Fruit Beer Lemon-Lime Hefe Weizen

JoshJoshua said:

Fireslayer do you keg or bottle? Curious because mine has no head retention, but it is still fairly young in the bottles. Super tasty though.

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This beer is tasty as soon as its carbed. But if you wanna wait till its more heady you gotta give it more time. At least that was my experience when I made this.

Well, I just packaged this (25% in bottles, rest in Keg). Started at 1.070 and finished at 1.012 for 7.58% ABV!

Here is where I'm worried: The gravity sample tasted weird. I've made about 30 different batches of beer, and only one of those wasn't great. It was a pumpkin that had a weird sourness to it. This gravity sample reminded me of that flavor. It's not Brett sour, and the fermentation looked completely normal. I used US-05.

Any thoughts?

Hopefully it will be better when carbed and cold, but I'm not optimistic.

I just kegged mine

OG was 1.060 and FG was 1.010,

The sample tasted very citrusy.

KCBigDog said:

Well, I just packaged this (25% in bottles, rest in Keg). Started at 1.070 and finished at 1.012 for 7.58% ABV!

Here is where I'm worried: The gravity sample tasted weird. I've made about 30 different batches of beer, and only one of those wasn't great. It was a pumpkin that had a weird sourness to it. This gravity sample reminded me of that flavor. It's not Brett sour, and the fermentation looked completely normal. I used US-05.

Any thoughts?

Hopefully it will be better when carbed and cold, but I'm not optimistic.

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Bump. Any Thoughts?

Give it some time in the bottle then see if it hangs around. Could condition out in a few weeks.

KCBigDog said:

Bump. Any Thoughts?

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It's beer, let it condition in two week intervals and sample it until it taste good!

Picked up the last ingredients for a batch of this yesterday. I'll be following the recipe exactly (with the exception of batch size) and can't wait to see how it turns out. This will be my first non-extract brew utilizing BIAB. I'll make a starter tomorrow and brew on Saturday morning. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Thanks for the recipe!!!

AVLbrewing said:

Picked up the last ingredients for a batch of this yesterday. I'll be following the recipe exactly (with the exception of batch size) and can't wait to see how it turns out. This will be my first non-extract brew utilizing BIAB. I'll make a starter tomorrow and brew on Saturday morning. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Thanks for the recipe!!!

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Congratulations on moving up from extract, my advice would be to write out a cooking plan...it will help you be better prepared for the various steps you need to take and will eliminate the chance of you forgetting something...also when scaling back, always check your math twice...wrong calculation will change the beer completely. Happy brewing, can't wait to see what you think of the recipe!

This recipe is awesome. All the ladies in my life liked it. I also liked this recipe. I harvested the yeast from the first batch and did a two step starter to get enough yeast for the second batch. First time I had done a two step starter. That batch is in the keg now carbonating. Should be ready in another week to ten days. Can't wait.

Brewing today! For those that do the twitter I'll be live tweeting so check it out #lemonlimehef

I'm weigh hops and heating my strike water now!

Cheers!

AVLbrewing said:

Brewing today! For those that do the twitter I'll be live tweeting so check it out #lemonlimehef

I'm weigh hops and heating my strike water now!

Cheers!

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Happy Brewing!

Been fermenting for about 2 day. This is going to sound totally weird but i steeped 2 oz of basil for 10 min after the boil. Gave it such a crazy awesome taste mixing with the lime. Almost hearty yet sweet from the sample i tasted. Cant wait for it to be done so i can try it carbonated and ready. Ill keep you informed on how it turns out.

Well I finished brewing around lunch time and I have some nice air lock activity! The whole process went relatively smooth considering it was my first time going all grain. My efficiency was super low though (52%), and resulted in a pretty low OG (1.036). Needless to say I'm a little bummed about that...I hit my temps perfectly so the only thing I can think of is the grain wasn't ground enough for BIAB. I've read in a few other places that some people double grind the grain to get higher efficiencies since you don't need the grain hull to form a grain bed.

Luckily since I made a smaller batch I have plenty of hops left for another batch. I might even try washing my WLP380 from this batch to further reduce the cost of the next.

Either way I'm stoked to give this beer a try and can't wait to brew it again!

I just cracked one of these after 15 days in bottle. The weird sourness I picked up in the gravity sample must have been the lime, because it's really coming through now as a citrus flavor, not an off flavor.

I'm going to enjoy this one as a nice change of pace. And at over 7.5% ABV, it will really sneak up on people!

KCBigDog said:

I just cracked one of these after 15 days in bottle. The weird sourness I picked up in the gravity sample must have been the lime, because it's really coming through now as a citrus flavor, not an off flavor.

I'm going to enjoy this one as a nice change of pace. And at over 7.5% ABV, it will really sneak up on people!

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I'm glad it worked out...if you brew this one again, try it with the Hef yeast...it really makes the beer!

