Weissbier Simple Hefeweizen

I'm brewed my second batch of this yesterday. I use Wyeast 3068 and 6, instead of 5, pounds of DME, but otherwise I stuck to it. Quick, easy, and tasty recipe!

Edit: scratch that. I topped off with some water to bring the volume up to 5.5 gallons and I ended up hitting the gravity on the head at 1.045.

Just did this recipe and ended up at 1.00 fg...

Planning on brewing this today, sticking to the original other than the extract 6.6LME. If using a 6.5g ale pail will I need a blowoff? Will be away for the weekend so don't want to come home to a mess!

Larzean said:

Planning on brewing this today, sticking to the original other than the extract 6.6LME. If using a 6.5g ale pail will I need a blowoff? Will be away for the weekend so don't want to come home to a mess!

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I highly recommend a blowoff tube.

I'll be brewing batch #2 of this, brewed it last year as well. Turned out DELICIOUS, a coworker who went to germany a few years ago commented that it was as good as anything he had over there!

Last year:
6lbs Muntons Wheat DME
1/2lb Carapils steeped for 20-30 minutes (I forgot, and its the ONE batch I didn't write down...)
1 oz tetnanger hops
Wyeast 3068

This year:
6lbs Muntons Wheat DME
3/4lb Carafoam will steep for 30 minutes or so while I set up everything else (steep inside)
1 oz tetnanger
White Labs WLP300 (brewshop didnt have 3068)

I went with carafoam just for the heck of it, last year had good head but I figure a little more won't hurt, its a Hefe, they are supposed to have lots of head that stays around

I will say this, I bottle (kegging is not an option right now) and after 2 weeks in the bottle, it starts to get drank up and won't last long at all. My younger brother loves it, my co-worker loves it. I sure as heck love it! I doubt it will make it to Thanksgiving, honestly Its a hefe, its meant to be drank as fresh as possible!

As good as it turns out, Hefe is one thing I will likely always brew Extract. So simple, and so delicious.

I've only had it in the bottle 2 weeks and its so good. I have to beat my brew buddy off of it with a stick.

twofocused said:

I've only had it in the bottle 2 weeks and its so good. I have to beat my brew buddy off of it with a stick.

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It's a month old now and it's still amazing and only getting better. It has cleared and doesn't look like a wheat beer now.

Anyone extract brewer on the fence about this should brew two batches and let them sit for at least one month. When you give them out people will quickly ask you to brew more.

Thanks to the OP for the recipe and the yeast has a beautiful banana favor to it.

Great recipe- I have 2 tap handles and I think this might be permanently 1 of them.

I have brewed this twice now- and stuck closely to the same method with smack-paks of the Wyeast 3068.

First time I dumped the pak straight in. I didn't use a blowoff tube, and had a gigantic mess in my fridge during fermentation.

Second time, I made a 1/3 cup light DME yeast starter. I also used a blowoff tube, and had a far-less active fermentation. No blow by at all in my blowoff bucket.

Both times @ 68F.

Just an observation- seems like the vigorous activity occurs during yeast replication-as in my first batch with a yeast count around 1 billion cells @ pitching.

I brewed this as my first solo beer. I usually do all grain with a buddy who has a homemade mash tun. I modified the recipe by using 1/2lb carapils + 1/2lb honey malt steeping at 155 for 1/2hr. Some Irish moss with 15min left. I added 2lb of honey with 2 min left in the boil. I did a full boil. Saaz hops. Used the WLP300. Left it in primary for 2 weeks. OG was 1.063. Final gravity was 1.014. Will let sit in secondary and bottle next weekend. Took a nip from the hydrometer tube and really liked it.

5 weeks and its all gone =(

Thanks to the op for a simple tasty recipe.

Plan on making this my second batch ever, has anyone done this as a partial boil yet? I don't have the equipment for a full boil and after searching the thread haven't seen anyone with results from a partial boil.

OHStone said:

Plan on making this my second batch ever, has anyone done this as a partial boil yet? I don't have the equipment for a full boil and after searching the thread haven't seen anyone with results from a partial boil.

