Hoppy American Wheat Recipe Feedback and Hopping Schedule

Hi all,

I was doing some looking online for a good hoppy American wheat recipe because I want something with a relatively quick turnaround. My current batch of DIPA doesn't really taste great and at 10.5% is a little strong for me to be an after work beer. I came across a recipe on the MadFermentationist blog that had been through a few revisions and I thought it sounded pretty good. I used BIABacus from BIABrewer.info to come up with the recipe and adjust it for BIAB efficiency. I feel pretty good about the recipe, but am not quite sure what to do with the hopping schedule. The MadFermentationist used hop extract at 65 min, 3 oz at flameout, 3 oz in a hopback and a 5 oz dryhop. I don't have a hopback so I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm thinking:

A) Split the flameout into a few late additions and use the hopback hops for flameout.
B) Keep the flameout and do a hopstand with the hopback hops.
C) Combine the flameout and hopback hops for a big hopstand.

I'm kind of leaning towards B but with all I've read about hopstands lately I'm wondering if C would give me a hoppier beer.

Here is the recipe as converted in BIAB:

Original Gravity (OG): 1.048
IBU's (Tinseth): 50
Bitterness to Gravity Ratio: 1.04
Colour: 9.9 EBC = 5 SRM
ABV%: 4.58

Mash: 60 mins at 67.8 C = 154 F
Boil: 60 min
Ferment: 14 days at 18.9 C = 66 F

54.8% Wheat Malt (4 EBC = 2 SRM) 2460 grams = 5.42 pounds
38.1% American Pale Malt (3.7 EBC = 1.9 SRM) 1710 grams = 3.77 pounds
7.1% CaraVienna (50 EBC = 25.4 SRM) 319 grams = 0.7 pounds

49.9 IBU Magnum Pellets (13.55%AA) 33 grams = 1.163 ounces at 60 mins
0 IBU Citra Pellets (10%AA) 65.9 grams = 2.326 ounces at 0 mins
0 IBU Amarillo Pellets (10%AA) 33 grams = 1.163 ounces at 0 mins
0 IBU Citra Pellets (10%AA) 65.9 grams = 2.326 ounces at 0 mins
0 IBU Amarillo Pellets (10%AA) 33 grams = 1.163 ounces at 0 mins
0 IBU Citra Pellets (10%AA) 131.9 grams = 4.651 ounces at 0 mins (Dry Hopped)
0 IBU Amarillo Pellets (10%AA) 33 grams = 1.165 ounces at 0 mins (Dry Hopped)

Mash Type: Pure BIAB (Full Volume Mash) for 60 mins at 67.777 C = 154 F
Mashout for for 10 mins at 75.55555556 C = 168 F

I'm also wondering about the mash temp. I read somewhere that wheat beers should be mashed between 152 and 155 so I decided to go with 154. Does this sound good?

Thanks!

Your mash temp is ok. Doing a mash for this at 152-153 would be what I'd do. The key I'd give you is to lower the fermentation temperature still further. Shoot for 162 degrees F. As far as all the hopping, it appears to me you are way over on the hop additions. What are you using 13 oz. of hops total for a 5 gallon batch? To me it's a waste of good hops. That would make me 5-6 five gallon batches of wheat ale. I don't dry hop at all. I agree with you on DIPAs. Making a high alcohol big beer just to do it is one thing but then you have to drink all of it and you find it's just not a session brew. There's a reason Bud type beers are in the low 4% range - they want you to drink a lot of it so they can sell more beer! So if you like beer and wish to enjoy it a lot, your 4-5% recipe idea will maximize your pleasure. But now you're going overboard on the hops. But it's your beer, knock yourself out. I bet you'll scale back on the hops on the next batch though. Something about diminishing returns with that hop schedule I'd say. Think not excess, think nuance.