Fruit Beer Lemon-Lime Hefe Weizen

@fendersrule , dunno if you are still interested, but I only have ever used WLP380, and dry WB06
All mashed at 158
The two done with WLP380 finished at 1.010/1.013
The three done with WB06 finished at 1.005 or 1.006.

 

Also, the Saaz will give you peppery/floral/spicey
The Motueka would have given you more limey/pith/citrus

 

Thanks Balrog. Good to know Saaz is not really the same thing. Hoping the beer will still taste incredible, didn't have much option at the HBS. The hopping on this beer is ultra light anyhow. I almost got Lemon Drop instead, but stuck with Saaz being that it's in the same family as Motueka according to the Motueka hop info page.

Thanks for the info on WB-06. Sounds like she'll get down there pretty low, which is great news. If she gets down to 1.006, then I'll have myself a 5.7% beer. It will be interesting to see what she gets down to.

I mashed at 156.5 for 55 minutes.

I pitched it this morning @ carboy temp of 64F.

Still curious on why my efficiency was a mere 61% with this brew, usually my BIAB efficiency is a clockwork 70-71%. But I'm thinking this beer may be better at 5.7% than it would be at 6.5%.

 

Wheat is smaller than barley kernels and my eff goes down on mostly-wheat grists due to less milling efficiency.

If you used the called-for Sorachi Ace, you will get **PLENTY** lemon from the hops, so you might end up with a more "lemon shandy" kinda flavor. I prefer lime and have been moving Motueka, changing Motueka and lime zest additions, as I try to get what I want out of this recipe. But you should know from the hydrometer sample at pitching what flavor profile will kinda be like. The WB06 will add a touch spice (barest hint of clove) to the flavor profile.

 

Perfect. I would expect the lime flavor to come in too...I used 1oz of lime shavings as opposed to .5oz.

Good to know that mostly-wheat grists will typically lower efficiency. I'll know that for the future and just plan better for it. With my last grist bill of 18% flaked white wheat I'm able to get about 70% efficiency. But this grist bill was 33%, so yea, good to know.

Plus, I got limeaid ready to go in a couple days....I tried to leave .6 gallons of space in my fermenter for it. Assuming it's good to add once the krausin falls?

Not sure if this was prescribed or not, but I did get "flaked white wheat" instead of "white wheat malt". I don't run the flaked wheat through the mill.

It may be good to practice a "mash out" step for brewing with wheat as well, or simply just run the grain bill at 60% efficiency if wheat is 25% or greater of grist bill and proceed. OR just run a 90 minute mash as opposed to a 60 minute one. OR simply just add another pound of wheat.

 

I was just thinking that my pH meter kinda told me the story too. I had it estimated at 5.38, and it came in at 5.56. my assumption is that the flaked wheat just didn't get dissolved very well in the mash. It wasn't a mixing issue, I stir usually for 3-5 minutes and slowly pour it in. I think next time I'll do with the wheat grain is 25% or more is just to add another pound of it.

 

OK, you'll not necessarily get the same sugar from flaked as from wheat malt. See for instance this thread to read about differences between flaked/torrified wheat and malted wheat. That might also have something to do with your efficiencies, as you had fewer conversion enzymes available to the overall mash by not using malted wheat. And no, you don't need to run flaked wheat through mill, it's already been made ready for easy gelatinization by being rolled (typically under steam sometimes).

I pour in the Limeaide once the "exotherm" has passed, day 1.5-2.5, but I datalog my feremter's temp. If you wait until krausen drops you might be waiting a while.

I BIAB and don't mash out. I soak at starting mash temp, stir at 30m and draw syringe sample for pH meas later when cool and syringe keeps it from evaporating changing the pH, then I raise bag to drain at 60m. Conversion is likely done by 10m in since I Corona mill to dust, so I don't worry much about holding long term time mash temps.

 

good point. On BrewGR, I removed white wheat and put in "flaked" white wheat. Looks like I was at 63% given my OG of 1.050, so that's better than 60%!

You're right, flaked wheat just doesn't have the same amount of sugar....appears to have less. It still seems like I should up the amount if using flaked next time...by a pound...just to keep things as calculated.

Thanks for the other advice. I'm speculating I've made a good beer.

Wanted to ask you for pH sampling too: I just let it mash for 10-15 minutes, then I just draw some from my spout. Does it need to be "mixed" before a pH level is obtained? If so, that kinda sucks...means more heat loss and off with the sleeping bag!

 

Depends on whether you are doing 3 vessel or BIAB or whatever, BUT, when I BIAB the conversion is finished quickly, 10-15m. And 8+ gallons of 158F thermal mass just ain't gonna change much in 10-15m. So I say don't worry about opening at 30m to stir.

