Scuppernong Honey Wheat Beer recipe questions

[phyllobeddo]

I plan to brew this tomorrow. I have 2 pounds of white wheat, also. Not sure which might be better, the pale or the white. Also, not sure about the bittering hops. I have a few different kinds on hand if there are any other suggestions.

2.5 gallon batch
2lb 2 row (Rahr)
2lb pale wheat
4 oz honey malt
.5 oz Tettnanger 60 min or maybe something else?
14 or more ounces of white scuppernong juice at 24 hours after visible fermentation (whatever amount is in the freezer bag after I squeeze the grapes)
Mash at 152 for 60 minutes
US-05 or Notty

 

[phyllobeddo]

I mashed in about 15 minute ago @ 152. I went with pale wheat and I am going with 20 grams of Tettnang hops (60 min). I have half of a packet of US-05, so I will use that. I am going to try my hand at yeast harvesting (Notty) today as well.

 

[phyllobeddo]

No love for the scuppernong, eh? Anyway, had a good brew day today. Everything went pretty well. It's cooled down to 66 right now. The STC 1000 controlling the wine fridge is set for 65 degrees. Not sure if I'll pitch before bed or wait until tomorrow night after work.

2.5 Gallon BIAB

2lb 2 row
2lb pale wheat
4 oz honey malt
20 g Tettnang (75 min)

Mashed at 152 for 75 minutes (Lost 10 degrees! Not sure why. I guess the barn door was wide open or something....)
Boiled for 75 minutes
OG 1044
Mash Efficiency per Beersmith - 81%
I thawed a bag of scuppernongs and put them in the fridge and will add the juice after fermentation starts up.

 

[TheHairyHop]

I don't really have any experience adding fruit juice to beer. Be sure to post your results. Not enough people do for these weirder batches

 

[phyllobeddo]

I pitched the US-05 dry on Tuesday morning. I normally rehydrate, but I got impatient and pitched before I left for work. The yeast took off some 30+ hours later. I added appriximately 18 ounces of scuppernong juice to the fermenter Thursday night before bed. Fermentation went crazy overnight and there was a bunch of liquid and gunk in the blowoff tube. I unplugged the STC1000 Friday morning with the temp showing 66 on the fermometer (STC was set for 65) because I was worried there might be a problem with the blowoff water getting to the space heater sitting in the bottom of the wine fridge/fermentation chamber. I came home about 12 hours later and the temp showed 62 on the fermometer. The STC temp probe read 60. I cleaned everything up and turned the STC 1000 back on for 65 degrees. I'm wondering how much affect the 66-60/62 degree 12 hour + swing will matter.

 

[phyllobeddo]

I bottled this on Sunday. Tastes ok warm and not carbed. After one batch with muscadines and one batch with scuppernongs I might be done using them in beer. Not overly thrilled with the flavor.

 

[BrewHound]

I crushed and pitched 3.5 pounds of muscat grapes into a saison I brewed a couple of years ago. It turned out beautifully!

 

[BrewHound]

Maybe it's the wheat/fruit combination that's not working for you? I'd say bottle it, let it age for a month and then try it. Magic can happen in that bottle given a little time.

 

[phyllobeddo]

Maybe it's the wheat/fruit combination that's not working for you? I'd say bottle it, let it age for a month and then try it. Magic can happen in that bottle given a little time.

I'm not giving up just yet. However, I have no muscadine/scuppernong beers in line to be brewed. I'll work on some other stuff for now while I wait on this one and the Midas Touch clone which has muscadine juice in it.

 

[phyllobeddo]

I taste tested a bottle of this last night and it tastes good at this point. It's not carbed up a whole lot, but I'm pretty happy with it so far. The scuppernong/grape flavor is real prominent, like a white wine. I'm not getting much honey flavor from it. SWMBO said it tasted good as well. She has a more discerning palate that I do. Depending on how it ages out, I would say adding some more honey malt might be worth a try.

 

[phyllobeddo]

I drank another bottle of this a few days ago and the scuppernong flavor is fading extremely FAST. I was kind of shocked. It still tastes good, but it tastes quite different. I'll keep taste testing them over the next few months.....

 

[TheHairyHop]

thanks for the updates. not enough people keep their tasting threads alive

 

[phyllobeddo]

Carbonation on this batch was a bit too low. I would add cara pils next time for some head retention and to add a little bit of body. This beer is a bit thin is terms of mouthfeel. The scuppernong flavor dissipated a lot, but is still there. Also, I would add maybe two more ounces of honey malt. Overall, it's a decent fruit beer.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Carbonation on this batch was a bit too low. I would add cara pils next time for some head retention and to add a little bit of body. This beer is a bit thin is terms of mouthfeel. The scuppernong flavor dissipated a lot, but is still there. Also, I would add maybe two more ounces of honey malt. Overall, it's a decent fruit beer.

I would think to be careful with the honey malt, in case it get overpowering. It does sound like you could use some cara though.

Avery in Boulder, CO does a beer/wine hybrid that really nails the recipe. I wish I knew how they made it.

 

[phyllobeddo]

I drank one of these tonight and it has really aged well. It turned into a really good light, home-brewed beer. The scuppernong taste comes through when it's around cellar temp. Otherwise, it's very muted. I probably wouldn't bother brewing this recipe again because there are a ton more that I would like to try first, but I gotta say that I am happy with how it has turned out.