Here's the recipe I used. There's more of the story behind it if you care to read below. After 3 failed attempts to make the hefeweizen I was going after, I think I finally got it. It's not done yet, but so far it has the malt and clove flavor I want and it's much better than the last three.
Batch Size – 5.5 Gallons
60 minute boil
6.5 lbs White Wheat
3.25 lbs Pale Ale Malt
1 lb Munich
.75 oz Hallertauer – 45 minutes
.25 oz Hallertauer – 20 minutes
1 pkg Wyeast 3068 – Weihenstaphan in a 3 liter starter
Mash Details:
Ferulic Rest at 110 degrees for 30 minutes
Mashed at 152 degrees for 60 minutes
Drained mash tun and sparged at 168 degrees
Fermentation:
Cooled wort and yeast starter to 64 degrees
Decanted starter liquid and pitched yeast slurry
Fermented 62-64 degrees (according to temperature strip) for 4 days
Fermented 64-66 degrees on temp strip for 6 days
That’s where I am at now. I’ll bottle with 5.65 oz of corn sugar (2.9 vols) and let it carb and finish conditioning in the bottle.
I have explored many aspect of brewing with everything from excellent to bad results. For the most part it’s been easy. But the one thing that has given me the most trouble is making the hefeweizen/german wheat beer I wanted. To me, the ideal wheat beer would be heavier on clove, light on the banana, more malty than what I usually find in commercial brands, and no coriander or orange peel. Wyeast3068 and WLP300 have been the most difficult yeast for me to achieve what I was going after. I even tried WLP380 Hefe IV yeast, but it wasn't quiet what I wanted either. After three failed attempts, I think I finally got it. It’s 10 days into primary and almost ready for bottling, so it is way to early to pass final judgment, but so far, the flavor is right on what I was going after. It may not be a pure hefeweizen, but I’m calling it a hefe.
According to what I have read on various forums and websites, you achieve more clove flavor from this yeast if you do a ferulic rest, over pitch, and ferment colder. I did all three. It's not a strong or over powering clove flavor to me. It's right where I wanted it. All my previous hefes had way too much banana flavor, even when fermented cooler. I think combining over pitching and cooler fermentation was the key to getting more clove flavor. I'm sure the ferulic rest helped enhance it a bit, but it was really the over pitching that helped mellow out the banana.
Batch Size – 5.5 Gallons
60 minute boil
6.5 lbs White Wheat
3.25 lbs Pale Ale Malt
1 lb Munich
.75 oz Hallertauer – 45 minutes
.25 oz Hallertauer – 20 minutes
1 pkg Wyeast 3068 – Weihenstaphan in a 3 liter starter
Mash Details:
Ferulic Rest at 110 degrees for 30 minutes
Mashed at 152 degrees for 60 minutes
Drained mash tun and sparged at 168 degrees
Fermentation:
Cooled wort and yeast starter to 64 degrees
Decanted starter liquid and pitched yeast slurry
Fermented 62-64 degrees (according to temperature strip) for 4 days
Fermented 64-66 degrees on temp strip for 6 days
That’s where I am at now. I’ll bottle with 5.65 oz of corn sugar (2.9 vols) and let it carb and finish conditioning in the bottle.
I have explored many aspect of brewing with everything from excellent to bad results. For the most part it’s been easy. But the one thing that has given me the most trouble is making the hefeweizen/german wheat beer I wanted. To me, the ideal wheat beer would be heavier on clove, light on the banana, more malty than what I usually find in commercial brands, and no coriander or orange peel. Wyeast3068 and WLP300 have been the most difficult yeast for me to achieve what I was going after. I even tried WLP380 Hefe IV yeast, but it wasn't quiet what I wanted either. After three failed attempts, I think I finally got it. It’s 10 days into primary and almost ready for bottling, so it is way to early to pass final judgment, but so far, the flavor is right on what I was going after. It may not be a pure hefeweizen, but I’m calling it a hefe.
According to what I have read on various forums and websites, you achieve more clove flavor from this yeast if you do a ferulic rest, over pitch, and ferment colder. I did all three. It's not a strong or over powering clove flavor to me. It's right where I wanted it. All my previous hefes had way too much banana flavor, even when fermented cooler. I think combining over pitching and cooler fermentation was the key to getting more clove flavor. I'm sure the ferulic rest helped enhance it a bit, but it was really the over pitching that helped mellow out the banana.
