Weissbier Honey Orange Hefeweizen

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Anyone have problems with head retention on this? I'm drinking one now that's been conditioning for 8 days and after an initial rush of bubbles when pouring and then it quickly dissolved to a thin line of nothingness. It also is a bit flat on the mouthfeel. Could it be the CO2 needs a bit more time to get into solution?

That just means it isn't properly carbonated. 8 days isn't really enough. The general rule of thumb is it takes a minimum 3 weeks at 70*F for it to be completely and properly carbonated.

Give it some more time. And be sure you refridgerate the bottle at least 24 hours before you're doing to try it. :mug:


Here's a great video that details carbonation over time:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just an update...

I gave this recipe yet another try. I am very thankful that i have had some great help from all of you guys on this thread and another thread I have started for some more general help.

I mashed on Wednesday evening and boiled very late in the night. I boiled down to 5 gallons only because I had a pre boil volume of 6 gallons not 6.5. My post boil OG was 1.049-1.050. I attempted the no chill method before pitching the yeast the following evening. This morning I woke up to a very lively fermentor! In fact I needed to remove the airlock and install a blowoff valve into a old milk jug with a little Sani water in it.

The aroma of this recipe is amazing! Props to the chef!

I am hoping the FG or the flavors won't be messed since I had to install a blow off.

Thanks again! You guys are the best!
 
I just tried my fully ready version of this recipe tonight, and baby it is good. Even my SWMBO really likes it. The back end of this beer is my favorite part, between the citrus and the wheat, it's a very good beer. Will be drinking 4 gal. During the super bowl.
 
The aroma of this recipe is amazing! Props to the chef!

I am hoping the FG or the flavors won't be messed since I had to install a blow off.

Thanks again! You guys are the best!

Thanks for the kudos. And no, installing a blowoff has absolutely no effect on FG or flavors. Airlocks and blowoff tubes are simply tools to allow CO2 to escape


I just tried my fully ready version of this recipe tonight, and baby it is good. Even my SWMBO really likes it. The back end of this beer is my favorite part, between the citrus and the wheat, it's a very good beer. Will be drinking 4 gal. During the super bowl.

Ha! And the nice thing about it being a session-ish beer is you can drink to your hearts content.

And if your SWMBO isn't a beer person then that is a huge compliment.
 
Reno_eNVy said:
Thanks for the kudos. And no, installing a blowoff has absolutely no effect on FG or flavors. Airlocks and blowoff tubes are simply tools to allow CO2 to escape

Ha! And the nice thing about it being a session-ish beer is you can drink to your hearts content.

And if your SWMBO isn't a beer person then that is a huge compliment.

SWMBO is not a beer person, she is a once a quarter Blue Moon type gal, so Yes big compliment. I make her taste every beer that I bring home, or make, and this one is one of the few that she didn't make "the face".
 
I bottled this beauty last night!

My FG held around 1.008ish giving me a 5.5 - 5.6% abv. The color is amazing and the flavor is off the hook!

I can't wait for this... 30day count down has began

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Should I scale the grain bill if I want to brew in a bag?

I don't see any reason to unless you get low efficiency. I believe this recipe is set to 75% efficiency. Do you usually scale recipes for BIAB?
 
I've only brewed in a bag a few times, and always used a BIAB recipe. I am bad with keeping notes, so I have no idea what my efficiency is. I need to set up an equipment profile in BeerSmith.
 
I usually get 74-76% efficiency with BIAB and a coarse crush from the LHBS crusher. My process looks like this:

-heat strike water
-put bag in pot and stretch over the sides
-scoop in grain and stir continuously (2 people)
-check temps and adjust
-wrap kettle in a blanket and wait an hour
-occasionally I check temps and stir once or twice during that hour
-after the mash, I stir up the grains really well this time, then I collect the bag and pick it up. I let it drain into the kettle until it slows, then I lower it back in the pot, stir, and repeat the draining process.

Usually after the draining has slowed I will put the bag into a fermenting bucket or other vessel and let it continue to drain while I heat up the boil. I let it sit for about 20-30 minutes then I pull out the bag, dispose of the grain (or recycle it for your purposes), and pour that wort into the kettle.

On my last batch with this method I got 74%.

Hope this helps!

-Jason
 
@TheJasonT, thanks!
What I've done in the past, is take my grain bag out, and sit it inside a colander over a pot. I sqeeze it from the top with a plate, and leave it alone.
While my wort is coming up to a boil, I let the bag drain. Once it hits boiling, I just dump whatever came out from the bag back into my brew pot.

I'll make sure to keep careful track of my numbers today in order to figure out my efficiency.
 
I am going to brew this on Thursday, only a 4 gallon batch though.

Added By: Enf0rc3r
Method: Partial Mash
Style: American Wheat or Rye Beer
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 4 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3 gallons
Efficiency: 55% (brew house)

1.75 lb Flaked Oats 33 2.2 21.2%
1.75 lb American - Pilsner 37 1.8 21.2%
1.75 lb American - White Wheat 40 2.8 21.2%
1 lb Canadian - Honey Malt 37 25 12.1%
2 lb Dry Malt Extract - Wheat 42 3 24.2%

0.5 oz Tettnanger 60 min 4.5 8.93 Pellet Boil
0.5 oz Tettnanger 10 min 4.5 3.24 Pellet Boil
3 oz Orange Zest 10 min Flavor Boil

I assumed 55% efficiency because this will be my first partial mash. I also bumped up the honey because I love it and wanted the ABV a little higher.
 
