Freshest, lightest LME

I'm of of those people on the quest for a good extract hoegaarden clone and have had reasonable success so far, but need to improve in the colour department.

I've been using Black Rock Whispering Wheat tins for my LME, but it's still a little too dark, which I understand is because I'm using LME.

I'd like to know what the lightest wheat or wheat/barly extract tins or kits are out there? Has anyone brewed with one that came out as light as a real hoe?

- Yes my mates and I call Hoegaardens Hoe's and it IS amusing

Muss said:

I'd like to know what the lightest wheat or wheat/barly extract tins or kits are out there? Has anyone brewed with one that came out as light as a real hoe?

Click to expand...

Can't help you with the extract choice, but are you doing late exract additions? That might lighten it up a little.

- Yes my mates and I call Hoegaardens Hoe's and it IS amusing

Click to expand...

Errrr...ok. Generally, if you have to point out that something's funny, it's not.

Bike N Brew said:

Errrr...ok. Generally, if you have to point out that something's funny, it's not.

Click to expand...

Werd. It's like saying "that was a joke" after you say something that's supposed to be funny and nobody laughs.

As for the extract Q from the OP, I'd say that you can never really get the lightest color you need using extract. First off, I'd suggest going dry, and using "extra light" and "light wheat" extracts. Use Muntons, as laaglander and briess tend to have a low fermentable-unfermentable ratio and your FG will end up too high. Secondly, what bikenbrew said: late additions! Thirdly, move on to AG as quickly as possible. My 2nd AG was a pilsner, and it's as light as it gets...looks almost like Bud, but with taste.

Lastly, but not leastly, STOP CARING SO MUCH ABOUT COLOR. Perfect everything else...then you can worry about color.

I'm brewing an extract (with steeping grains) recipe now, then will try my first all-grain and dump it on the yeast cake and see the difference in colou and taste.
Here's what I'm brewing now.

Jay’s “Nit” Wit (extract)
3.3 lbs Muntons Wheat Liquid Extract
2 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Pilsner Malt
1 lb Flaked Wheat
1.0 oz Hallertau Hersbruker hops (4.5% alpha) – 60 min
1.0 oz Coriander – 1 min
0.5 oz Bitter Orange Peel - 1 min
Wyeast Forbidden Fruit yeast
Add 1.5 gal of water to a pot with the 0.5 tsp Calcium Chloride.
Stir well. Crack grains and steep with the Flaked
Wheat in the water as it is heated to 150 degrees. Hold the
water and grains at 150 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove grains, add extract, and bring to a boil. Add 1.0 oz
Hallertau hop addition at beginning of boil. Boil for 59 minutes.
Add 1.0 oz Coriander and 0.5 oz Bitter Orange peel
addition. Boil for remaining 1 minute. Cool wort, aerate,
and pitch yeast. Starting gravity should be around 1.050.
Carbonate this beer with a little over 3/4 cup corn sugar. If
kegging, carbonate slightly higher than normal.

That recipe is from an online magazine, which I've supplimented with the limited ingredients available in New Zealand. The article has an all-grain equivalent for this recipe and it would be great to see first hand the difference in results between AG and extract.


Yes it was a bad joke, soz

Yes we lost the Americas Cup too.... but RDWHAHB

Sounds good! By holding the steeping grains @ 150 for 45 minutes, you're basically doing a partial mash (which you'd need to do to get anything out of the pilsner and wheat, anyway). I'd suggest that you split your 1.5 gallons of water...use half of it to mash your grains, and use the other half to sparge it through a kitchen strainer or grain bag. You'll get more of the wheat goodies (better efficiency + better rinsing) that way, which will really help your wit.

Also, I find 1 oz of coriander to be a lot, but that's a matter of pesonal preference.

Good luck!

Bike N Brew said:

Also, I find 1 oz of coriander to be a lot, but that's a matter of pesonal preference.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

It does seem like a lot and it's twice the amount used in other belgian wit recipies.
The ingredients for that brew cost me $80, but it's still cheaper than buying Hoegaardens which are $4 a bottle here.

Bike N Brew said:

Also, I find 1 oz of coriander to be a lot, but that's a matter of pesonal preference.
Good luck!

Click to expand...

I've just transferred it to secondary now. I know it does'nt really need it, especially since this has been in primary for 2 weeks but I needed to brew another on the yeast cake and also harvest some yeast for later and I'm not ready to bottle it yet.

It tastes quite like Hoegaarden, except for a stronger corriander taste which will hopefully mellow after a few weeks.

My AG gear is just about ready and will try that next weekend.

Muss said:

The ingredients for that brew cost me $80, but it's still cheaper than buying Hoegaardens which are $4 a bottle here.

Click to expand...

80 bucks I don't care if it's extra-special martian extract that has aphrodesiac properties, that's too much.

well, ok. I would actually buy it if it had aphrodesiac properties.

I'm glad my LHBS has the $2.80 per lb bulk extract. I even get money off when I bring back the jugs to be refilled.

good luck with your AG, that ought to help cut costs a bit.

Madtown Brew said:

80 bucks I don't care if it's extra-special martian extract that has aphrodesiac properties, that's too much.

well, ok. I would actually buy it if it had aphrodesiac properties.

I'm glad my LHBS has the $2.80 per lb bulk extract. I even get money off when I bring back the jugs to be refilled.

good luck with your AG, that ought to help cut costs a bit.

Click to expand...

It's a rip aye! I've been reusing the expensive Wyeast yeasts by dumping new wort on yeast cakes, washing and saving yeast and even freezing it with glycerin, I'll certainly get better value out of them.

I have a mate that works in a brewery who rescued a keg for me that was about to be destroyed, so I'll make it in to a keggle this evening and try the AG Hoegaarden clone this weekend. w00000t!

i don't see how that recipe cost $80! that seems like a true rip-off. is stuff really that expensive where you're at??

DeathBrewer said:

i don't see how that recipe cost $80! that seems like a true rip-off. is stuff really that expensive where you're at??

Click to expand...

Yeah it is, the Wyeast XL packs can be as much as $50, due to postage and packaging costs. There is one distributor in the country who we all post our orders to, then every few months he imports only what's been ordered and posts it to us. If you order one pack at $25, then pay postage/packaging fee at $25 that's $50 total for yeast. I've been getting better value by ordering a few different strains at a time and have also been freezing (with glycerin) many jars of it.

Muss said:

Yeah it is, the Wyeast XL packs can be as much as $50, due to postage and packaging costs. There is one distributor in the country who we all post our orders to, then every few months he imports only what's been ordered and posts it to us. If you order one pack at $25, then pay postage/packaging fee at $25 that's $50 total for yeast. I've been getting better value by ordering a few different strains at a time and have also been freezing (with glycerin) many jars of it.

Click to expand...

If that's the case, I would go back to your friend at the brewery and see if he can slip you a vial of yeast.

Madtown Brew said:

If that's the case, I would go back to your friend at the brewery and see if he can slip you a vial of yeast.

Click to expand...

That's a good idea. DB Breweries is a huge commercial operation, I wonder what yeasts they use and where they get them from.
I wonder how big a starter they use for their massive fermentation tanks.

Where do you live, Muss? Mars???

try a bulk lme from defalcos.com,use the light ,its really nice really pale ,thats what i just used in my black berry wheat,its light ,and really a good fresh smell ,6.6 pounds costs 2.49 a pound ,i used 6.6 pounds ,but i think im going to use about 8 pounds next round ,bull