Double Mash Dark Spiced Weizenbock

[thehaze]

Hello,

'tis the season of dark beers and I've been set up by friends, to concoct a dark, spiced beer. I've settled on a Dark Weizenbock, which I will double mash. One mash will be done at a lower temperature, whereas the second will be done at around 70C/158F.

The recipe will include all Weyermann malts: Extra Pilsner, Dark Wheat, Light Whear, CaraWheat, CaraBohemian and Chocolate Rye. ABV will land somewhere between 7.5 and 8%, SRM probably around 25-30, with 15 IBU and I'll be using Lallemand Munich Classic for the yeast. As for the spices, I'm thinking smidges of ginger, cinnamon, pineapple, orange and some banana chips. Some spices I'll add to the boil, some to the fermenter.

I'm wondering what is people's experience with dehydrated banana chips in the fermenter and orange peel? Has anyone used it, and how did it work out? Any advice and experience from actually brewing with the spices or the style itself, is welcome.

Thank you.

 

[Miraculix]

Looks much too busy for me.

Stick to two or three of the malts. Pilsener and wheat and dark wheat, for example.

Spices as well. Ditch the orange and the banana and definitely ditch the pineapple. You are making a beer, not a fruit salad.

Spices can be used to complement the flavour, but what you are going to create here is a overwhelming muddled mess of flavours.

 

[thehaze]

I was expecting reactions telling me it's too much or busy. So the pineapple and orange might be too much, I give you that. I am not going after a Vitus-type weizenbock, but a much darker one with the corresponding flavours, something like Schneider TAP6 - caramel, some light chocolate/toasted notes.

 

[Miraculix]

I was expecting reactions telling me it's too much or busy. So the pineapple and orange might be too much, I give you that. I am not going after a Vitus-type weizenbock, but a much darker one with the corresponding flavours, something like Schneider TAP6 - caramel, some light chocolate/toasted notes.

Then I would make a plan, what flavour i would expect from which malt.

Pilsener malt is the base. Wheat as well, but do you need two different wheats?

You can stick to normal wheat malt and then add one medium crystal malt for caramel and colour and chocolate for taste and for colour.

Or you stay with pilsener and dark wheat (never used the latter one, so cannot really judge it). If this gives you enough colour, then maybe the flavour is also already good. German beers tend to be really simple. And also crystal malt is not as common in Germany as in the USA. Maybe these two malts plus a dash of chocolate would already fit the bill.

 

[Miraculix]

Oh, and I don't know if I would want banana in there. The yeast will give you banana flavour anyway, so why bother with an ingredient with uncertain outcome.