Forgot to put flaked wheat in my mash

I'm making a hefeweizen.

5 lbs German wheat
4 lbs 2-row German pilsner
1 lb flaked wheat

Had a great mash, hit temp dead on...double batch sparged and collected perfect amount of wort. Shaping up to be a great brew day...but just before the boil started I open up the bag from the fridge to get my hops and find a 1lb bag of flaked wheat. I FORGOT TO PUT IT IN THE MASH #%@$!&!

I always put my yeast and hops in the same bag in the fridge, but for some reason when I got home last night and put them in the fridge I left the flaked wheat in the same bag and forgot about them.

Brewtarget software tells me my OG should still be 1.046 at 70% eff, even without the flaked wheat, so I think it will still be OK, just a little lower on the ABV than I wanted. My hydrometer broke, and I haven't gotten a new one yet, so unfortunately I have no way to know what my OG really is.

Other than ABV, anybody expect any other issues with the finished beer. Thinner body or head retention maybe?

I've gotten over the urge to hang myself and I still expect the beer to be good, but just wanted other folks' input/reassurance.

For my hefe I always use 50% wheat malt and 50% Pils. The Flaked wheat would possibly add head retention, but depending on the yeast you are using, that recipe is close to the classic ratio already.

Don't see the loss of 1 lb. of flaked wheat making much of an impact...lost count of the number of times I forgot one thing or another...and still ended up with great beer. Now I print out my brew sheet and tape right in front of my stand and assemble all ingredients before beginning the brew day..

Just brewed a Wit yesterday with 7 lbs Pils and 7 lbs flaked wheat....

Flaked wheat adds a bit more body than malted wheat but you'll be fine w/out it. You'll not have a problem with head retention due to the malted wheat. Only issue you may have is the hop/malt ratio but not by much.

oh, and for the record, I usually do a 50/50 wheat pilsner hefe like the others. you'll enjoy it.

OK...thanks for all the replies. They are reassuring.

This is a lesson learned for me. I tend to be a perfectionist so I kick myself over stuff like this. I like the idea of taping up the brewsheet. I think I'll start doing that and checking each ingredient off as I throw it in. While I try to have the RDWHAHB mentality, I'm still a strict advocate for good process. I can see a process improvement so I guess there's some good that came out of my mistake.

OMG, you forgot to put that in? Crucial mistake. I hope you live on a farm because this is destined to be pig swill!!!


jk, You'll be just fine.

DannPM said:

OMG, you forgot to put that in? Crucial mistake. I hope you live on a farm because this is destined to be pig swill!!!


jk, You'll be just fine.

Click to expand...

LOL

Hey..."Pig Swill..." I think that's a catchy name for it. It may not fit a Hefe, actually made a bacon rauchbier recently and I think that's what I'll call it.