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Brakeman_Brewing

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so in order to keep the brewing operation active at my household, ive been guilt-tripped into brewing a Hefe or a Belgian Wheat by SWMBO and our blue moon drinking roomate who happens to own our townhouse.....

(i know i just posted about an IPA but that idea is going to have to wait until i clear another primary.)

so far ive been working with extract kits from the LHBS and im looking to get out of kits and try one of the veteran brewers recipes from this forum! my problem is that im not ready to persue an all grain setup.

so if any of you guys maybe has an extract conversion or even just an extract recipe you think i should try i am all ears!
 
mr_stimey said:
so in order to keep the brewing operation active at my household, ive been guilt-tripped into brewing a Hefe or a Belgian Wheat by SWMBO and our blue moon drinking roomate who happens to own our townhouse.....

(i know i just posted about an IPA but that idea is going to have to wait until i clear another primary.)

so far ive been working with extract kits from the LHBS and im looking to get out of kits and try one of the veteran brewers recipes from this forum! my problem is that im not ready to persue an all grain setup.

so if any of you guys maybe has an extract conversion or even just an extract recipe you think i should try i am all ears!
Click to expand...


Use all wheat DME... maybe 6lbs? Adjust to your desired OG, then add an ounce of hallertauer at 60min in the boil and use wlp300 or wyeast 3068 and you are set. Ferment around 68.

and dude, guilt-tripped into it? I have to have a hefe going at all time in my house.

EDIT: Hopefully someone else will chime in, I'm not sure if it's necessary to steep wheat or not when doing an extract hefe. /shrug
 
i like hefe and wheat ales on hot summer days when its 90 degrees and i just got done mowing the lawn, ive been on a winterish type beer fix for the upcoming snow!
 
I would steep a pound of wheat on top of the extract. I did that for my last batch but due to moving I let it primary for far too long and lost a lot of yeast. If I were you I would let it prmary fo a week after hitting yur FG then bottle, maybe two at the most.
 
mr_stimey said:
i like hefe and wheat ales on hot summer days when its 90 degrees and i just got done mowing the lawn, ive been on a winterish type beer fix for the upcoming snow!
Click to expand...

I hear ya, I just love hefe's year-round. Dunno bout you, but for me winter means stouts and porters, I just polished off my first of the season, need to do another very soon.
 
Tenchiro said:
I would steep a pound of wheat on top of the extract. I did that for my last batch but due to moving I let it primary for far too long and lost a lot of yeast. If I were you I would let it prmary fo a week after hitting yur FG then bottle, maybe two at the most.
Click to expand...

I do 10 - 12 days in primary, then bottle/keg. Start drinking pretty soon after that.
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
I hear ya, I just love hefe's year-round. Dunno bout you, but for me winter means stouts and porters, I just polished off my first of the season, need to do another very soon.
Click to expand...

yea on friday i did a heavy porter, should turn around around 7.5-8%ABV and ive also got a newcastle clone in secondary. IPA is next, unless im otherwise persuaded and change my mind for an oatmeal stout.

Am i correct when i have read Hefe's are a very quick brew from primary to bottles?
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
I do 10 - 12 days in primary, then bottle/keg. Start drinking pretty soon after that.
Click to expand...

I am gonna shoot for that on my next batch. I am not so sure about the hops I want to use. Haullertauer are a bit mild for my tastes. Maybe I will up the hops by .5 oz next time as well.
 
oflannigan and or tenchiro, if you dont mind, could you do an ingredient break down for me? im going to try this out for sure
 
Is there a decent extract kit for a Hefe? I love Blue Moon, and I'm sure there is MUCH better out there.

Can I make my own extract kit, just buying extracts?
 
mr_stimey said:
oflannigan and or tenchiro, if you dont mind, could you do an ingredient break down for me? im going to try this out for sure
Click to expand...

Basically what Ó Flannagáin already posted but with 1# of Crushed Wheat on top of the 6# of Wheat Extract.
 
I added a tiny bit of Cascade for a slight edge in the taste and 1/2 wheat 1/2 dry malt for a bit of fun. I may actually try this one next. You can always drop the Cascade and go with 100% weat extract to and have a perfectly drinkable beer.

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator?item=6743

Generiweizen

Brewer: Michael Cross Email: -
Beer: Generiweizen Style: Weizen/Weissbier
Type: Extract w/grain Size: 5 gallons
Color:
6 HCU (~5 SRM)
Bitterness: 22 IBU
OG: 1.052 FG: 1.010
Alcohol: 5.4% v/v (4.2% w/w)
Grain: 1 lb. Raw wheat
Boil: 60 minutes SG 1.087 3 gallons
3 lb. Wheat extract
3 lb. Light dry malt extract
Hops: 1.5 oz. Hallertauer (4.25% AA, 60 min.)
.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 30 min.)
Yeast: German or Bavarian Wheat
 
very nice. this weekend i may have two primary's open so i might try two different recipes and see how they come out.


would any of you suggest zesting a few lemons and a few oranges and using the zest in primary?
 