This is the first beer I've ever brewed and IM pleased that it turned out well. Lots of lime flavour. I did all grain and used hefenweizen yeast from white labs. This stuff fermented pretty aggressively compared to the second batch I made (ginger ale) it required a blow off tube for a day and a half and I had a lot of head space in the carboy. Thanks for a great recipe I will definitely make it again, however simply limeade isn't sold in CANADA. Good thing I only live 10 minutes from Michigan.

New to the forum...just getting active on it, but I brewed this recipe on a whim...2nd all-grain batch (1st batch came out weak and then I actually read, re-read, and learned the process). The alcohol content was spot on. Fermentation was awesome...I may have added the Simply Limeade a little too early...I was lucky to have the bucket wrapped in a towel because we had a little explosion...put a blow off on and took care of the issue. 16 days in the primary and I took the lid off...smelled the beer and WOW...it burnt my nose but tasted phenomenal prior to any carbonation. We bottled the beer and are now playing the waiting game. I was being lazy and just bought the carbonation drops, so hopefully the beer doesn't come rushing out after carbonation. Will update on the results...I have high expectations for this beer.

MedicMang said:

Been fermenting for about 2 day. This is going to sound totally weird but i steeped 2 oz of basil for 10 min after the boil. Gave it such a crazy awesome taste mixing with the lime. Almost hearty yet sweet from the sample i tasted. Cant wait for it to be done so i can try it carbonated and ready. Ill keep you informed on how it turns out.

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Any update on the basil addition? I'm planning on brewing this in mid march so it's ready for the summer warm up, and the addition of basil (or mint) sounds interesting. Almost like a mojito.

Also, for those that have brewed this, I normally do 5 gal batches and use a 6.5 gal glass carboy for primary. Will there be enough room for the 1.75 l of simply lime? Or should I decrease my starting brew size a bit?

mdtwnj said:

Any update on the basil addition? I'm planning on brewing this in mid march so it's ready for the summer warm up, and the addition of basil (or mint) sounds interesting. Almost like a mojito.

Also, for those that have brewed this, I normally do 5 gal batches and use a 6.5 gal glass carboy for primary. Will there be enough room for the 1.75 l of simply lime? Or should I decrease my starting brew size a bit?

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6.5 will be fine....but wait 3 to 4 days to add the simply limeade, or it will explode!

mdtwnj said:

Also, for those that have brewed this, I normally do 5 gal batches and use a 6.5 gal glass carboy for primary. Will there be enough room for the 1.75 l of simply lime? Or should I decrease my starting brew size a bit?

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I have brewed this twice. I use a 6 gallon Better Bottle for primary. Both times I have put 5.25 gallons into the fermenter, then added the Simply Lime. The Hefe IV yeast produces crazy fermentation so make sure you use a blow off tube until things settle down.

This beer has "in your face" lime flavor. It kicks butt.

mdtwnj said:

Any update on the basil addition? I'm planning on brewing this in mid march so it's ready for the summer warm up, and the addition of basil (or mint) sounds interesting. Almost like a mojito.

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About to bottle it today, hopefully. The krauzen fell but I need to make sure it's at final gravity. Ill let you know how true sample tastes a bit later.

MedicMang said:

About to bottle it today, hopefully. The krauzen fell but I need to make sure it's at final gravity. Ill let you know how true sample tastes a bit later.

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Just moved it to a secondary. Gonna bottle in a couple days. Nervous about bottling today. No harm in waiting. Anyways... The sample that I took from it was AMAZING! The basil is very light. The lime adds some sour while it being a hefe adds some sweet. Perfect summer beer. The mint idea sounds good too. I used 3 oz of de-stemmed basil and steeped it after the boil before chilling for 10 min. Very very happy. Can't wait to try it carbed up and ready. Also can't wait for the people to try it in my homebrew club that gave me crappy looks when I told them what I brewed lately. Ha. Happy fermentations!

Started my batch last night.

My brewday did not go according to plan, but I think it should come out alright. I had to fight the cold being one issue among many. This was my 2nd all grain batch and I am still figuring this out.

A few mishaps:
Heated strike water to 188, added when it was 180, mash temp started at 163 around 1.25 q/gal. Added about another gallon of cool water and got temp to 158. Stirred in, and 20 minutes later temp was 154. Mashed for 75 minutes and final temp was 150 degrees. I had my cooler indoors, but not sure why temps dropped so much. Total water and grains in mash amounted 6 gallons with 3.25 grains left afterwards. Sparged with 3 gallons at 180 degrees. Probably should have went with 185 and 3.5 gallons. I have 72 oz of deadspace in my mash tun left afterwards.

I started the boil with the first runnings while I was sparging and it was stuck around 180 degrees when I noticed my propane tank had frozen to the ground. I got it unstuck and agitating it and got the flame to speed up. I added the sparge water and moved the propane tank inside (boil outside) and set it it warm water and it got moving again until it ran out of propane when the temp was at 200.

