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shadowmage36

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
2
Location
Newark
Recipe Type
Extract
Yeast
Safbrew WB-06
Yeast Starter
No
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
No
Batch Size (Gallons)
5
Original Gravity
~1.053
Final Gravity
1.101
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
Color
< 5
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7 day in glass @ 65F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
No
Additional Fermentation
Continues fermenting once kegged for a few days
Tasting Notes
Smooth, estery, and phenolic. Very much a traditional German hefe, with added spices
So there's a bit of a story about this one...I needed another keg of beer for the Halloween party this past fall, and only had eighteen days to do it. So I panicked a little bit, threw this batch together, and hoped for the best. It's quick, it's easy, and it's very very tasty at only 2 weeks old. A good beer to brew if you need something last-minute.

Bill of materials for 5 gallons:

6 lbs Wheat DME (55% wheat, 45% barley)

1 oz. Hallertauer pellets (3.8% AA) @60 min
0.5 oz. Hallertauer leaf (4.3% AA) @10 minutes
0.5 oz. Hallertauer leaf (4.3% AA) @flameout

0.5 tsp powdered cloves @~45 min
1 long (~8") cinnamon stick @~45 min

Safbrew WB-06

Procedure:

1) Bring ~3 gallons water to a boil. Remove from heat and add DME. Return to heat.

2) Add hops and spices according to schedule.

3) Cool at the end of the boil, add to carboy with 2 gallons cold water. Top up to ~5-5.25 gallons (you'll lose a bit).

4) Pitch yeast, cover.

5) PUT A BLOWOFF TUBE IN YOUR FERMENTER.

DO NOT USE AN AIRLOCK!!! USE A BLOWOFF TUBE!!!

6) Let ferment for 7 days, then keg and force-carb at around 1.010 S.G. It will continue to ferment in the keg, so if you're going to bottle this let it go until the S.G. is stable for 2 or 3 days before bottling to prevent bombs.

7) Serve chilled as soon as its properly carbonated. Though it definitely benefits from aging, it will be quite tasty even only a couple weeks after brewing.

This batch went over very well at the party, even after only 18 days from kettle to cup. The rest was consumed at a Christmas party, after which I was informed that it was indeed a fantastic beer. This is definitely staying in the rotation for whenever I need a quick hefe.

EDIT: The F.G. should be 1.010, NOT 1.101. I apologize for the typo.
 
Hey that sounds good, I need to do a wheat soon. Two questions:

- How prominent is the clove/cinnamon flavor?
- Can you fix the F.G. number?
 
Yeah, I noticed the F.G. error a little too late...not much that I can do about it at this point, you can't edit the fill-in bits of the recipe form once it's posted. However, as I noted in my edit, and I'll note here again,

The F.G. is 1.010, NOT 1.101.

As far as the spiciness/clove flavor is concerned, it's there but not overpowering. The yeast really dominates this one, especially with the WB-06. It's no more clovey than any other hefe I've tried, and the cinnamon is barely there. You could probably omit both and still have a very tasty beer, but I like that added subtle layer the cinnamon adds.
 
I'm gonna give this recipe a whirl sometime this week. I had a question regarding the cinnamon stick. Do you have to do anything to the cinnamon (break it up, crush it, etc) before dropping in the brew pot?
 
Sorry for the delay in answering, IffyG. No, there's nothing special to do with the cinnamon. I just drop the whole long stick in. You could certainly crack it or grind it and get more flavor extraction, but that wasn't the intent of it. Mostly it's there to provide an additional, yet subtle, layer of flavor complexity. I hope the brew went well for you!
 
No worries, it turned out great. I ended up using 65/35 wheat DME since I pulled the recipe from memory at the LHBS and only remembered the wheat DME part. I also added about half an ounce of cracked coriander with about 15 minutes left in the boil. Even my wine snob roommate enjoyed a pint last night. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
 
I thought I couldn't find the dme listed here but I found it. I'm gonna brew it some time next week.
 
I had to change the hops as my LHBS didn't have what you suggested, but I just tried it today as I checked the SG, and I like it! I know I will like it more once its carbed and chilled. I was thinking about adding cherry flavor to it (to appease the women that will be drinking it this summer) but don't want to turn the whole batch that way. I might bottle half as is, then add some cherry syrup or something to the bottling bucket for the rest. What do you think?
 