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I brew a hefe very similar to this using a partial boil - no problem at all. It's one of my favorites.

OHStone said:

Plan on making this my second batch ever, has anyone done this as a partial boil yet? I don't have the equipment for a full boil and after searching the thread haven't seen anyone with results from a partial boil.

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I did this one as a partial boil for my second batch ever last summer. Its really simple and it turned out very good. I followed the recipe exactly, just with the partial boil.

quick question on the yeast, i'm not sure my local supply has the Danstar Munich yeast, but i saw i could possibly do the wyeast 3086 instead.

First time with dry yeast though, do i have do anything special? or is it just like the wyest in where i would just pitch it into the fermenter when cool? Looking forward to trying this along side one of my other brews, since this is a very simple and cheap recipe and is getting wonderful reviews

scrub0bk said:

quick question on the yeast, i'm not sure my local supply has the Danstar Munich yeast, but i saw i could possibly do the wyeast 3086 instead.

First time with dry yeast though, do i have do anything special? or is it just like the wyest in where i would just pitch it into the fermenter when cool? Looking forward to trying this along side one of my other brews, since this is a very simple and cheap recipe and is getting wonderful reviews

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You should make a good hefeweizen with that yeast. However make a starter if you use liquid. Dry yeast usually is just fine without a starter.

Here http://www.mashspargeboil.com/why-you-should-bother-and-how-to-rehydrate-dry-yeast/ is a good article on the benefits of rehydrating dry yeast. Dr. Cone seems to favor rehydrating, but homebrewers seem to be split on whether it's worthwhile.

HOOTER said:

5 lbs. Briess Bavarian wheat DME 8 oz. Carahell 1 oz. Tettnanger (4%) Danstar Munich Steep grains for 20 min. @ 155f. Bring to boil and add 2 lbs. extract and Tettnanger hops. Add 3 lbs. extract with 10 minutes remaining in the boil. Ferment for 10 days, keg at about 4 volumes (or bottle) and enjoy. (Full boil recommended). Nothing fancy here, just a very easy and quick Hefe that manages to disappear rapidly. It's almost too simple to post but My friends and I dig this beer so much I figured it might be worth sharing. Fermenting in the mid 60's makes for a very clean American style Hefe but my last batch fermented around 70 and is much closer to a true Bavarian style. This yeast has always fermented very vigorously for me so use a blowoff tube. Enjoy

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how much is the ABV?

Would I still need a blowoff tube if I plan on using a 7.9g plastic bucket for primary?

Hello all

I saw this post and was feeling a little bad for not joining sooner, as this is my favorite beer!
So this is my first post here an i hope it helps someone, as have many of your posts helped me learn this craft!

Here is my take on this simple recipie, been brewing this for over a year now with various hops and yeast and this is the best to my tastebuds!

4.4 lbs wheat dme
30 min boil with
.25 oz magnum 30 min
.25 oz centenial or amarillo @10 min
.25 oz centenial or amarillo @ 180 degrees
wb-06 yeast
1.040 og, 1.010 fg
process....partial boil, cool in cold bath top off to 5.25 gallons
pitch yeast at 62 degrees and ferment in the basement a constant ambient temp of 62.
here's the trick, use wb-o6 and bottle it at 5 days! i think this locks in the bannana clove flavor. condition and serve......i like it almost immediatly, but it,s a little better after week or more in the bottle.
light and tasty.....reminds me of my tour in germany!

Just curios what liquid yeast out of this four would you recommend.
Wyeast 3068 (Weihenst. wheat)
Wyeast 3638 (Bavarian wheat)
Wyeast 3333 (German wheat)
Wyeast 3056(Bavarian wheat blend)

I just brewed a very simple version of this for my brother's birthday (he's a Hefe fan).