OK, gonna have to disagree... if you are making a traditional hefe you need to stick with the noble german hops... most of the time it's hallertauer, but I think you can get away with tettnang as well. Cascade will turn your hefe into something else.

On a side note to the other poster, blue moon is not a hefe, it's a wit... similar ingredients but the yeast strains are quite different.

EDIT: Lemon and orange, maybe on a wit, I'm a big stickler about keeping hefe's traditional ;) But, its your beer, you may enjoy it immensley with cascade and zest in it.
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
OK, gonna have to disagree... if you are making a traditional hefe you need to stick with the noble german hops... most of the time it's hallertauer, but I think you can get away with tettnang as well. Cascade will turn your hefe into something else.

On a side note to the other poster, blue moon is not a hefe, it's a wit... similar ingredients but the yeast strains are quite different.

EDIT: Lemon and orange, maybe on a wit, I'm a big stickler about keeping hefe's traditional ;) But, its your beer, you may enjoy it immensley with cascade and zest in it.
Click to expand...

Yeah it is not traditional but I was looking to Widmer's Hefe and they use a combo of Willamette & Cascade for aroma. It is the beer I think of when I think Hefeweizen. Is also the reason I suggested 50/50 Wheat & Barley Malts.

http://www.widmer.com/beer_hefeweizen.aspx
 
i tell you guys what. if i end up with two open primarys this weekend. ill go strictly traditional hefe on one, and mix it up a bit and try something different with the other?

how does that sound?
 
mr_stimey said:
i tell you guys what. if i end up with two open primarys this weekend. ill go strictly traditional hefe on one, and mix it up a bit and try something different with the other?

how does that sound?
Click to expand...

Bah, make whatever you want man! :mug: :mug:












*subliminal* trraaaddiiitttiiioonnaalll *submilinal*
 
If you're aiming for a Widmer hef then look into the American wheat yeast strains. The Bav. and German are very banana/clover like and don't have the bitterness of the American Style hefe's, which in my opinion is just a pale ale made with wheat.
 
This is nuts!
If you like Blue Moon, I think you'll be disappointed when you ask for a hefe recipe on this board and it turns out nothing like Blue Moon. But....Blue Moon isn't a hefe, really, although it is a wheat beer.
So -- around here most people consider a hefe to be a German hefe-weisse or hefeweizen -- a wheat beer with a distinct taste caused by the yeast, someone clovey and banana-ey. And it will be cloudy.

If this is what you like, what you are really after, please say so and I will post up a simple extract w/grains recipe that I use for every batch I make -- it's fantastic!

If you're looking for a Blue-moon type beer, or something like a Boulevard Wheat, please say so and I'm sure someone can accommodate a recipe to meet that request.

Yeah, some American microbreweries are using the term hefewiezen for their wheat beers but these beers have very little in common flavor-wise, with the German hefe.

Not trying to be a pr!ck, just being blunt to avoid some confusion and wasted money/hurt feelings/disappointment. Happy Brewing! Let me know if you'd like that German Hefe-weisse recipe!
 
im not looking for a blue moon.....the blue moon comment was simply a side note explaining my room mates taste...looking for a german hefe...sorry for the confusion..........
 
LouT said:
This is nuts!
If you like Blue Moon, I think you'll be disappointed when you ask for a hefe recipe on this board and it turns out nothing like Blue Moon. But....Blue Moon isn't a hefe, really, although it is a wheat beer.
So -- around here most people consider a hefe to be a German hefe-weisse or hefeweizen -- a wheat beer with a distinct taste caused by the yeast, someone clovey and banana-ey. And it will be cloudy.

If this is what you like, what you are really after, please say so and I will post up a simple extract w/grains recipe that I use for every batch I make -- it's fantastic!

If you're looking for a Blue-moon type beer, or something like a Boulevard Wheat, please say so and I'm sure someone can accommodate a recipe to meet that request.

Yeah, some American microbreweries are using the term hefewiezen for their wheat beers but these beers have very little in common flavor-wise, with the German hefe.

Not trying to be a pr!ck, just being blunt to avoid some confusion and wasted money/hurt feelings/disappointment. Happy Brewing! Let me know if you'd like that German Hefe-weisse recipe!
Click to expand...

Dude, what are you doing?!?! we want him to brew a hefe and be pleasently surprised wtih a new taste!
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
Bah, make whatever you want man! :mug: :mug:












*subliminal* trraaaddiiitttiiioonnaalll *submilinal*
Click to expand...

Either way, you can't go wrong. But I will retract my term of Hefeweizen and call my recipe an "American Wheat that borrows the esters and phenols for its German heritage." Or something. :cross:
 
Tenchiro said:
Either way, you can't go wrong. But I will retract my term of Hefeweizen and call my recipe an "American Wheat that borrows the esters and phenols for its German heritage." Or something. :cross:
Click to expand...

