Recipe Critiques

Building up my brew queue, just looking for some feedback on the recipes.

First will be a Very Lemon Hefe, based on [URL="https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/all-grain-insanely-lemon-hefeweizen-not-faint-heart-334749/“]this recipe[/URL].

I’m going with
4 lbs Wheat
4 lbs Pilsen
8 oz Light crystal (40L)
4 large lemons, halved, into the mash

Double decoction 95-122-149degF

1 oz Tettnang @ 60 minutes
4 large lemons, halved, @ 10 minutes

Pitching onto a cake of Wyeast 3068, if i have room in my fridge, ill try to ferment about 60degF


Next is my lovely blonde ale

6 lb Maris otter
2 lb wheat
8 oz torrefied red wheat (or so, just a little extra i have lying around)
Mash @ 151 for 60

.5 oz centennial @ 60 min
.5 oz amarillo @ 15 min

Good ole 1056 going into this one


And last, APA

6.5 lb Maris otter
1 lb toasted MO
1 lb Pilsen
.5 lb Caramel 80L
.5 lb Crystal 40L
mash at 131, decoction to 151

1 oz cascade @ 60
1 oz cascade @ 30
1 oz cascade @ 1

pitched onto 1056 from above

Bump. No one?

I think the lemon in the mash would be wasted, and I would change the 10 minute addition to 5. When you're brewing with fruit, it smells real nice, but if you can smell it, it's flavor leaving it... Or so the brewing network podcast on Belgian wits said.

So other than the lemon, everything was perfect? Damn I'm good!!

I don't know about he other two recipes, but as for the APA I don't see any reason why a decoction is necessary. I'd just do a single infusion mash at 152F. Also, you can consider moving the 30 minute addition to 20 or 15. You'll get more flavor (and a little less bitter) at those times.

One thing I've found that works good for me with fruit to get more of the fruit flavor is to rack onto the fruit after primary is complete and then as soon as the yeasties are done eating the fructose and have cleaned up after themselves go straight to bottle/keg. I just sample taste it every day or so after about the first week after I rack onto the fruit till I like it. In my head that also reduces any chance of infection from the fruit also since you have a good amount of alcohol, acidic environment and lots of yeasties. I did a peach mead awhile back like that and it turned out great. You may wanna use more then four lemons tho that's not much fruit.