3# Bavarian Wheat DME
2# Light DME
3# Thin-skinned Naval Oranges cut into 12ths and slightly smashed with a potato masher - 5 mins
.5 oz Cascade - 60 mins
1 oz Cascade - 5 mins
WLP320 in a 1 lt starter

Started bubbling away in about 2 hours and was in full blow off state within 6 hours. Finished and kegged on day 6 @ 4%ABV

Dozzi said:

Just curios what liquid yeast out of this four would you recommend.
Wyeast 3068 (Weihenst. wheat)
Wyeast 3638 (Bavarian wheat)
Wyeast 3333 (German wheat)
Wyeast 3056(Bavarian wheat blend)

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I have only used the 3068, a great yeast, but it requires a different fermentation schedule because of the sulfer it produces. with paitence[14 days in primary] it makes a great beer. thats why I recomend the wb-06, in 14 days I
am already drinking it!

I plan on brewing this soon, hopefully this weekend. I wanna do a split batch, half regular with the recipe and half with a fruit extract flavoring. Thinking of maybe a blackberry, think that will work well? or should i go with something more suited for a hefe like an orage extract?

So I've brewed this but upped the dry malt to 6lbs. without any grain turned out really good, used WLP Bavarian yeast also. Thinking about adding Flaked Oats next time to get more body and foam. Any ideas of how much I should add? 5 gallons is what I usually brew. I was thinking 1 lb.

Well, just brewed this as my second ever brew! Here's to hoping that everything works out!


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HOOTER said:

5 lbs. Briess Bavarian wheat DME



8 oz. Carahell



1 oz. Tettnanger (4%)



Danstar Munich



Steep grains for 20 min. @ 155f. Bring to boil and add 2 lbs. extract and Tettnanger hops. Add 3 lbs. extract with 10 minutes remaining in the boil. Ferment for 10 days, keg at about 4 volumes (or bottle) and enjoy. (Full boil recommended). Nothing fancy here, just a very easy and quick Hefe that manages to disappear rapidly. It's almost too simple to post but My friends and I dig this beer so much I figured it might be worth sharing. Fermenting in the mid 60's makes for a very clean American style Hefe but my last batch fermented around 70 and is much closer to a true Bavarian style. This yeast has always fermented very vigorously for me so use a blowoff tube. Enjoy

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Sorry for a potentially stupid question here. What is the total boil time? Thanks for the recipe!


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amatomation said:

Sorry for a potentially stupid question here. What is the total boil time? Thanks for the recipe!


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Not a stupid question; I boiled mine for 60 minutes.


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amatomation said:

Sorry for a potentially stupid question here. What is the total boil time? Thanks for the recipe!


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60 mins, that's just the standard boil time

I think I'll brew this up this weekend. My first one turned out great!

Thanks! Going to get this one going in the next couple weeks.


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Just bottled this last night! I'm very excited; it tasted pretty great flat. I added some lemonade packets, so I'm hoping for a nice summer shandy in a few weeks!

Before I bottled, I forgot to take a gravity reading. *facepalm*. What did you all get for your FG?


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jmtonkin said:

Just bottled this last night! I'm very excited; it tasted pretty great flat. I added some lemonade packets, so I'm hoping for a nice summer shandy in a few weeks!

Before I bottled, I forgot to take a gravity reading. *facepalm*. What did you all get for your FG?


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I think FG is a little bit of a pot luck situation - hard to predict with extract due to unidentified and varying properties of extract>

When I enter this recipe (as accurately as I can figure) into Brewer's Friend, it tells me to expect a FG of 1.010. What has anyone else gotten?


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I just checked mine after 14 days and it is at 1.012 (temp corrected) from an OG of 1.053 (also temp corrected). I used a full 6 pounds of wheat DME, however, so yours might come out a bit different.

Yeah, my OG was 1.045. I reckon yours was higher because of the extra DME? Does yeast tend to ferment to a certain level, or is it only able to do a certain amount. For example, if your OG was 1.051 and you finished at 1.012, with that yeast, could I reasonably assume that I'd end up with the 1.012 because the yeast will just ferment until it hits that mark, or would I reasonably assume that if be around 1.018 because your OG was higher and that yeast can only ferment 0.039?

I feel like this question makes more sense in my head than when I wrote it down. Also, sorry for the super beginner question!


