Help with Dark Wheat beer grains bill

[HTH1975]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and this will be my second brew, but my first all-grain brew.

The recipe from Greg Hughes' Home Brew Beer book (p.193) calls for:

* Vienna Malt 3kg
* Wheat Malt 2.6kg
* Biscuit Malt 500g
* Crystal wheat 300g
* Carafa special 1

I'm a little unsure on some of the grains to use, as I can't get an exact match online.

I've ordered from The Malt Miller and got:

* Weyermann Vienna Malt
* Weyermann Wheat Malt (dark)
* Dingemans Biscuit Malt
* Crystal wheat malt
* unmalted wheat
* Carafa special 1

The one's I'm unsure on is the Wheat Malt (2.6kg) and Crystal Wheat (300g) - I don't want to screw up which grains to use. Is Crystal Wheat the same as Crystal Wheat Malt? Or, should I use unmalted wheat? Any guidance here would be very much appreciated as this was a fairly expensive grain bill at almost £50, so I don't want to screw it up.

I've got a choice of Wyeast 2565 Kolsch yeast or Whitelabs Kolsch yeast (WLP029). My average kitchen temperature is 16-18C, so it should be fine for fermenting this beer with either yeast from what I've read.

 

[MarkO22]

I just did a Midnight Wheat with the Kolsch yeast and it came out excellent. It was my first time using that yeast. Saved some after primary to do again in a couple of weeks.

 

[MarkO22]

It was the WhiteLabs strain

 

[giraffe]

Crystal wheat is the same as crystal wheat malt.

The wyeast 2565 will ferment better at those temps. It does take longer to floculate out though, so you may need finings for a clear beer.

The dark wheat malt is just wheat malt kilned a little darker. Since its a dark wheat Id be ok with using that.

 

[HTH1975]

Thank you both for your help - seems like I got lucky on my 'best guess' ordering.

Since you're being so helpful, can I push my luck and ask more questions?

Is there much/any taste difference using light or dark wheat? I assumed that using a darker one would be more to style.

Since I don't need the unmelted wheat, can you suggest a beer to use that up in the future? I've only got about 500g of it, but I hate waste. Might also be worth using that Whitelabs yeast up at the same time - maybe a lighter wheat beer?

 

[HTH1975]

Lastly, just over 6kg of grain to 27 litres sounds like a lot of grain - is that a normal amount of grain to use?

 

[m00ps]

that probably actually on the lower end of the spectrum

 

[giraffe]

dark wheat is used in dunkelweizens, and and other dark wheat beers. Its kind of like a wheat munich malt. ITs maltier, and a touch toasty.
The unmalted wheat can be added at around 5% to many styles to aid in head retention, stouts, bitters, pale ales, many others. A belgian wit would use it at like 30%.

 

[HTH1975]

Thanks for the help guys - this forum is great. Big thumbs up.

Is it worth adding 5% unmalted wheat to my brew detailed above for head retention? - or would it be best to use this for my (planned) third brew (milk stout)

 

[giraffe]

You will have no problem with head retention in a wheat beer. You got plenty of protien, and some crystal malt as well. Id save it for the stout. If the stout calls for flaked barley, you can use the wheat instead.

 

[MarkO22]

i used 3# 2-Row
3# munich
1.5# Wheat malt
1#.Flaked wheat
.5 #Special B
.5#Crystal
.5# Chocolate Malt