And yes, by golly, absolutely stir before taking a sample of anything anytime anywhere. You need homogeneity or you are sampling something that is likely stratified. Stir the crap out of it. Don't slop it on the kitchen floor, you'll get in trouble for that; but stir.

I used to wrap in Reflectrix double wrap, then in a moving blanket, then a sleeping bag. I brew in the garage in MA, all winter. My temp drop over 60m was the essentially the same when I used just the double Reflectrix. I stopped some of the madness by eliminating, to my process mind you, unnecessary insulation.

 

Welp, yeast activity is going on. My room must be like 62F, and that carboy is approaching 66F. So My guess is that the Limeaid will probably go in tomorrow night at the earliest. By sure by Sunday night. Basically, you just wait until the temps start to fall?

Here was my exact grain bill.

63% efficiency.
7 Gallon boil, 4.5 gallon into carboy.
5.8lbs Pale 2-Row
.8lbs Vienna
3.3lbs Flaked White Wheat

.2 Oz Saaz 60 minutes
.2 Oz Sorachi Ace 10 minutes
.2 Oz Saaz 7 minutes
.2 Oz Sorachi Ace 5 minutes
1 Oz Lime Zest 5 minutes

Est IBU - 12.4ish

OG = 1.050
FG = Est. 1.005-1.006

Mash pH (non-stired) = 5.56. May not be accurate, but at least it shows that I did the right thing by adding 6.51ml of Acid! Couldn't imagine not adding acid for this grain bill...nothing in it that will lower pH at all.

5.7%ish ABV.

How would you adjust that grain bill next time if I wanted to account for the efficiency using that % of flaked wheat? Would you simply just add another lb of flaked wheat and call it good? Another lb of flaked wheat at 63% efficiency would bump up OG to 1.055, giving a 6.3% est ABV which I would suspect would be good for this beer.

 

btw, just calibrated my hydrometer again, and now it has a +5.5 correction factor.

Are hydrometers really this finicky? It may have been that my OG was just dandy.

I may have been right on target with this batch, and should probably expect a 6.1-6.3%er

 

While they say the paper can slip, I have never had one be off 5pts myself.
Measure with (preferably) RO/distilled water, at the hydrometer's calibration temp so no correction required, and that's your offset if it reads <> 1.000.

Then check it every once in a while. If the paper inside is moving, every little bump could alter the readings.

 

Yep. I measured 62F of Distilled water...it was off. Ordered another Hydrometer.

That would explain my efficiency issues too....I may have really been at 1.055-1.056 instead of 1.050.

1.055-1.056 would be 69%-70% efficiency, which I've been getting like clockwork...

btw, I've had a nice mild fermentation, even with Limeaid. Not even close to an explosion, and I didn't even need blow off tubes for this one. Very mild fermentation! The hottest the carboy has gotten is 68-69F. When the heat started to down (to about 66F is when I added the Limeaid. Began fermentation at 62F.

 

LHBS was out of WLP380 Hefeweizen IV Ale yeast...they recommended WLP351 (Bavarian Weizen Yeast). Anyone of have experience with this strain?

 

Checked today and I'm at 1.006. Any reason that I really need to leave it in for 3 weeks like the recipe states? Airlock has been nearly dead for the past 5 days. Seems like this sucker fermented fast.

I'm planning to bottle this on Sunday upon a hydro re-check.

Balrog: I got a new hydro in the mail. It calibrated EXACTLY at 1.000. The other one I checked again at 1.005.5ish. Going to trash the other one. Looks like I got 70% efficiency like clockwork...

If I assume my hydrometer was reading +05.5 upon OG check (which I will safely assume so), looks like I ended up with around what the recipe stated, a 6.3% stomper.

The beer smelled a bit green, or maybe that's the hefe lemon-lime taste I'm not used to, or the peppery smell of saaz, but the taste was fantastic and full of lime flavor. No doubt this will be a winner.

 

On my list to brew soon.

 

I always wait the 3 wks, but the fermentation police won't show up with a citation if you do things differently.

 

I always wait 3 weeks for bottling, but I don't understand why 21 days is necessary for fermentation of 0-7% beers, especially one that doesn't really need to be aged or dry hopped.

I almost always find that fermentation has completed around the 7-10 day mark. I then proceed to bottle or dry hop and wait an additional 5 days.

If the FG is reached, it's reached. Otherwise it's just precious time that could be used for bottle conditioning instead.

Today starts the beginning of the 9th day of being in the primary (5 days ago was Limeaid).

Balrog, so far I'm getting exactly the same FG you hit with the yeast....

