sappnasty
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- Jan 1, 2014
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Fellas,
I have searched high and low and have not been able to find a good solid recipe to clone Schofferhofer's Grapefruit Hefeweizen beer. I did find one on beersmith's website but it is all grain and I did not see any type of grapefruit ingredient. Here's the scoop on how and what I got...I live about 45 minutes away from Sanford, Florida (home of the famous Trevon Martin). There I found one of the best German restaurants that I have even been to in the U.S. and it's called the Willow Tree Cafe. I have been going there for years... mainly for the entertainment, 3L boots and numerous German beers on tap.
The Willow Tree has a main restaurant and then right around the corner is their german bakery and deli. Even better than that, right next to the deli is the Sanford Home Brew store, which is one of the nicest and most stocked stores I have visted thus far. Well until about a month ago, I had never heard of Schofferhofer and just recently tried one of their grapefruit weizens at a buddy's house.
I have been trying to get my wife into this hobby since my Mr. Beer days, but she does not like beer (I know, I know). However, when I tried my first one I really liked it, so last weekend when we returned to the restaurant for dinner and drinking, I had her try one and she loved it. Luckily she is excited to help me try and brew a clone batch of this beer. Hopefully this will open her eyes that not all beer is the same and there are probably hundreds more she would like as well.
It was only by chance that while we were at the restaraunt, I met the owner of the brew store who also works at the restaurant. When I told him that I am a beginning home brewer and that my wife really liked the beer, he said he had a recipe for me. I was a tad bit inebriated, so I told him I would come by his shop again later in the week to take him up on offering his recipe. The wife and I took another trip yesterday and talked with him. Since I haven't seen an actual recipe here or anywhere else on the net for extract or that uses grapefruit flavors, I will share what I have been given.
According to the brew shop owner, if you want to make a 5 gallon batch, you need to only prepare a 2.5 gallon wort, as the rest of the 2.5 gallons is grapefruit soda found at local ethnic stores (spanish markets have it around here). At first I thought he was joking, but he said it will be the closest thing you will get to cloning the original by using the soda. He said many have tried using actual grapefruits, but usual ended with a not so loveable batch of beer.
According to him, ingredients for the 2.5 gallon wort are as follows:
Yeast: White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (he said to pitch entire tube, no need for starter)
Hops: Hallertauer .5 oz (He said wait until the hot break occurs, then add hops into rolling boil for the remainder of the boil)
Extract: Briess Bavarian Wheat 3lbs DME
3 Gallons of water (said approximately .5 gallon will boil off during 60 minutes)
He said to bring 3 gallons of water to a rolling boil, cut heat and add all 3 lbs of DME. Bring back to a boil and after the hot break occurs, then add the .5 oz of the Hallertauer for the remainder of the 60 minute boil. Cool as quickly as possible and when at pitching temp, add the entire tube of yeast. After everything is ready, allow to ferment between 66-70F for 2-1/2 to 3 weeks.
He said after Hydrometer readings show fermentation is complete, simply take the 2.5 gallons of Grapefruit soda and 2.5 gallons of beer and add to 5 gallon carboy. According to him, no priming sugar is necessary due to the sugars in the soda itself. He said that even though the soda is already carbonated, the beer portion still needs to carbonate and allow 1-2 weeks for carbonation to take place in the bottle. He advised to refridgerate and test until it seems right and then drink as you wish.
I am still a total rookie at brewing, but I have everything to brew this batch and I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot. Even if it doesn't turn out right, I think I will have still won because I finally got my wife interested and involved. But according to the shop owner, it is delicious and very close to the original. I am planning on doing this on Monday, so I will keep it all in this thread and update along the way.
-Sapp
Here are a few pics:
I have searched high and low and have not been able to find a good solid recipe to clone Schofferhofer's Grapefruit Hefeweizen beer. I did find one on beersmith's website but it is all grain and I did not see any type of grapefruit ingredient. Here's the scoop on how and what I got...I live about 45 minutes away from Sanford, Florida (home of the famous Trevon Martin). There I found one of the best German restaurants that I have even been to in the U.S. and it's called the Willow Tree Cafe. I have been going there for years... mainly for the entertainment, 3L boots and numerous German beers on tap.
The Willow Tree has a main restaurant and then right around the corner is their german bakery and deli. Even better than that, right next to the deli is the Sanford Home Brew store, which is one of the nicest and most stocked stores I have visted thus far. Well until about a month ago, I had never heard of Schofferhofer and just recently tried one of their grapefruit weizens at a buddy's house.
I have been trying to get my wife into this hobby since my Mr. Beer days, but she does not like beer (I know, I know). However, when I tried my first one I really liked it, so last weekend when we returned to the restaurant for dinner and drinking, I had her try one and she loved it. Luckily she is excited to help me try and brew a clone batch of this beer. Hopefully this will open her eyes that not all beer is the same and there are probably hundreds more she would like as well.
It was only by chance that while we were at the restaraunt, I met the owner of the brew store who also works at the restaurant. When I told him that I am a beginning home brewer and that my wife really liked the beer, he said he had a recipe for me. I was a tad bit inebriated, so I told him I would come by his shop again later in the week to take him up on offering his recipe. The wife and I took another trip yesterday and talked with him. Since I haven't seen an actual recipe here or anywhere else on the net for extract or that uses grapefruit flavors, I will share what I have been given.
According to the brew shop owner, if you want to make a 5 gallon batch, you need to only prepare a 2.5 gallon wort, as the rest of the 2.5 gallons is grapefruit soda found at local ethnic stores (spanish markets have it around here). At first I thought he was joking, but he said it will be the closest thing you will get to cloning the original by using the soda. He said many have tried using actual grapefruits, but usual ended with a not so loveable batch of beer.
According to him, ingredients for the 2.5 gallon wort are as follows:
Yeast: White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (he said to pitch entire tube, no need for starter)
Hops: Hallertauer .5 oz (He said wait until the hot break occurs, then add hops into rolling boil for the remainder of the boil)
Extract: Briess Bavarian Wheat 3lbs DME
3 Gallons of water (said approximately .5 gallon will boil off during 60 minutes)
He said to bring 3 gallons of water to a rolling boil, cut heat and add all 3 lbs of DME. Bring back to a boil and after the hot break occurs, then add the .5 oz of the Hallertauer for the remainder of the 60 minute boil. Cool as quickly as possible and when at pitching temp, add the entire tube of yeast. After everything is ready, allow to ferment between 66-70F for 2-1/2 to 3 weeks.
He said after Hydrometer readings show fermentation is complete, simply take the 2.5 gallons of Grapefruit soda and 2.5 gallons of beer and add to 5 gallon carboy. According to him, no priming sugar is necessary due to the sugars in the soda itself. He said that even though the soda is already carbonated, the beer portion still needs to carbonate and allow 1-2 weeks for carbonation to take place in the bottle. He advised to refridgerate and test until it seems right and then drink as you wish.
I am still a total rookie at brewing, but I have everything to brew this batch and I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot. Even if it doesn't turn out right, I think I will have still won because I finally got my wife interested and involved. But according to the shop owner, it is delicious and very close to the original. I am planning on doing this on Monday, so I will keep it all in this thread and update along the way.
-Sapp
Here are a few pics: