Citra Pale Ale Recipe Question

[jwalker1140]

This is MoreBeer's Citra Pale Ale kit recipe:

12.0 lbs 2-row
0.5 lbs white wheat (malt, I assume)
0.5 lbs carapils
0.75 lbs crystal 15L
0.5 oz Magnum @ 60 min
1.0 oz Citra @ 15 min
1.0 oz Citra @ 5 min
1.0 oz Citra @ dry hop

Can someone tell me what the white wheat contributes to this recipe? My guess is better head retention but wouldn't you get plenty from the carapils/crystal/hops? Seems unnecessary.

Also, would 0.5 lbs of wheat malt be enough to add a noticeable amount of haze to the beer? Thanks!

 

[motorneuron]

As far as I know, hops won't change head retention. Carapils, as you say, will help (as will crystal, especially very light crystal like this). Wheat and carapils in small quantities accomplish something similar--they aid in head retention and keep the body up, too, since they add unfermentables (carapils/crystal: dextrins, wheat: proteins).

If you are looking for a reason not to use the wheat (e.g. you already have the other ingredients and don't want to make another trip), you can just drop it or use a little more carapils (though half a pound is usually fine). But if you have the chance to, might as well use it. I always enjoy the body it adds, which has a certain thickness that is very satisfying. And the quality of the head on a beer with wheat is a little different--it has fine, persistent bubbles (think of a hefeweizen).

And no, half a pound of malted wheat won't appreciably haze your beer.

 

[jwalker1140]

Thanks for the input. I didn't think of the quality of the head being a little different. I'm going to use the wheat malt and see how it compares to similar beers I've made that don't include it.

And I dunno, my hoppier beers, especially when I dry hop with >1 oz, always seem to have better head retention and lacing than my less hoppy beers. I guess it could be other factors, but this seems to support my personal observation:

http://brewwiki.com/index.php/Head_Retention#Hops

Hops
As mentioned in the introduction, isohumulones which are a form of alpha acid also will enhance the head retention of beer. Alpha acid is the primary bittering agent in hops. Therefore highly hopped beers will have better head retention. Obviously overall malt-bitterness balance is still required, but one can use higher levels of hops, particularly in darker full bodied beers to enhance head retention.​

 

[motorneuron]

Very interesting about the hops--I had never heard that before. Learn something new every day! Thanks.

 

[Holter]

This is MoreBeer's Citra Pale Ale kit recipe:
Can someone tell me what the white wheat contributes to this recipe? My guess is better head retention but wouldn't you get plenty from the carapils/crystal/hops? Seems unnecessary.

Also, would 0.5 lbs of wheat malt be enough to add a noticeable amount of haze to the beer? Thanks!

First off I have never heard of that hop / head retention thing. That's definitely an interesting little tidbit of info there. I wish there was some sort of reference link on the wiki as to where that came from.

Anyway, to your questions. The white wheat can contribute a bigger rounder mouthfeel and better head retention mostly, but it will also contribute to the malty flavor of the beer as well. Yes you would get some of the retention from the cara-pils, but wheat will do that as well. I dont think you will get a substantial amount of haze from the wheat with only 4% of the total grist coming from wheat.

But i think what you are asking is, if i have 4% of carapils and 4% of white wheat put into the grist for the same purpose - essentially making it 8% - is that too much? I dont think so. I usually try to only use 5% of carapils whenever I use it, but for pale ales having some additional body and a some malty wheat flavor would be a good thing.

My $.02
Holter

 

[jwalker1140]

First off I have never heard of that hop / head retention thing. That's definitely an interesting little tidbit of info there. I wish there was some sort of reference link on the wiki as to where that came from.

Looks like it came from the BeerSmith blog: http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/06/25/enhancing-beer-head-retention-for-home-brewers/
A quick google search turns up plenty more sources that say the same thing.

But i think what you are asking is, if i have 4% of carapils and 4% of white wheat put into the grist for the same purpose - essentially making it 8% - is that too much?

No, I was just wondering if, at only 0.5 lbs, is each going to offer something discernible, or would I get the same thing by using 1.0 lb of one or the other.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I like to toss in a bit of wheat malt every time I brew an IPA, partly because I feel like it helps head retention, and partly because I have 20 kilos of wheat.