Wheat Beer

I'm hoping to make a first attempt at brewing a generic "wheat beer" this weekend, and was wondering if there are any specific techniques/tips that I could benefit from?

I do a poor excuse for a mini-mash (soak in plenty of water in grain bag, then roughly rinse), but only for flavour. My recipe will be something like:

2 kg light malt extract
1 kg wheat malt extract
250 g pale 2-row
250 g wheat malt

Northern Brewer for bittering
Hallertau or Hersbrucker for flavour/aroma

Safale/Wheat K-97 yeast

Very simple, but that's the idea. Does anyone see any potential problems? Or maybe easy ways to make this better?

Here is what I have been drinking that I think turned out real nice. Inicially I thought it was too hoppy, but after about two weeks it mellowed out real nice. The cherry taste is not overwelming either. Everything turned out real balanced, though this was my first brew in many years so I would not go so far as to say it was by design. Just worked out well.



Michael Schaap
A ProMash Recipe Report
Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Extract (Lbs): 6.55
Anticipated OG: 1.053 Plato: 13.16
Anticipated SRM: 4.7
Anticipated IBU: 56.2
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Formulas Used
-------------
Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
% Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.
Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Garetz
Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
45.8 3.00 lbs. Muntons DME - Light England 1.046 5
50.4 3.30 lbs. Muntons LME - Wheat England 1.037 3
3.8 0.25 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2
Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.50 oz. Perle Pellet 9.01 41.6 50 min.
0.50 oz. Perle Pellet 9.01 14.6 10 min.

Extras
Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
46.00 Oz Cherry Puree Fruit 21 Days(fermenter)

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale


Notes
-----
Cherry Puree will be added to the secondary

i would make it 50/50 wheat/barley but otherwise it looks good. german hops are a definite must for wheats IMO.

heres a cool idea...(you'll have to do the conversion) keep your recipe the same but substitute your 2 row for 1 lb light crystal (tea bag this as usual) ...substitue malted wheat for 2lb raw wheat, grind/chop it up, mix with 1 lb crushed 6 row in 9qts of water. heat on stove(constantly mixing) in pot to 122F for 15 min, raise to 150F for 30 min, then raise to boil.... strain away liquid and rinse grains... add this liquid to your extract for the boil and proceed to steep crystal malt in grain bag.. it may be a little bit cloudy but thats what youre going for with most wheat beers, it will surely add body and authenticity without the AG hassle.

Are you going for a Hefe-style beer? I'd use only wheat extract...it's already 50/50 or 60/40 wheat to barley which is the perfect ratio. I'd also use the Hallertau for bittering at ~12IBU and skip the flavor/aroma addition, although you could certainly make that addition if you like that profile.

Well, primary fermentation is complete. I don't have my log book here, but the final recipe was something like:

1 kg Morgan's Beer Enhancer (basically LME with a bit of honey and glucose)
2kg wheat DME
150g dextrose
25g Northern Brewer @ 60 min
15g Hallertau @ 15 min.
10g Hallertau @ 1 min.

Safale/Wheat K-97 yeast

The 'Beer Enhancer' is in instead of a mini-mash because my LHBS had no 2-row, and the woman said this stuff was pretty good.

I was going to rack this to secondary, so took a gravity sample. Naturally I tasted it...Blecch!! It was horrible.

I actually thought 'band-aid' was a good way to describe it, but I don't even use bleach, and followed the same procedures I always have. The other possibility that came to mind was 'clove', having read that wheat yeasts can produce that at lower temperatures (this was fermented at about 16 Celcius). But surely nobody could desire this flavour!!

I've never tasted a hefeweizen or anything. I really like the wheat beer made by Redbacks' Brewery (in Australia), and another labelled 'Blonde' by Cascade Brewery. They certainly don't have any flavours like this - I thought the Safale/Wheat would be a good choice for a fairly straightforward flavour.

Can anyone help? Even better, has anyone used this yeast before? Might this taste just go away? If it doesn't, I think this batch is drain-bound

If your sanitation techniques were good then I would guess you are tasting the late/aroma hops. Hefe Weizen doesn't use any hops except for bittering.

Hefeweizens can take a bit of getting used to if you've never had an authentic one. They are significantly different than regular beers and ales. The first ones I had, I hated...but they can grow on you pretty quickly. I say, proceed, get in in bottles (or keg), give it a chance and see how it goes.

Maybe I just made a bad call on using this yeast...I didn't realise it would be so 'distinctive'. I'll go ahead and bottle, and age it for a while, but there's a good chance I won't drink much of it...

Ah well, at least I'm learning.

If you're looking for that distinctive German banana flavor I only recommend using German yeast.

homebrewer_99 said:

If you're looking for that distinctive German banana flavor I only recommend using German yeast.

Click to expand...

Was wondering if you would know how the White Lab Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (WLP300) compare to this Safale/Wheat K-97 yeast? I have not seen it before let alone try it yet... Been pretty much sticking to White Lab stuff.

Beer Snob said:

Was wondering if you would know how the White Lab Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (WLP300) compare to this Safale/Wheat K-97 yeast? I have not seen it before let alone try it yet... Been pretty much sticking to White Lab stuff.

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with Safale yeasts. I really can't help you.

WLP300 on the other hand is a good yeast, but I almost always use WLP351.

WLP351 is not in the White Labs brochure, but they list it on their website and it's only available in July and August.

If you buy it I recommend Midwestsupplies.com or any site you use because it'll be cheaper than from WL directly. They charge a lot for it plus like $19.00 shipping. WHOA!!! Go figure.

I can only get dry yeasts here. Basically a few safale yeasts, and a few saflager yeasts...

I bottled a wheat brewed in traditional German Hefeweizen style with Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan yeast this weekend. It has significant banana and clove flavors. I'm sorta perplexed on the flavors with your "Safale K-97" as the info on it says low ester production. Perhaps you did have an infection. However, clove flavors are supposed to be present in a wheat beer. Here in the US wheats generally take less flavor from the yeast and thus are fermented with different strains of yeast than German wheats. Another culprit could be poor aeration to start your fermentation.

With some general snobbery (kidding actually), I'd say that Safale yeast coming from France sounds a little fishy. France? Beer? Huh?

Levers101 said:

...With some general snobbery (kidding actually), I'd say that Safale yeast coming from France sounds a little fishy. France? Beer? Huh?

Click to expand...

Funny you should say that. France has a halfway decent beer called Fischer (German spelling) which means, same as us...someone who fishes.

Levers101 said:

I'm sorta perplexed on the flavors with your "Safale K-97" as the info on it says low ester production.

Click to expand...

They aren't estery flavours though. Like I said, I'm not sure if it's a strong 'clove' flavour or not, because I'm not familiar with that.

I'm pretty much certain now that it isn't an infection. I think maybe I just don't like the character of this yeast.

Hmm... don't know. I hope it turns out for you though. I hate to think if I ever had a batch turn out wrong in my opinion. I'd be pretty despondent.