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jmtonkin said:

Yeah, my OG was 1.045. I reckon yours was higher because of the extra DME? Does yeast tend to ferment to a certain level, or is it only able to do a certain amount. For example, if your OG was 1.051 and you finished at 1.012, with that yeast, could I reasonably assume that I'd end up with the 1.012 because the yeast will just ferment until it hits that mark, or would I reasonably assume that if be around 1.018 because your OG was higher and that yeast can only ferment 0.039?

I feel like this question makes more sense in my head than when I wrote it down. Also, sorry for the super beginner question!


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This is actually a great beginner question!

Yeast will consume whatever is fermentable, so as you increase your OG (add more stuff for it to eat), your FG will also increase slightly (the stuff you added for the yeast to eat also has a small amount off additional stuff it can't eat).

If you use a brewing calculator and punch in the numbers for your brew, you'll watch the OG climb. For example, for this recipe, with 5lbs of DME you end up with an OG of about 1.044 and finishes at 1.011 - but with 6lbs of DME, the OG climbs dramatically to 1.053 yet the final gravity reading only rises slightly 1.013 - because you added more stuff, and a little bit is stuff the yeast can't eat.

So, to answer your question simply, it can only "do a certain amount." A yeast won't always finish as the same gravity, like Danstar Windsor won't always finish at 1.012 - it's all about the stuff it can or can't eat in the beer.

Edit: Also, keep in mind that yeast is a living thing and not always predictable. There are occasionally deviations in gravity readings, but they should be small differences.

Thanks for all the info on Hefeweizen! I've got a friend who loved the stuff so I'm going to try HOOTER's recipe from the first post. I'll let you know how it works out. I'm not a huge fan of Hefe but after a hot summer day it's nice to cool down with a lighter beer.
Thanks again for the recipe!
Joe

stonecutter2 said:

This is actually a great beginner question!

Yeast will consume whatever is fermentable, so as you increase your OG (add more stuff for it to eat), your FG will also increase slightly (the stuff you added for the yeast to eat also has a small amount off additional stuff it can't eat).

If you use a brewing calculator and punch in the numbers for your brew, you'll watch the OG climb. For example, for this recipe, with 5lbs of DME you end up with an OG of about 1.044 and finishes at 1.011 - but with 6lbs of DME, the OG climbs dramatically to 1.053 yet the final gravity reading only rises slightly 1.013 - because you added more stuff, and a little bit is stuff the yeast can't eat.

So, to answer your question simply, it can only "do a certain amount." A yeast won't always finish as the same gravity, like Danstar Windsor won't always finish at 1.012 - it's all about the stuff it can or can't eat in the beer.

Edit: Also, keep in mind that yeast is a living thing and not always predictable. There are occasionally deviations in gravity readings, but they should be small differences.

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Awesome, thanks!





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Here is my brew! I added some instant lemonade to go for a more "shandy-esque" feel, and it's awesome!


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I have a question on fermentation temperature.

Right now the only place I have to store my fermenting beverages is my kitchen. Which is ... err ... room temperature. Which means that it's going to be warmer than 68 degrees in there. I have a ceiling fan & I can add a fan blowing on the bucket, will that be enough?

In winter, I'll be able to put fermenting beverages in the garage, but it's cooler in the house now.

What effect will the higher temp. have on this recipe? Should I avoid this recipe until cooler weather?

WinterWarrior said:

I have a question on fermentation temperature.

Right now the only place I have to store my fermenting beverages is my kitchen. Which is ... err ... room temperature. Which means that it's going to be warmer than 68 degrees in there. I have a ceiling fan & I can add a fan blowing on the bucket, will that be enough?

In winter, I'll be able to put fermenting beverages in the garage, but it's cooler in the house now.

What effect will the higher temp. have on this recipe? Should I avoid this recipe until cooler weather?

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The fans won't make any noticeable difference, but if you can put the fermenter in a tub of water with some ice bottles, you can cool it. A wet towel over the fermenter helps, and then the fans would also help, but I don't like the idea of a fan running 27/7, pretty much unattended - possible fire hazard.