Hoppy Wheat recipe

I wanted to make a 5 gallon batch of a hoppy wheat beer for summer that is loosely based on gumballhead. I wanted to use a little simcoe hops in it too. Here is what i have so far, any suggestions?

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 50.00 %
4.50 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 45.00 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5.00 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
0.33 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [15.20 %] (60 min) Hops 17.9 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (15 min) Hops 16.6 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (5 min) Hops 6.7 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (2 min) Hops 2.8 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs SafBrew Ale (DCL Yeast #S-33) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.09 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.82 %
Bitterness: 44.0 IBU Calories: 196 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.2 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body Total Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
Sparge Water: 2.05 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Medium Body Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 12.50 qt of water at 164.8 F 153.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 7.00 qt of water at 198.7 F 168.0 F

US-05 yeast actually not the 33.

Also I am doing brew in a bag, stovetop. I was thinking about trying first wort hopping in this recipe too.

I think that sounds tasty. You might want to check out the new book "Brewing With Wheat" which has some details on Gumballhead. I believe it lists Simcoe as a flavor addition and a neutral bittering hop - perhaps Nugget. I can't remember exactly. But you're on the right track, and that would be a good beer.

http://brew.dkershner.com/2010/hefeweizen-studies-abroad/

We made a fairly similar beer. I didn't like it at first, but it has really improved over time. You can see more detailed tasting notes in there.

I have never had a gumballhead though...so you will have to derive your own comparison. I think simcoe would be a welcome addition to this beer in both flavor and aroma, but I would keep it balanced. The beer I am drinking is hoppy, but you can definitely taste the backbone of wheat. I would keep it this way.

I've never made a wheat, but i understand that a lot of the "wheatiness" comes from the yeast. So I'm curious, why not use a wheat yeast?

alcibiades said:

I've never made a wheat, but i understand that a lot of the "wheatiness" comes from the yeast. So I'm curious, why not use a wheat yeast?

Click to expand...

The wheatiness comes from...the wheat!

German Hefeweizens are a type of wheat beer that are very yeast forward. You are probably confusing 'wheat beer' with 'hefeweizen'. Even the american hefeweizen is yeast neutral though.