 

I just give it time to clear a bit; but I also bottle when time allows and I'm in the camp of not rushing it unless there's a reason to rush it.

 

Clearing would happen in the bottle during conditioning and during the fridgeration part, too. I get what you're saying, I just never have read, heard, or seen of the 4-week fermentation process for the majority of common beers. I have read that most people tend to agree that 4 weeks is usually the safe max (not "min") when trub-off flavors could start to impact the beer...others agree 6 weeks is definitely a better max, but I just haven't read of any 4-week minimums in the fermenter.

There isn't any rushing as long as you are checking your FG readings. Rushing is only taking a gravity reading once, and then just assuming it's done, regardless of how long it's in there.

The only "rule" i follow like clockwork is bottle conditioning = 3 weeks. Maybe it's psychological, but it seems like 3 weeks allows for most of my beers to reach their peak.

For ciders, it's 4-5 months of bottle conditioning, sadly. Longer is always better for those.

 

Bottled on Sunday. She's done at 1.006.

Taste was the same. A tad bit pepper and plenty of lime flavor. Will be interesting to see how she tastes in 3 weeks from now.

 

Brewed this Saturday with Lemon Drop (because I had it) and Sorachi Ace. Will be interested to see how it comes out.

 

That Butt Lite may be close to the final bodily fluid,
after drinking this. (You may need to add some Clydesdale
urine to properly copy that "stuff.")

I have GOT to try this recipe!

steve

 

Brewing this now. Is that 1/2 of 1 lime zest or 1/2 oz of lime zest?

 

I’ve always went with 1/2oz....

 

I brewed this Saturday for the second time, followed my notes from last summer and zested six limes. Didn't weigh the line zest, but last year's batch was so good that I didn't want to change anything.

 

I am still drinking mine and its my go to summer beer. My main recommendation if you like lime flavor is to switch from simply limeade to Trader Joe's limeade. It is just much better lime flavored overall. I have also moved over to more motueka and less sorachi ace.

On another note I came across the best limonada I ever had the other week at a hole in the wall roasted chicken shop in Arkansas. It may be similar to this recipe below, but they pureed the limes and it absolutely blew me away. I had to wait 37 years to try the best limeade I have ever had. Not sure if the pith will need to be removed completely, but I will be considering making this for my next batch of this beer.

https://www.laylita.com/recipes/limonada-lemonade-or-limeade/

 

Quick question for anyone who has brewed this. I am brewing it this weekend, have the starter going right now. The hop schedule puts my IBUs over 20 rather than closer to 11. Did everyone else scale back their hop additions to get the IBUs in range or just throw in .25 oz at the addition time. I have to scale back to .15 oz on each hop addition instead of .25 to get to 11.4 IBU.

 

I adjusted hop amounts to hit the ibus with the (different) hops that I used.

 

I use the amounts as I want the flavor and the diff in bitterness was not a problem
If you scale back the hops, worried about IBU, you will have less flavor & aroma from them.

 

Bottles are finally Carb'd up and I must say Slim, great recipe!! I was a little worried it'd end up too much like a shandy with the juice, but this is a perfect hot weather beer. Noticeable lime flavor (I zested 3 med/lg limes for a total of 10g zest), but it's not overboard. The lemon-lime flavors seem much more "natural" than what you'd get out of a bud-light lime. I dig it, will definitely brew again.

 

This is a very tasty recipe. I'll be rebrewing / modifying with different flavors. I like the grapefruit idea ....

 

Glad to see that this recipe is still being used and loved!

 

Well... DUH! Of *COURSE* it is!

I've only made it 6 times, 5 per the recipe, last one I tried making it no wheat as my daughter is wheat allergic (not gluten but wheat ) and she loves this one. I'm still working on that as all-pils wasn't really the answer. Anyway, it is indeed awesome.

 

This is most def my next beer... thanks...

 

How do you guys feel about the 158F mash temp on this one?

Going to make this one again! Looking forward to it.

 

I follow the recipe and mash at 158. I believe it is for body, and I have no reason to not follow it. I am currently investigating making this wheatless, using more oats which would add body, so I may try next one lower mash temp. But my personal take is that @SD-SLIM did all that hundreds of test batches to arrive at this recipe, I like how it comes out, I will follow that recipe.

 

My take is the high mash temp is to help balance the body while using all the simple sugars (in the juice). To me the body is perfect (still light) as is.

 

Has anyone used .5 to 1 lb lactose in this? Might be a good addition. I thinks I'll brew this on Monday.

 

Made this again today. Exact to recipe, hitting all targets.

Except I somehow nailed 80% efficiency. The wheat malt must extract more than two row?

1.059 OG.