First recipe.. hefe.. sound ok?

Not really mine.. just mess around with it in beer smith.. just making sure it will be ok..


BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Hefe-Wizen Beer
Brewer: Brian Myers
Asst Brewer:
Style: Bavarian Weizen (Weissbier)
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.97 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 3.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 13.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.55 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 5.05 %
7.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 67.16 %
3.00 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 27.79 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (20 min) Hops 9.0 IBU
0.50 oz Challenger [7.50 %] (10 min) Hops 4.2 IBU
1 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP300) Yeast-Wheat


Mash Schedule: My Mash
Total Grain Weight: 10.80 lb

I would up the amount of wheat to at least 50% of your grain bill. I would also dump the challenger hops, just do 60 minutes with the Hallertauer to get your IBUs. - Dirk

derogg said:

I would up the amount of wheat to at least 50% of your grain bill. I would also dump the challenger hops, just do 60 minutes with the Hallertauer to get your IBUs. - Dirk

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Agreed 100%. Also, if you're really going for a Bavarian style, use the WLP300 - it'll throw more esters.

EDIT: Stick with the WLP300. The 320 strain is an American hefe strain that ferments a bit cleaner.

just an ounce of the hallertauer for 60min?

One of the beautiful things about making many German beers (pilsners, helles, hefes) is their wonderful simplicity.

Making a great hefe with just 50/50 pilsner/wheat, and a single charge of a single hop just has such a wonderful feeling for some reason. It is really something that puts your methods to the test.

Ferment cold, around 62F.

aekdbbop said:

just an ounce of the hallertauer for 60min?

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Yup! You don't need much bitterness to oppose the modest grain bill, and hop flavor isn't really characteristic of a hefe.

ChrisKennedy said:

One of the beautiful things about making many German beers (pilsners, helles, hefes) is their wonderful simplicity.

Making a great hefe with just 50/50 pilsner/wheat, and a single charge of a single hop just has such a wonderful feeling for some reason. It is really something that puts your methods to the test.

Ferment cold, around 62F.

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Curious about that last statement. Wouldn't you want to ferment a hefe at higher temps to produce more esters and bring out the fruity banana flavors?

Yes, you would have to ferment at higher temps to get the banana esters...around 70F.

ChrisKennedy said:

Ferment cold, around 62F.

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Nothing wrong with that if you're trying to tame the esters that hefe yeasts tend to produce.

I'm kinda partial to the banana and clove flavors, so I'd jack the temperature up to 70° F or even slightly higher. Also, to add a little stress to the environment, I wouldn't aerate too much, and I'd pitch a modest starter (only 1-2 liters per 5 gallons). Those techniques should produce a very estery profile in your hefe.

It is an interesting thing to be sure, since it would be common sense to think that a hefe is basically defined by the yeast characteristics, so why reduce the temperature of fermentation, thus reducing the esters and phenolics. However, there is no shortage of phenolics and esters at 62F, I assure you, and the balance of them comes out so much better (to my tastebuds) than when fermented higher. This idea comes from Jamil Z who got it from some one, and when he first heard the idea of fermenting at 62F, he had the same reaction, but when you gotta try it to see what it does for your Hefes.

I'd get rid of the flavor hop as well, especially since it's challenger.