to keep it on tap...and that's 10 gallon batches. Cheers!
 
i mixed 1010 and s-05 in my summer wheat and it came out PERFECT - just some slight banana and "wheatiness"...just enough to know its a wheat beer, but not enough to remind me I don't like wheat beers.
 
Just tapped the keg on this one. Brewed at the request of a wheat beer loving friend (I'm not really familiar with many wheats). I used s-05 for a cleaner profile. Not bad. One question, is it normal for this brew to have a touch of "tang"? I'm not talking lacto flavor. Is this a characteristic of wheat malt, or am I just catching the orange peel? Thanks, Dave
 
I don't really get a tang, but there should be a decent amount of malty sweetness to the beer. The orange peel usually is just enough to come out in the aroma and a little in the taste.
 
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