More flavorful wheats

So I've made two wheat now. And they were both kind of bland. My other beers come out great, but my wheat beers just seem pretty boring. I've had wheats that were good (commercial) are their key ingredients that you guys put into your wheats or do I need to accept the style more for what it is?

 

Hi Ron,

What were the wheat recipes and styles of the 2 wheats you have already made? This will help me to answer your Q in the right direction for what you could do with them or what you could try next for another wheat beer.

 

ok, here's the first one I made

Recipe: Celis TYPE: All Grain
Style: Witbier
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 4.1 SRM SRM RANGE: 2.0-4.0 SRM
IBU: 15.3 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 10.0-20.0 IBUs
OG: 1.050 SG OG RANGE: 1.044-1.052 SG
FG: 1.012 SG FG RANGE: 1.008-1.012 SG
BU:GU: 0.309 Calories: 2263.3 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 5.0 %
EE%: 72.00 % Batch: 5.00 gal Boil: 6.52 gal BT: 60 Mins


Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1 lbs Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 9.8 %
4 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 43.9 %
3 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3 29.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 4 14.6 %
4.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.4 %

Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 4.0 oz Total Hops: 1.00 oz oz.

Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.044 SG Est OG: 1.050 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
0.75 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 14.4 IBUs
0.25 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 7 1.0 IBUs
pitched forbidden fruit with this one can't remember the proper name

and the second one was this

Recipe: Orange American Wheat TYPE: All Grain
Style: Weizen/Weissbier (Wheat Beer)
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 4.2 SRM SRM RANGE: 2.0-8.0 SRM
IBU: 28.5 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 8.0-15.0 IBUs
OG: 1.054 SG OG RANGE: 1.044-1.052 SG
FG: 1.011 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.014 SG
BU:GU: 0.525 Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 5.6 %
EE%: 72.00 % Batch: 5.00 gal Boil: 6.52 gal BT: 60 Mins

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 45.0 %
4 lbs 8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 2 45.0 %
8.0 oz Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 4 5.0 %
8.0 oz Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.0 %

Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs Total Hops: 2.00 oz oz.

Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.048 SG Est OG: 1.054 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 16.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 12.4 IBUs
3.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 7 -
US05 with this one.

 

I think the latter, depending on what you mean when you say, "My other beers come out great, but my wheat beers just seem pretty boring."

What were those other beers? If they were more flavorful than American Wheat tends to be - like pretty much any style other than American Wheat - you just have to accept American Wheat for what it is. Not every beer has to be or can be a flavor bomb.

American Wheat is a fairly bland style, especially when compared to the kind of beers we beer nerds tend to love to explore. That's why you can walk into pretty much any brewpub and find American Wheat as the "training wheels" beer.

Still, American Wheat is an enjoyable style. I find it quite refreshing.

Cheers,

Bob

 

Wheats are good and good to share with friends. I understand they're not DIPA'S or anything, but they've got to have more to offer than what I've gotten out of the previous two. Maybe I will just keep the grain bills and hops and spice them up. I like how dry they are, it's a good, "****, it's hot outside beer" that we need here in florida

 

A Bavarian hefeweizen might be what you're looking for.

 

Your description is too vague. What commercial beers is it you like?

 

The big one that comes to mind is Bell's Oberon. that beer is awesome, and I can't seem to find a clone for it either.

 

Forbidden Fruit left you with a bland beer?! Something went wrong, that yeast leaves a ton of fruity esters behind, anything but bland. Maybe your efficiency was lower than expected?

 

That beer was definitely better than the most recent one I did. Think I put some coriander in that one too

 

Perhaps consider upgrading to American Pale Wheat Ale? A personal favorite. Fortunate Islands by the Mad Fermentationist is ranked third on beer advocate for all American Pale Wheat Ales.

 

What beer advocate calls American pale wheat ales are American wheats in BJCP terminology. The ones at the top of their list like Little Sumpin Sumpin and Gumballhead happen to be very highly hopped versions of the style (probably because there are so many of us hop heads out there now). I still also appreciate a more traditional American wheat though, those are my go-to lawnmower beers on hot summer days. Like Bob said not everything has to be or is designed to be a flavor bomb. Also a good base for fruit IMO because you don't have much in the way of competing flavors.

If you want something more flavorful and still American style I would agree with trying a recipe like the one linked above. If you're looking for an oberon clone have you seen this thread? A couple of folks posting seem to think they've gotten close.

 

Maybe try adding a slight tartness/sourness to it. I just have a New Belgium snapshot and I really enjoyed it.

 

I noticed you have tried a wit yeast and a regular ale yeast. Maybe try a hefe yeast.

Pitch rates and fermentation temps make a big difference in the esters and phenols that a hefe yeast produces. I like to pitch 75% of what I'd do for a regular ale and ferment starting at 55F and letting it rise to 65F.

There is a Bells Oberon clone thread. I have not tried it.

 

How about a dunkelweizen? Much better than a standard pale wheat beer, imho.

 

if you want more flavor out of your wheat beers using yeast like wyeast #3944 Belgian Witbier, ferment it at the top of the temp range. the pepper and esters come across stronger.

 

I don't think Bell's Oberon is a typical American Wheat beer. I think it's more of the "craft beer" wheat beer that we've come to expect (or, at least, tilted in that direction). An "old school" American wheat beer is a "plain" beer by todays/my standards, BUT it's full of subtleties and nuance. They don't come shooting out of the glass like a Pliny or Ruination; it takes a bit more palate discretion. I enjoy them on occasion. The character of wheat in a beer is light, gentle, fresh, doughy, and can be easily masked by strong flavors, so what you've already made are probably pretty decent examples for the most part.

On the flip side, I can certainly understand not wanting an entire batch of the stuff . With that said, try bulking up the base barely malt and downing the wheat malt; then, UP the hops, especially towards the end of boil; at the end of fermentation you should grab a sample and decide of some dry hopping is in order. Consider a maltier base malt if needed (golden promise, optic, MO, pearl, german pale malt, gambrinus pale, gambrinus ESB, etc). This should get you close to where you want it. Take notes, and next time make some slight modifications to "dial it in".

In addition, use a more characterful yeast, but not overly so. Try 1098, 1272, WLP007 for some english character, or you can go bigger with 1496, 1968, WLP002/005, 1187 for even more english character.

That's what this game is all about. YOU make the beer that YOU want to drink.............. 5+ gallons of

 

I'm no expert but wit biers are one of my favorite beers. I have brewed at least 4 different recipes as I try to fine tune things. I have to say that the best tasting ones I have brewed had un-malted wheat in them.

Maybe the same can be done with an american wheat recipe.