Bells Oberon Clone

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cweston

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
Messages
2,014
Reaction score
24
Location
Manhattan, KS
Bells Oberon Clone

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Safale 05 (formerly US56)
Batch Size (Gallons): 6
Original Gravity: 1.52
Final Gravity: 1.010?
IBU: 17
Boiling Time (Minutes): 45
Color: 5 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): ?


This is allegedly Bells' recipe, which I scaled down to 6 gallon batch size:

6 lbs 2-row
4.5 lbs wheat
.75 lb Munich
.75 lb Carapils

.67 oz Hallertau 45 minutes
.9 oz Hallertau 30 minutes
.33 oz Hallertau 0 minutes
1 oz Saaz 0 minutes

I just brewed this tonight--the color looks perfect (golden, ever so slightly orange).

I'll update as I get tasting info.
 
Just mashed in. I'll let you know how it turns out. I went with the Czech Saaz since that what I grabbed at the LHBS by accident.
 
I would like to know how this turned out? Oberon is one of my favorite beers. I live in Chicago and haven't had Oberon in over two years.
 
the recipe as posted is a little bland, doesn't have the right nose or taste of oberon. I adjusted the recipe to allow for more caramel notes and a citriuser(?) hop note.


removed the munich
added 1/2# ea crystal20L+60L

replaced the 30min hallertau with .5 oz cascade

i just brewed this today so i'll post back in 3-4 wks
 
From Bell's site:
An American wheat ale brewed with Saaz hops. Spicy and fruity, Oberon is the color and scent of a summer afternoon.

Original Gravity:
1.057
Alc. by Vol.:
5.8% - 190 cal. per 12 oz.

So the OP cannot be right. I would be very interested in one of these.

EDIT: Are the numbers posted here from your actual batch or the target numbers? Maybe the OG was just off a bit and that affected the flavor?
 

This kit has been in the primary for a week and a half. The instructions say primary one week secondary one week then bottle. I was going to leave it in the primary 2 weeks at least and thinking maybe three. Any thoughts on this? I've been reading posts about people leaving batches in their primary for three weeks but not sure if that depends on what style or if there is any benefit to using a secondary for certain styles if it even matters at all.
 
According to the brewer at Bell's, Oberon does not use any spice (orange peel, or corriander specifically). My first batch lacked the fruity citrus that I so love in my Oberon. For my second batch I am going to try a dry hop with 9% Centennial hops. In other beers when I have dry hopped in the 2ndary with Centennial I have gotten a real good orange/lemon flavor. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
This kit has been in the primary for a week and a half. The instructions say primary one week secondary one week then bottle. I was going to leave it in the primary 2 weeks at least and thinking maybe three. Any thoughts on this? I've been reading posts about people leaving batches in their primary for three weeks but not sure if that depends on what style or if there is any benefit to using a secondary for certain styles if it even matters at all.

This batch didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. Doesn't taste much like Oberon.Much darker and sweeter.I'm new to HB and this is only my 2nd batch so it could be due to error on my part but it's still very drinkable.This is one of my faves so I'm sure I'll attemt it again at some point.
 
I know this is an older thread, but I believe I've just perfected the Oberon Recipe. I did some side by side tastings and after my fourth batch I believe I have it.

FIRST Problem with all these formulas was the nose, Oberon's citrusy nose is super evident. I found that it takes almost 3 oz of Hops, to fix this.

SECOND Problem was the carmel and complexity. that took me a while to fix - finally, I found it: Decoction. I have been on a decoction kick for a while and decided that this could be a candidate.

Here's my final recipe:

6lbs American 2 row
4lbs American White wheat
.5lbs Carapils

1oz Saaz 30min (leaf)
1oz Saaz 15min (leaf)
.5oz Saaz and 1oz Cascade in secondary (dry hopped for 14 days) (leaf)

Start in at 133F for 15 minutes
Decoc 12 pints of mash (adjust this for your system)
155F for 60minutes
mash out.

My first recipe wasn't as close to the original but I knew I was on to something. I used Wyeast 1010 (VERY CLOSE) but not exact. I then decided to harvest some Bell's yest from a bottle. - that's when it became perfect.

I started my fifth batch of this recipe this weekend, I am on the second generation of this particular strain of yeast, I assume it will turn out okay, but I don't know how many generations that yeast was used at bells, so....

OG 1.059
FG 1.014-016

I have only bottled this beer, I am going to keg this final batch and see how she does.
 
^ Thanks for that. Oberon is one of my favorite brews. I'm new to AG with just one batch under my belt so far but once I build enough confidence in what I'm doing I'll be giving this a shot.Let us know how this batch turns out.
 
I just plugged the latest recipe into BeerSmith and it looks great. One question; 13.8 IBU??? That seems awfully low... is that right?