Hmmm, honey malt is kinda like crystal: adds a bunch of non-fermentable sugars (hence the sweetness) so you'll get a higher original gravity but you'll also end up with a higher final gravity. So it won't be a real noticeable boost in ABV.

And as far as the efficiency goes, 55% is really low, even for a first time. You may end up with something much stronger than you anticipated.
 
Thanks for the tip. Maybe I'll scale it back to 1/2 pound. That recipe setup is right from brewers friend.
 
Fermenting was 7 days bottles for three. Day 11 it tasted UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Personal Recommendations:
1. a tad more honey malt
2. Hint of orange extract to make it more robust
 
I am getting ready to keg this bad boy. On my last sample I took, it was absolutely crystal clear. I am a kegging noob. How do I ensure that I will get yeast up in suspension? I am assuming I can just drag the autosiphon around in the muck when I transfer to the keg, but when I serve, should I jostle/swirl the corney around first before I serve it? I don't want to pull all the yeast out on the first pint!
 
Yeah just try to pick up some of the trub but just the upper layers where most of the live yeast will be.
 
I'm brewing this Friday night and am making minor changes to the original (extra .5 lbs of Pilsen and using WLP-320 yeast), but wanted to ask about water adjustment. Anyone else notice this is beer needs acid added? I typically have to add 1-2oz of acid malt to a lot of my pale/amber ales and none on stouts, but this beer requires 4 oz of acid malt to get my pH in range. It seems to be because of the wheat but I wanted to see if anyone has had efficiency issues due to pH or correcting water ahead of time on this brew. I've only done one other wheat beer and my efficiency was super low (65%) compared to a standard two-row & crystal grain bill (78%).

Thanks!
 
I hope this isn't too dumb a question, but given there is so little grain, could this recipe (AG version) be done BIAB on my stove top? I haven't purchased an outdoor brew pot and burner yet, I only have a 4g stove top brew pot.
 
Made this a few weeks ago and just took a sampling out of the fermenter....Wow what a great refreshing beer....I like the slight banana and clove you get from the 06 yeast with the orange and honey flavors ....it's a good combo IMO

Read through the whole thread didn't see anyone that has tried entering this into a competition ...Trying to decide between 6D American wheat or 15A Weizen....I'm leaning towards Weizen the numbers are closer based on the guidelines ....maybe do both and let the judges decide

Props to the OP!!! Great recipe
 
Personally I'd avoid entering it into 15A. I believe when judging German beers they should follow reinheitsgebot and the inclusion of oranges might get you docked points.
 
I am getting ready to keg this bad boy. On my last sample I took, it was absolutely crystal clear. I am a kegging noob. How do I ensure that I will get yeast up in suspension? I am assuming I can just drag the autosiphon around in the muck when I transfer to the keg, but when I serve, should I jostle/swirl the corney around first before I serve it? I don't want to pull all the yeast out on the first pint!

Just pulled my first pint off this...WOW!!!! :)

My first wheat beer. Beautiful color. Very happy with the mild residual sweetness of the honey malt, the light citrus of the orange rind, and the light clove/spice/breadiness of the 06 dry yeast. Great thick creamy head and plenty of lacing along the glass. Both refreshing and satisfying. Thanks Reno eNVy!!

For the record, I BIAB'ed and no-chilled, and primed this at 30psi x 1 day and then 3 weeks at 10psi on 5' hoses. Came out great!!
 
and primed this at 30psi x 1 day and then 3 weeks at 10psi on 5' hoses. Came out great!![/QUOTE said:
Question: Why 30psi/one day then 10/3 weeks? I usually do 20 for 2 weeks then serve at 8/10

Just asking.....
 
Question: Why 30psi/one day then 10/3 weeks? I usually do 20 for 2 weeks then serve at 8/10

Just asking.....

I was going to do the whole force carb thing, and was going to do the "36hour 30psi, and then @ serving psi method", but I got busy with several other projects and just left it at my serving rate of 10psi and everything worked out fine.
 
might have to give this a shot. I'm a big blue moon fan and have the AHS blue moon clone AG version in my primary as we speak. wonder if I could use the washed yeast from that batch for this brew?

I like the fact that you can turn this beer around so quickly..........
 
You can most certainly use the washed yeast from that batch. What's the yeast strain?
 
Hmm yeah that might add a little extra yeast character but it should work out just fine. Try to ferment in the low-60's

:mug:
 
Yup. You can use either American Wheat or German Hefeweizen strains.

Thanks, I just brewed my first batch saturday. It will need to ferment and condition for roughly 6 weeks. I have the grain bill to do a stout next. Plan on brewing that in the next couple of days. It will need to sit for 8 weeks. I really need a drinkable beer NOW so this one will be on the docket within the next couple of weeks :D. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!
 
Whoa, 6 weeks? Why would you wait that long? Let this sit in primary for 10-14 days, bottle, start drinking after 7-10 days!!
 
Whoa, 6 weeks? Why would you wait that long? Let this sit in primary for 10-14 days, bottle, start drinking after 7-10 days!!

it's a blue moon clone. fermentation schedule calls for 4 in the primary and 2 in a secondary. gonna try to stick to the schedule.

I love fruity beers so i think this will be a great one for me. I appreciate you taking the time tosharethis recipe and see it through this thread
 
Sorry, this is just my opinion, but nooooooo you don't want to extend the primary for a hefe and you definitely don't want a secondary. That strips away a ton of yeast that would otherwise add flavor!
 
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