Want to make Hefeweizen like Butternuts Heinnieweiss

[PapaJerseyG]

Hi All,
I want to make a hefeweisen as my next (and only second) batch. As a beginner, I would like to stick to mostly extract, but I need some tips. One of my favorite hefeweizens, which I would like to make something close to, is Heinnieweiss Farmhouse Ale from Butternuts Brewery in NY. It comes in the green cans. It's the perfect summer beer because it's lighter in flavor than most hefeweizens and is very drinkable (probably goes down too easily on a hot day). It doesn't really have any clove flavor to it and doesn't have a strong yeasty flavor. It's mostly citrus and banana flavors. Even the color is a very bright yellow. I've seen it described as a traditional Bavarian hefeweisen, but it seems less intense than the Bavarian one's I've had.

If anyone is familiar with Heinnieweiss, what are some tips for making somether similar using extracts?

Thanks!

 

[Kaz]

According to their website, its a weizen brewed with a 67% wheat in the grist and uses a traditional Bavarian weizen yeast and has a ABV of 4.9%. I'd go with about 7lbs of wheat DME, boil for 60 mins with 1oz of Hallertauer at 60 mins.. Ferment with WLP351 at 66F. I think you'll want to keep close tabs on your fermentation temps, its not bad if it rises up a couple of degrees but I would keep it below 70. Thats for a 5 gallon batch

 

[PapaJerseyG]

Wow, thanks for the fast response, I'll try this out. My basement stays at around 67 or 68 degrees so I will ferment it down there. I fermented my Extra Pale Ale in a room that was always 70 degrees except for a few hours where the temp in the room went up to 78. Hope it comes out okay.

 

[themashedone]

i have a heff in primary right now you could just buy a brew kit i get mine from northern brewer however im in milwaukee. they do have a web site and they have the freshest ingredients of any kit ive gotten. also the kind people on this site informed me that the banana flavor is created from the yeast so look into using different temps at fermenting to achieve your nanner taste

 

[Kaz]

Just be careful, if you're fermenting a wheat beer at 67 or 68F ambient, the temp in the fermenter will be a good 7-8 degrees higher. That will throw some more clove and spice flavor into the beer depending on the yeast strain you use. The flavor profile of the weizens is really dependent on yeast strain and fermentation temperature.

 

[PapaJerseyG]

Thanks, I didn't realize that the temperature of the fermenting beer would be higher than the ambient temperature. I read some other forum posts but I couldn't find exactly what the ambient temp should be for fermenting an extra pale ale vs a hefeweizen. What is the best example to follow?

 

[rfavors]

Just be careful, if you're fermenting a wheat beer at 67 or 68F ambient, the temp in the fermenter will be a good 7-8 degrees higher. That will throw some more clove and spice flavor into the beer depending on the yeast strain you use. The flavor profile of the weizens is really dependent on yeast strain and fermentation temperature.

I thought that it was the reverse of this. Higher temps (68-74) get more banana, and lower temps (60-64) give more clove and spice...

Many threads and replies on this site list it this way (although I have not personnaly brewed a hefe yet).

 

[Kaz]

Each yeast will behave differently at different temps. WLP300, if I recall will give more clove at Lower temps and WLP351 will give more clove at higher temps. I reference the book 'Brewing with Wheat' that has really good wheat yeast charts in the back.

 

[rfavors]

Thanks for the clarification. I am actually planning on starting my first hefe tomorrow. The SWMBO wants it swayed more towards the banana. I am using WY3068 (which I believe is similiar to WL300) so intended to ferment a bit warm.

Sorry ot hijack the thread.......

 

[PapaJerseyG]

Hi Kaz, I'm going to order the ingredients and make this soon. For 1 oz hallertauer hops did you mean pellets or whole? Also, do I boil the hops at all or just put them in when the 60 minutes of boiling is over? Thanks for your help!

 

[C-Rider]

Thanks, I didn't realize that the temperature of the fermenting beer would be higher than the ambient temperature. I read some other forum posts but I couldn't find exactly what the ambient temp should be for fermenting an extra pale ale vs a hefeweizen. What is the best example to follow?

Ihave my fermenting bucket sitting in a large plastic "tub" w/about 6-8 inches of water and 4 1/2 gallon blocks of ice during the day and 3 at night. It's outside in the shade here in Hawai`i and if you can believe the "tape thermometer" on the bucket the brew is sitting about 68. A remote thermometer sensor hangs from the bucket above the water, and the whole thing is covered w/a damp towel. Remote sensor has not gone over 72 so you could so something like this and keep it pretty cool.

 

[Kaz]

Hi Kaz, I'm going to order the ingredients and make this soon. For 1 oz hallertauer hops did you mean pellets or whole? Also, do I boil the hops at all or just put them in when the 60 minutes of boiling is over? Thanks for your help!

You'll want the pellets, and they get boiled for the full 60 mins. You just want the hops to bitter the wort, a weizen shouldn't have any hop flavor or aroma to it.

 

[PapaJerseyG]

I just got my 7 pounds of Munton's Wheat DME in the mail and whoa that's a big bag. What's the best way to dissolve all of that, just keep stirring and stirring? I read on one post that warm water is better than boiling water when dissolving dry extract, but this is also a whole lot of powder so may be there's a different technique.

I also was wondering, why is the DME better than liquid in the case of making this Hefeweisen? Is it lighter in color and/or body?

Thanks again.

 

[Kaz]

The DME does come out a little lighter in color, it is a bit of a chore to get it all dissolved in, just turn back your heat as you add it and stir, stir, stir. If you want to try for even lighter in color, you could boil half for 60 minutes and add the second half with about 15 minutes left. Either way doesn't affect the flavor much if at all.

 

[PapaJerseyG]

So, I finally made this beer. It took a while because I messed up the first batch and had to start again. My local home brew store only had Wyeast 3333 German Wheat yeast so I used that along with wheat dry malt extract of an unknown brand and Hallertau hops. The fermenting temperature usually hovered around 68 degrees F. The beer is done now and it's nothing like what I was looking to make, but it's still good. Instead of being very light yellow it's a dark amber color, and the yeast I used settled out so the beer is crystal clear. The flavor is potent, almost like a dunkelweizen. This was at least a good batch to learn from and I will still enjoy drinking it.

That said, I wonder how to get a very pale yellow hefeweizen. The DME seemed to turn dark brown as soon as I added it to the boiling water.

Thanks

 

[Kaz]

Couple questions....what's your boil volume? what was your fermentation schedule? A partial boil can lead to a darker finished product. Did you bottle? If so, you can swirl the bottle to get some more yeast in suspension when you pour. Late extract additions and stepping up to a full boil can help you get a lighter color. Since switching to all grain, my wheat beers can come out almost white.

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