So I split my boil and threw it on the stove. Once boiling, I waited 15 minutes before adding the hops (unnecessary) and accidently threw in the .25 oz Sorachi first. I went ahead and added .25 oz of Motueka and only added a dash of sorachi at the 20 minute mark. After the boil I ended up right around 5 gallons with an OG of 1.060 (propane issues outdoors stalled at 180 degrees and boiled off more than I realized). I added about 1/2 gallon of spring water and pitched my 3068 smackpack and aerated with medical oxygen for a minute. Threw it in the closet at 68 degrees with an OG of 1.054.

Mostly rookie mistakes and nothing horrible, but definitely not according to plan. Everything else seemed to go okay. Still much to work on and another coworker said I could have his old propane tank today. Need to make a wind shield soon to get better efficiency during the boil. Not a fan of cold windy weather for brewing.

Anyways, 2 pictures.





I might get beersmith soon. Time for more control.

Gonna brew this one on Tuesday, one question is my fermenter. should I use a 6.5 gal or an 8 gal bucket? want to make sure I have enough room and do not loose any all over my place. I have a 6 gallon carboy but pretty sure thats not big enough for a 6 gallon batch?

kellysrepairs said:

Gonna brew this one on Tuesday, one question is my fermenter. should I use a 6.5 gal or an 8 gal bucket? want to make sure I have enough room and do not loose any all over my place. I have a 6 gallon carboy but pretty sure thats not big enough for a 6 gallon batch?

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My advice would be the bucket especially if you are using the Hefe IV yeast.

the 8 gallon? Also if im using the extract recipe do I add it all at the begining of boil or is there a late addition?

kellysrepairs said:

the 8 gallon? Also if im using the extract recipe do I add it all at the begining of boil or is there a late addition?

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I apologize, I should have said the 8 gallon.

Add what?

I have seen some recipes only putting in half of lme and then other half 10 min before end of boil?

kellysrepairs said:

I have seen some recipes only putting in half of lme and then other half 10 min before end of boil?

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I do the all grain version but... I believe that if you wait to add the LME the color of the finished beer won't be as dark. So what you have in mind should work.

kellysrepairs said:

Gonna brew this one on Tuesday, one question is my fermenter. should I use a 6.5 gal or an 8 gal bucket? want to make sure I have enough room and do not loose any all over my place. I have a 6 gallon carboy but pretty sure thats not big enough for a 6 gallon batch?

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Head room is important, but too much can be a game changer...go with a 6.5...wait 4 days to add limeade, and when you do use a blow off tube or cover the pail with a damp towel over night...after 12 hours it should be ok.
The problem with head room, is that it's made up of oxygen!

SD-SLIM said:

The problem with head room, is that it's made up of oxygen!

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until fermentation starts and its displaced by CO2

Hey Slim,

I saved your Blood Orange Aide Hefe recipe from a while back, but I noticed the thread is no longer around. Any specific reason? I'm going to brew it up this weekend because I'm missing my summer beers.

WhiteSoxRob said:

Hey Slim,

I saved your Blood Orange Aide Hefe recipe from a while back, but I noticed the thread is no longer around. Any specific reason? I'm going to brew it up this weekend because I'm missing my summer beers.

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I only took it down because I had soooo many people email me about where to find blood oranges, how to peel blood oranges....so I took it down to re-write the recipe, so that I could include all of that, and never got around to putting it back up.

Not sure if I already posted in here, but I have this going on week 4 in bottles. Brewed the recipe to the 't' except that I added an oz of Citra late in the boil. Smelled and tasted great at bottling last month. Threw a 12ozer in the fridge last Friday, will probably crack it this week. Cheers on what appears to be a great recipe!

SD-SLIM said:

I only took it down because I had soooo many people email me about where to find blood oranges, how to peel blood oranges....so I took it down to re-write the recipe, so that I could include all of that, and never got around to putting it back up.

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Would love to see that Recipe Slim.

SD-SLIM said:

I only took it down because I had soooo many people email me about where to find blood oranges, how to peel blood oranges....so I took it down to re-write the recipe, so that I could include all of that, and never got around to putting it back up.

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Well I'm glad I stashed the recipe away. I'm going to put the oranges through my masticating juicer to avoid having to deal with the pulp. Can't wait to try this out.

This recipe sounds amazing! I will deffinatley brew this for a spring/summer brew. A little too cold here in VA for this one yet

Raven1469 said:

This recipe sounds amazing! I will deffinatley brew this for a spring/summer brew. A little too cold here in VA for this one yet

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It's best to brew it now and have it ready for that first hot day!

Anyone that has brewed the extract version of this care to share your reviews? I tried searching but it didn't go to well. This sounds pretty good for the summer.

have everything i need to brew this one on sunday, last question- should I bring it up to 5.5 gallons? before I add the limeade to make it 6 gallons total? also would you suggest a partial mash? I have the lme but also got a pound of vienna that I could add??