I actually got crazy and brewed a chocolate stout, replaced half the pale with wheat, used hallertauer and WLP300 and it was quite a wierd beer. Called it "choconanner stout" was actually pretty tasty, along the lines of a dunkel but a bit more STOUT
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
I actually got crazy and brewed a chocolate stout, replaced half the pale with wheat, used hallertauer and WLP300 and it was quite a wierd beer. Called it "choconanner stout" was actually pretty tasty, along the lines of a dunkel but a bit more STOUT
Click to expand...

Nice, add some lactose and/or maybe some cherries in the secondary and name it the Choconanner Split. :ban:
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
I actually got crazy and brewed a chocolate stout, replaced half the pale with wheat, used hallertauer and WLP300 and it was quite a wierd beer. Called it "choconanner stout" was actually pretty tasty, along the lines of a dunkel but a bit more STOUT
Click to expand...

That sounds interesting.
Will you brew it ever again?
 
Here's the link for my favorite german hefe recipe, trying to clone my favorite beer during my trip to Germany, Franziskaner Heffe-weisse:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=70991

It's pretty close, you'll fine toon it over time to be even better. Mine's tuned to my late extract addition methods, but the link gives the basic recipe that I started with. Good luck!
 
My own recipe is pretty simple, but I do small boils and Late Addition (to keep the color/carmelization down).

1 lb of Extra Light DME boiled in 1.5 gal of water with 3% AA Hallertau hops for 45 mins. Remove from heat. Add and dissolve 5 lbs of Wheat DME (1 lb at a time while stirring to dissolve), Let steep for 15 mins.

Sparge wort through a nylon net on the bucket and top off to 5.25 gals with PUR filtered tap water that's been in the freezer (in closed milk jugs) for 4-5 hours prior to brewing.

Temps are down in the mid-60s-70s within minutes.

Record temp and gravity. Add yeast. Yeast starter is made 1-2 days prior. I use WLP 351 (available only in July and Aug, but I wash mine so I have plenty) and 3068 (sometimes).

Ferment (around 72F to pull the banana flavor out) for 10 days in the primary. When the gravity drops 75% from OG then it's ready to bottle/keg. :D

I've made 8 batches this year. It's my "session brew" and I drink it all year long.
 
LouT said:
This is nuts!
If you like Blue Moon, I think you'll be disappointed when you ask for a hefe recipe on this board and it turns out nothing like Blue Moon. But....Blue Moon isn't a hefe, really, although it is a wheat beer.
So -- around here most people consider a hefe to be a German hefe-weisse or hefeweizen -- a wheat beer with a distinct taste caused by the yeast, someone clovey and banana-ey. And it will be cloudy.

If this is what you like, what you are really after, please say so and I will post up a simple extract w/grains recipe that I use for every batch I make -- it's fantastic!

If you're looking for a Blue-moon type beer, or something like a Boulevard Wheat, please say so and I'm sure someone can accommodate a recipe to meet that request.

Yeah, some American microbreweries are using the term hefewiezen for their wheat beers but these beers have very little in common flavor-wise, with the German hefe.

Not trying to be a pr!ck, just being blunt to avoid some confusion and wasted money/hurt feelings/disappointment. Happy Brewing! Let me know if you'd like that German Hefe-weisse recipe!
Click to expand...

I like to think I have a varied palate, ive yet to find a beer I don't enjoy. Down here it's hard to find different types of beer at the shops. So it looked like Blue Moon when I pour it in a glass, also similar to the unfiltered wheat beer at Hops restaurant - so I assumed it was that or close. I'll admit I googled for pronunciation. Errr....

I'd like for you to post that recipe, it will be the first beer I make.

edit: Nevermind.. :D
 
I used HB_99's recipe the first time I brewed a hefe -- it's easier than mine, and like he says it's a great session brew. (Thanks again, Bill!) But after a few batches I've come to love the Franziskaner clone - since the Franzi is my favorite, this one's my most regular beer.
Also, read up on harvesting and washing your yeast on this site! It saves $$ on those expensive liquid yeasts if you can at least get 3 batches out of that $7 bucks yeast!
 
LouT said:
I used HB_99's recipe the first time I brewed a hefe -- it's easier than mine, and like he says it's a great session brew. (Thanks again, Bill!) But after a few batches I've come to love the Franziskaner clone - since the Franzi is my favorite, this one's my most regular beer.
Also, read up on harvesting and washing your yeast on this site! It saves $$ on those expensive liquid yeasts if you can at least get 3 batches out of that $7 bucks yeast!
Click to expand...
It's strange that they're all the same, but different.

Franziskaner is a great one for sure. I'd like to get some more Julius Echter or a Tucher...or a recipe for either.;)
 
so back to the topic at hand, i ended up brewing a hefe using the following...

1# wheat
6# wheat (65% wheat 35% barley) LME
1oz Hallertauer
wyeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen activator

steeped wheat at 155° for 30 minutes

added LME

added 1oz hallertauer @60 mins

my hydrometer cracked when it dropped after brewing my IPA earlier saturday evening so unfortunately i dont have an SG reading and i need to get a new hydrometer lol.

pitched yeast @80 degrees and currently in primary @65-70 degrees

thanks for the input and lets hope this turns out GREAT!
 

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