General Brewing questiong regarding LME/DME

[Jayman931]

I am getting ready to start my second brew. This will be my first during a Tropical Storm 8*) I am doing a Hefeweizen.

6lbs Wheat LME
1lbs Briess Golden Light DME
1 oz Tettnang Hops
Wy3068 Yeast

I plan on doing 1/2 oz of hops at 60min and 1/2 at 30.

I have also read where people add only part of the malt at the start of the boil...and then add the rest at the end.

Is the reasoning only to make the final product a lighter color? Or will this do anything to the flavor? Mouth feel? etc Any comments and advice is appreciated!

Thank,

J

 

[aiptasia]

Usually, it has to do with flavor. I've seen people add fermentables such as honey in the last 15 minutes of the boil to preserve as much as the subtle flavor as they can (wildflower honey comes to mind). It's still a good idea to give it a 15 minute boil so that everything is nice and sterile.

 

[h22lude]

Color is one and another is hop utilization. You get better hop utilization.

 

[Toy4Rick]

Hey aiptasia,

I added 1/3 of my LME at the beginning and 2/3s at flame out and it still has quite a caramel flavor, which I don't care for in a Hef and it's still pretty dark. To me, the Hef flavors just don't come through well enough. The Hef I have in the fermentor now I used DME, did a full boil (2 -- 1/2 boils) and kept my ferment temp 62-68 and after 1 week, it tastes a ton more like Hef.

Here is my recipe, did a full boil in 2 batches, each batch consisted of:
3.0 lbs Wheat DME
4.0 oz. Wheat malt, milled for steeping
4.0 oz. Vienna malt milled for steeping 20 minutes
1/2 oz Hallertau hop pellets for bittering (AA=3-4%) for last 30 minutes due to better hop utilization with a full boil

Heated 2.75 gals water to 164 degrees, steeped grains for 20 minutes, squeezed using tongs
Brought to boil, took off flame and added DME
Brought back to very low boil, set timer for 60 minutes
Added hops at 30 minutes remaining

Much better color, much better flavor, no caramel flavor either, I like it

Toy4Rick

 

[Jayman931]

So if I did 3 lbs of Wheat LME and 1/2 lbs of Light DME at 60....and then the rest at 15min left of the boil it would make for a better Hefe? Or is it just personal choice?

 

[Toy4Rick]

So 3lbs of DME was for a 1/2 boil, I did 2 of those to get to a full boil to avoid doing a partial boil, trying to get a better beer and this was one of those items on my list.

IMO, if you use all DME, LME is not necessary. I believe that DME has less caramel flavor than LME which is why I am giving it a try.

YMMV
Toy4Rick

 

[Jayman931]

Toy- I did 6lbs total of LME (wheat) and 1lbs of DME (Pilsner/golden Light)...I split it in two...half at 60min and half at 30 min....I guess my other post wasn't that clear

 

[HomebrewMTB]

DME seems to foam up with more break material than LME so I would add that first. LME you can just add at flame out if you want. Just be sure to adjust your hop schedule for the increased utilization.

 

[Jayman931]

How would you suggest to "adjust" the hop schedule? (This batch is already made...so...its a little late for this batch but Hefe's are a fav so I'm sure i'll brew another soon)..
After I steeped my grains...I brought ot a boil took pot off flame..did 3 lbs of LME wheat and 1/2 of DME...brought back to a boil and did 1/2 oz Tettnang (at 60min)...then 1/2oz at 30 min...the I did the rest of the DME/LME (3lbs and 1/2lbs) at flame out....

Is this ok...or how do you all suggest I adjust it?

 

[aiptasia]

@Toy, looks like a great Hef recipe. By adding the majority of the LME/DME later in the boil, you can avoid greater risk of caramelization in the boil.

@ Jayman, only thing I can suggest is testing your current batch for flavor and aroma. If you feel like you need more hops presence in the beer in your next batch, you can always add a little more tett for aroma at 2 mins.

 

[unionrdr]

I use near equal amounts of DME/LME. But I add half of the 3lb bag of DME for hop additions,saving the LME for the end. Stir till no LME comes off the bottom of the pot,then put a lid on it & let it steep for 15 minutes. It's still plenty hot enough to sanitize the wort at that point.
Works every time for me. I get lighter colors,good hop utilization,& cleaner flavors. Especially when brew temps can be kept in check.

 

[govain]

Usually, it has to do with flavor. I've seen people add fermentables such as honey in the last 15 minutes of the boil to preserve as much as the subtle flavor as they can (wildflower honey comes to mind). It's still a good idea to give it a 15 minute boil so that everything is nice and sterile.

This. (for me) I made a cream ale from extract this spring and added about 2 lbs of wildflower honey (5 gal batch). It turned out fantastic. I ended up with about 7% ABV on that and drinking it really snuck up on you.

 

[Jayman931]

I am currently drinking the Hefe this thread is about. I kinda amazed myself! It is without a doubt better than any Hefe I have had since I was in Germany. I think I might just brew this every brew day! My good friend owns a brew pub and told me...Jay....if you would have told me this beer was from XYZ Brewery in Germany I would have believed you. Great compliment.