Black Wheat Recipe

[TVlamis82]

Trying to formulate a recipe for a black wheat, this is what I've got. Any critiques?

5.5 Gallon
1.063 OG
16.6 IBU
29.6 SRM


Steeping Grains
8 oz Cara-Pils
8 oz caramel wheat malt
1 lb Carafa I

Malt
6.3 lb Wheat malt liquid extract
3.15 lb dark liquid extract

Hops
2 oz Hallertauer 60 min
1 oz Tettnang 5 min

Yeast
Wyeast #3056 Bavarian Wheat Yeast

 

[rodwha]

Are you looking for a roasty character?

When I devised my dark strong hybrid (black cream ale with amber taste) I was told to drop the carafa special for midnight wheat.

 

[rodwha]

I'm not completely positive, but I'd think the low IBU's wouldn't be noticed. Were it me I'd increase it a bit.

 

[TVlamis82]

Are you looking for a roasty character?

When I devised my dark strong hybrid (black cream ale with amber taste) I was told to drop the carafa special for midnight wheat.

Not looking for roastiness necessarily, I just wasn't sure what malt to use for getting the darker color.

 

[rodwha]

If using carafa you'd want to use the special (dehusked), but I was told that in larger quantities it still gives some roastiness.

Being that you aren't shooting for roasty I'd not use the dark extract either.

 

[rodwha]

Are you opposed to using some crystal malts to help adjust the color? It's not found in a wheat beer.

 

[rodwha]

I'm not sure that you'll be able to get a traditional wheat beer flavor from one you turned black. But it certainly can be muted.

I designed a recipe for a black hybrid beer that I was given the inspiration for from a cream ale I made, and how many of the Cascadian Dark ales I've had weren't roasty, but just black.

It's fermenting away at the moment so i can't tell you exactly how it tastes, but it's meant to resemble an amber or pale.

I used for a 6 gal partial mash:

4.5 lbs pilsen LME (FO)
2.75 lbs 2-row
1 lb crystal 20
1 lb brown sugar (FO)
0.75 lb midnight wheat
0.5 lb crystal 80
0.5 lb soft white wheat berries
6 oz carafoam
0.25 lb carafa I special
0.25 lb chococlate 350

1.061/1.012
6.4% ABV
37 IBU's
38 SRM

 

[rodwha]

Are you set on the low IBU's?

If not do you have more hops in a similar style? I think it'll be drowned out, and come across as much lesser.

 

[beeber]

I did something like this. It will turn out quite roasty. Cold mashing with midnight wheat will give less roasty character but it will still be quite roasty.

 

[rodwha]

Even midnight wheat adds a roasty character?

 

[beeber]

Even midnight wheat adds a roasty character?

Indeed it does.

 

[rodwha]

Less so than carafa special though?

I'm not too concerned about my beer, but it's nice to know, and for this fellow's beer it may be a deal breaker.

Is there anything, other than food coloring, that adds great amounts of darkness without the roasty flavors?

 

[beeber]

Having not made a black wheat beer with carafa it would be hard for me to speculate. But from what I've read Midnight Wheat will give you the most color with the least amount of flavor.

Keep in mind a wheat beer is about as delicate a flavor as you can get. Midnight wheat cold mashed would be the minimum amount of roasty flavors you can get.