Just be careful if you're adding syrups, as many of them contain sugar in addition to the flavorings. The other thing to watch out for is preservatives. Things like potassium or sodium sorbate, potassium benzoate, or sulfites of any sort. This will prevent your batch from carbonating. That would be bad.

My preference if I was going to add a fruit flavor would be to just use a few pounds of frozen fruit and secondary it. That adds another couple of weeks to the process, of course, but then you get a more natural and full flavor. But that's just me. Feel free to completely disregard my opinion.

What you should definitely NOT disregard is my earlier warning about preservatives. Other than that, go nuts! Any kind of fruit flavor shoud meld fairly well with this beer.
 
I would transfer to a secondary, but I only have 2 carboys and the other is in use for a cider. I have a cherry tree in my back yard and would love to use those, but they are sour cherries and I don't think would taste too good. We'll see what happens...I probably won't do anything and leave it as is. Thanks.
 
Quick question for bottling: Will this carb in the bottle as is or will it still need to be primed?
 
Ok so I brewed this 3 weeks ago. Spent two weeks in primary and a week and a half in bottles.

I had a friend over who is in the marines. We opped open two bottles. It was amazingly good. I definetly recommend this beer to anyone who wants a nice quick hefe brewed.
 
made this sans clove and cinnamon. besides a little bubblegum from a high pitch temp, and slightly higher ferm temp, this turned out fantastic!

thanks for the recipe! brewing up another batch this weekend
 
I just made a big mistake i put way to much clove in this. I put almost 1 oz instead of 1/2 tsp.
What should i do?
 
Taste a gravity sample when done fermenting, and make another quick batch and mix if its too strong...cant take back spice, unfortunately
 
I wouldn't. When I made it it tasted great immediately and peaked quickly. It's still drinkable after a few months, but I like it much better when its fresh.
 
brewing this today, only thing is I dont have any clove, so should I not use the cinammon or would it be ok without clove
 
You can spice it however you like. I add the clove because I like it as a counterpoint, along with the cinnamon, to the esters from the yeast. It certainly isn't required, though! Tell us how it comes out!
 
Well, since it's Halloween time (almost!) I've got another batch of this stuff on the stove tonight. It's going to be a bit of a rush job, but I think if I double pitch I should be OK. XD We'll soon see if it's any good after 10 days, kettle to glass. I think it should be, especially since it's going in the bar with Vlad the Impairer, my new pumpkin imperial. I'm changing this one up this time, using some ground cinnamon in the boil instead of sticks (since I don't have any), and whole cloves. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.
 
Howd it go? Was it ready in 10 days?

Yes! It was actually a big hit at the Halloween party! We had 20 gallons on tap for something like 150 people over the course of the night (we do Halloween parties right at my house: 3 bands, a DJ, and the county police who came by to tell us to tone it down commenting that, "[they] never got to go to parties like this!" :cross: :mug: ). The ground cinnamon came through a little less than expected, so I think I might have to add more next time if I want it to still be there quite as much. Other than that, no problems whatsoever!
 
**RESURRECTION**
I'm going to make this, but use whole Cloves and halve the amount in the brew. Unless anyone says otherwise?!
 
Yikes, I need to check this thread more often! If you're using whole cloves I'd advise using *more*, not less, as your flavor extraction is improved with more surface area. Powdered cloves have more surface area than whole, so you'd need more to get the same flavor. Unless you want less clove flavor. It's barely there as it is, with such a small amount. I'm re-brewing this tonight, probably, so I'm going to be putting it even more through its paces as far as pushing the panic button goes! :mug:
 
I recently brewed this and after bottle conditioning for a week, like the results. For my first time brewing this beer I have to say it turned out pretty decent. Thanks for the recipe and all the advice in this thread!
 
Also has anyone ever put strawberries or blue berries in a hefe? Any suggestions? I've got the berry bushes so ensuring no pesticides is covered. I'm thinking when i put the beer in secondary to have them mashed up at the bottom.
 
Also has anyone ever put strawberries or blue berries in a hefe? Any suggestions? I've got the berry bushes so ensuring no pesticides is covered. I'm thinking when i put the beer in secondary to have them mashed up at the bottom.

If your not using a carboy, I'd recommend putting the fruit into a grain bag to save on clean up and crap getting into the finished product, best one is cherries, blueberries don't offer much flavour, the other one is raspberries.
 
I brewed this last weekend. Just took my first final reading and was at 1.010 on day 9. I will take one more reading tomorrow and hopefully bottle. Thanks for the great recipe!
 
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