Style: American Wheat or Rye Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (0.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.14 gal
Estimated OG: 1.058 SG
Estimated Color: 3.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 13.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM) Grain 57.14 %
8 lbs Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Grain 38.10 %
1 lbs Carapils (Briess) (1.5 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Saaz [3.50 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Saaz [3.50 %] (30 min) Hops 8.4 IBU
2.00 oz Saaz [3.50 %] (15 min) Hops 5.4 IBU
0.55 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
2.20 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
2.20 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs American Wheat Ale (Wyeast Labs #1010) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: My Mash
Total Grain Weight: 21.00 lb
----------------------------
My Mash
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
15 min Protein Rest Add 23.10 qt of water at 143.1 F 133.0 F
50 min Sacc Rest Add 11.00 qt of water at 208.8 F 155.0 F
10 min Mash out Decoct 9.27 qt of mash and boil it 168.0 F
 
yeah I know - I thought it was low too, but after I did a side by side, it seems like 99% of the hops flavor in oberon comes from the dry hopping/aroma. It is really way more carammelly than I thought.

just a note, I did the decoc between protein to sacc - NOT to mash out. Single decoc only, I've tried a double once and it got too sweet.
 
Is there possibly a way to mimic the decoction needed here on a stovetop? Right now I pretty much do DB's Partial Mash method for all my brews - working my way up to AG but want to get my technique right first (and waiting for SWMBO to authorize further beer-related purchases). I'm a huge fan of the Oberon - I lived in Michigan for a while about 10 years ago and pretty much lived on Oberon all summer long.

Anyway, I'd love to make this, so I'm wondering if you have any ideas for approximating this beer using stovetop PM.

Thanks in advance!
 
I know this is an older thread, but I believe I've just perfected the Oberon Recipe. I did some side by side tastings and after my fourth batch I believe I have it.

FIRST Problem with all these formulas was the nose, Oberon's citrusy nose is super evident. I found that it takes almost 3 oz of Hops, to fix this.

SECOND Problem was the carmel and complexity. that took me a while to fix - finally, I found it: Decoction. I have been on a decoction kick for a while and decided that this could be a candidate.

Here's my final recipe:

6lbs American 2 row
4lbs American White wheat
.5lbs Carapils

1oz Saaz 30min (leaf)
1oz Saaz 15min (leaf)
.5oz Saaz and 1oz Cascade in secondary (dry hopped for 14 days) (leaf)

Start in at 133F for 15 minutes
Decoc 12 pints of mash (adjust this for your system)
155F for 60minutes
mash out.

My first recipe wasn't as close to the original but I knew I was on to something. I used Wyeast 1010 (VERY CLOSE) but not exact. I then decided to harvest some Bell's yest from a bottle. - that's when it became perfect.

I started my fifth batch of this recipe this weekend, I am on the second generation of this particular strain of yeast, I assume it will turn out okay, but I don't know how many generations that yeast was used at bells, so....

OG 1.059
FG 1.014-016

I have only bottled this beer, I am going to keg this final batch and see how she does.

Oberon is the one wheat beer I've tried & really liked. I've got a yeast culture & plan to brew it one day soon. Thanks for all your work on getting this recipe right !

Just FYi for anyone who follows this thread - a little info on Oberon's yeast strain - it does seem to be a house strain used in all their brews:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/whats-comparable-oberon-yeast-35358/#post348333

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/safale-us-05-attenuation-52146/#post673016
 
I am completely doubley tripply convinced that the key to this brew is a decoction. It may not be that way at the brewery, but it has to occur at home to keep this brew from being so dry.

cheers bitches! (and dudes)
 
interesting.

I'm not all that familiar with decoction but could you add .5 lb of munch for some malty backbone...I guess my real question is how does a decoc. make the beer more sweet? :p
 
Crypto, you might have just become my wife's new hero. We were in Michigan last week on vacation with her folks. 2 mini-kegs of Oberon later and she was begging me to find a recipe for it. Thanks for all of your hard work - the rest of us will enjoy it.
 
I just brewed this yesterday! I changed my mash to an enhanced single decoction. Basically, doughed in at 99º to let it rest in the acid range, pulled about 60% of the mash (almost all the grains, and enough wort to cover) brought it to a protein rest at 122º for 10 minutes, raised to sacc rest at 154º fro 30 minutes, then boiled for 15 minutes. After 5 minutes of the boil, I started adding a small amount of mash back tot he main mash to bring the main mash temp to 120º and allowed the main mash to protein rest for 12 minutes, while the deco was still boiling away. I then added the remaining deco back into the main mash to raise up to my sacc rest temp of 155º. Rested for 40 minutes, infused with boiling water to 168º and fly sparged.

