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Dry hopping an American Wheat?

Discussion in 'Extract Brewing' started by Eliterunner1, May 17, 2012.

 

  1. #1
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 17, 2012
    So I recently brewed a AHS Honey Wheat kit that is very much a classical wheat beer using Wyest American Wheat 1010 yeast. I recently have purchased a pound of Legacy hops from hopsdirect.

    These hops aren't very well known so I am anxious to try them out! Would it be so bad if I wanted to test them out in about a 7 day dry hop? If so how much should I use? They are supposed to have a citrus black currant flavor/aroma, 7.8 % AA.

    Any advice is welcome!
     
  2. #2
    Scooby_Brew

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 17, 2012
    Me personally I don't like too many hops in my American Wheat, but I heard of some people going as far as brewing an India Wheat Ale.
    IMHO, all you need to use is about 1 oz of those hops at the end of the boil too see if you like them or not. American Wheat is a light ale, good with many types of hops, so hopefully you will be able to asses the hops pretty well.
     
  3. #3
    smokinj

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 17, 2012
    Do it! I'd taste test it after 4-5 days, though. I do a gumballhead clone that is my favorite wheat beers. I use 2-3 oz in it.
     
  4. #4
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 17, 2012
    yeah the entire brewing process only used 1oz of cascade anyway. I just want to give it a really citrus aroma and when i bagged these hops they smelled pretty great!
     
  5. #5
    MMJfan

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 18, 2012
    I'm brewing an Oberon clone and I'm planning on dry hopping with at least 1 oz of Cascade hops at the last 7 days of Secondary to give it a more citrusy aroma.
     
  6. #6
    Getzinator

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 18, 2012
    I agree with sampling before you go all out with it. Maybe make a very light hop tea and mix with your sample as it goes into primary, and I would even do it once again right before you intend to dryhop.

    Never hurts to be too careful, and this way you can tell how much you want in there before you actually add.

    Sorry, I'm incredibly immature and this made me laugh. The word you're looking for is assess :D
     
    Brewchitect likes this.
  7. #7
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 18, 2012
    Just an update on this American Wheat, my OG was 1.055 which is a considerable amount higher than the kit said it would be and I have no problems with this. Not only that but my gravity after primary was 1.010 which is quite a bit more fermentation than what beer smith even calculated it to be at. Am I missing something because none of the estimated calculations ever add up...

    Oh and after a taste test it was great! even with a short amount of time in primary (I always reach a FG faster than two weeks...), but I will be adding those Legacy hops in DH.
     
  8. #8
    smokinj

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 18, 2012
    Glad it turned out good! The only reason and extract kit should be over on OG is if you put below the target volume in the fermenter. Alternately, if you didn't correct your hydrometer reading for temperature that could give an incorrect result. What was the beer expected to finish at?
     
  9. #9
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 18, 2012
    I looked over beersmith again and the FG I measured is good for a final gravity, it just fermented much faster than expected I suppose. It said the gravity should be at 1.018 by the end of primary. That OG i listed was corrected for temperature.
     
  10. #10
    david_42

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 19, 2012
    I do recommend using only an ounce of hops and checking it every day.
     
  11. #11
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 19, 2012
    Yeah thats what I was thinking, I don't want to over do it.
     
  12. #12
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted May 21, 2012
    Well I put in 2 oz of Legacy into the bucket and it is smelling great!
     
  13. #13
    TyTanium

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2012
    Any update on this? Trying to get a sense for Legacy hops.
     
  14. #14
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 19, 2012
    In fact yes! They were quite prominent in the dry hop. True to the description they created a distinct berry flavor. It really created the perception of a sweet honey flavor even though it fermented quite dry. My ipa is almost done dry hopping with a combination of Legacy and Cascade so ill update that too!

    IMG_0250[1].jpg
     
  15. #15
    TyTanium

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    Thanks for the update! I have a wheat pale fermented warm with Kolsch yeast, so it's dry and fruity...was planning on Cascade/Willamette, but I might have to try the Cascade/Legacy...sounds perfect. Wish I had 2.5g carboys for a split batch!!
     
  16. #16
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    I know how you feel. I only have the NB basic homebrew set plus a carboy. If you want that deep berry flavor then you won't be disappointed with Legacy. Even though I only dry hopped it it had a huge amount of flavor. I didn't find it to be very citrusy as some people have found, but definitely a smooth berry taste. Update on how it turns out!
     
    TyTanium likes this.
  17. #17
    TyTanium

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    Thanks. I'm mixing with Cascade, so that should take care of the citrus. If I forget to update, remind me in a month :)
     
  18. #18
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    Sounds good
     
  19. #19
    mewithstewpid

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    amarillo is a great dry hop for wheats as well
     
  20. #20
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    This is true! I've only ever heard of good things about Amarillo for most beer styles.
     
  21. #21
    ChrisLeSure

    New Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    +1
     
  22. #22
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 20, 2012
    Its hard to find right now so I figure I might as well wait until the new crop is done.
     
  23. #23
    logan3825

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jun 21, 2012
    That might be a while. A few months.
     
  24. #24
    TyTanium

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jul 31, 2012
    Update:
    Split the batch.
    Cascade/Willamette was as expected and is a great combo
    Cascade/Legacy I'm not loving. I don't get much berry, not even much citrus...it just tastes a bit vegetal and off. Maybe I overdid the dry hop, we'll see if it improves with some age.
     
  25. #25
    Eliterunner1

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 1, 2012
    The honey wheat I did was great with the dry hop of legacy. Could be the yeast? I'm not sure because I've never made a Kolsch. I used Wyeast American 1010 for the honey wheat beer
     
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