For more info on deco mashing and the enhanced schedule check out http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Decoction_Mashing

I hit my numbers dead on and think it will be a great brew. I am still dialing in my boil off though so I reached an O.G. of 1.054 because I didn't boil off as much as planned. Oh well, It will still be awesome.

Also I couldn't get any of the yeasts I wanted so this is fermenting away with Wyeast 1272 Am II and 1762 Belgian Abbey II.

I will report back in a few weeks. :mug:
 
Crypto -

Hope you don't mind, I converted this to an extract so my FIL could take a crack at it. Here is what I came up with using stats for Briess DME.

% LB OZ Malt or Fermentable ppg °L
55% 3 14 Light Dry Malt Extract info 42 4
38% 2 10 Dry Wheat Extract info 42 3
7% 0 8 Dextrin (CaraPils) Malt info 33 2

Boil 45 mins 1.0 Saaz pellet 5.5
Boil 15 mins 1.0 Saaz pellet 5.5
Dry hop 14 days 1.0 Cascade leaf 5.5
Dry hop 14 days 0.5 Saaz leaf 3.5

Wyeast American Wheat (1010)
(will use harvested yeast from Oberon bottles)

Original Gravity
1.057
(1.051 to 1.059)
Final Gravity
1.014
(1.012 to 1.015)
Color
4° SRM
(Yellow)
12.8 HBU
18.9 IBU

5.7% A.B.V
186 per 12 oz

All calculations done on Hopville.com recipe generator
 
Crypto -

Hope you don't mind, I converted this to an extract so my FIL could take a crack at it. Here is what I came up with using stats for Briess DME.

% LB OZ Malt or Fermentable ppg °L
55% 3 14 Light Dry Malt Extract info 42 4
38% 2 10 Dry Wheat Extract info 42 3
7% 0 8 Dextrin (CaraPils) Malt info 33 2


I'm interested in the extract version above but not sure about how the ingredients proportions work out or how many lbs of Malt to use based on the calculations... Is there missing info above or am I just not understanding how this is read?
 
Exactly, the format didn't transfer as well as I hoped, but it all lines up. I was thinking you might even want to add 4oz Crystal (maybe 20-40) to darken it up a bit. My extracts always turn out a bit darker than planned, but 4 SRM is a bit low for Oberon, I'd want to add something to get the color up a bit.
 
I haven't tapped it yet, but m close to doing so. I am bottle conditioning the half I fermented with Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II and force carbing the Wyeast 1272 Am II. I should be able to draw my first conditioned and carbed pint this weekend. I will give a report then.
 
Titania.png


Brewlog

page 1
Titania_Brewlog_I.jpg


page 2
Titania_Brewlog_II.jpg


page 3
Titania_Brewlog_III.jpg


page 4
Titania_Brewlog_IV.jpg


page 5
Titania_Brewlog_V.jpg


page 6
Titania_Brewlog_VI.jpg


page 7
real attenuation cut out for picture limit, click here if interested.

page 8
Titania_Brewlog_VIII.jpg


Titania_09.JPG


Titania_09_II.JPG


Aroma 10/12
Sweet bread, lemon zest, and orange. A small hint of alcohol heat and wheatiness. Very similar to Oberon.

Appearance 3/3
Bellowy head that holds at around half a finger. Exactly the same color and stability as Oberon. The color is maybe 1 SRM darker than Oberon but VERY close. The above picture shows the center beer a bit darker but that is only because of the picture, my two samples were the exact color and more like the one shown on the right. This beer is brilliantly clear with both yeasts but the 1762 sample is not fully carbed yet, so the head was underwhelming as shown in the photos.

Flavor 15/20
Malty sweetness and citrus are great. The citrus has an orange zest character to it and the finish showcases a pleasant wheat flavor. Gives a warming sensation in the aftertaste. The 1762 had a spicey note that was not as nice, still fine but not like Oberon. The 1272 was very close to Oberon. I had a slight tinge of astringency just barely noticeable that I have been battling in all my brews. I didn't tell Danika about it and she didn't notice so I think I may just be on hype-alert for the astringency thing.

Mouthfeel 5/5
Perfect, clears nicely from the palate to finish dry while maintaining a full body during the mid palate. I like the mouthfeel of mine better than Oberon and think the finish is much more pleasant, though they are vary similar.

Overall 8/10
Right on the money, pretty damn good beer. This is one of the best beers I have brewed and will likely make this a pretty regular thing. It is very close to Oberon and the finish on mine was more pleasant IMO. Not even sure what I would change. I will likely make a full gallon starter next time and try to culture some yeast from Bells.

I scored the 1272 version a 41/50 overall. I really think this is a good beer which I rarely say about any homebrew, rarer yet my own.
 
Back
Top