100% Wheat Wheatwine?

[Protos]

Gentlemen, I'm planning to try the Wheatwine style. I've never tasted the real thing, but the internets provide a plenty of information on the style, as well as recipes.
I got me some fancy wheat malts, counterparts almost to all kinds of barley malts: white, munich, melano, crystal, chocolate. And now I'm working on my recipe. Wanna try a 100% wheat wheatwine (like 90% white wheat, 5% aromatic wheat, 5% crystal wheat).
And here comes my humble question: why is that all the wheatwine recipes I see call invariably for 40 to 50% of barley in the grainbill? It that just because of ease of lautering or is barley somewhat crucial to the taste profile? I wouldn't ask if I ever tried a real Wheatwine and learned its taste profile in person. But I haven't.

With my setup, I've got no troubles lautering 100%-wheat Graetzer grists (as well as 75%-rye Roggenbier grists), so I believe a 100% Wheatwine is technically perfectly possible. Why then there's no such thing as Pure-Wheat-Wheatwine recipes on the interwebz, what do you think?

 

[Young Brewing]

First of all, love the profile picture!

Secondly, I’d guess that some level of barley is required to have enough enzyme activity for conversion to occur. I have never brewed a beer that’s 100% wheat but for a style like this where a high OG is typically required, I’m guessing it would cause some issues.

I also think that a 100% wheat grain bill would be a massive headache for most homebrew setups so people avoid it. If you have the ability then I’d say go for it, it might be a pain in the ass though!

What gravities are you trying to hit?

 

[VikeMan]

Secondly, I’d guess that some level of barley is required to have enough enzyme activity for conversion to occur. I have never brewed a beer that’s 100% wheat but for a style like this where a high OG is typically required, I’m guessing it would cause some issues.

Wheat malt has plenty of distatic power (enzymes), often more than 2-row/pilsner barley malts.

 

[AlexKay]

I think you’re right about the sparge/lauter problem … so if that doesn’t trouble you (nor me — yay BIAB), both conversion and taste will be fine.

Also, if you can find New Holland where you are, try Pilgrim’s Dole.

 

[Young Brewing]

Wheat malt has plenty of distatic power (enzymes), often more than 2-row/pilsner barley malts.

Good to know! I always thought the proteins in wheat weren’t as convertible as your typical 2-row.

 

[VikeMan]

Good to know! I always thought the proteins in wheat weren’t as convertible as your typical 2-row.

I'm not sure what you mean by convertible, but proteins are not converted into sugars and dextrins. Starches are.

 

[Young Brewing]

I'm not sure what you mean by convertible, but proteins are not converted into sugars and dextrins. Starches are.

I’m not super familiar with the chemistry behind starch conversion yet and all I meant was that I didn’t think wheat had a potential as high as barley!

 

[Protos]

First of all, love the profile picture!

Thank you, you've got a great taste LOL!
[offtopic]
It's from a medieval Persian miniature, supposed to depict a Chinese merchant drinking green tea (while walking!). However, any of us can easily recognize here the face of a fellow homebrewer sampling his badly infected hydrosample. I absolutely love his hairstyle: two cute buns, babygirl style. It's a shame it's gone out of fashion nowadays, it looks great.

[/offtopic]

What gravities are you trying to hit?

I'm thinking of 1.090. I hope, proper glucan and protein rests regimen could liquify the mash enough to vorlauf it successfully.

 

[VikeMan]

I hope, proper glucan and protein rests regimen could liquify the mash enough to vorlauf it successfully.

I'm not sure anything short of rice hulls would keep a 100% Wheat Malt runoff from getting stuck. You can try to make tje wort less viscous, but wheat malt still has no husks to form a filter bed.

 

[Protos]

You are right. Rice hulls.
Or, alternatively, BIAB. With which I managed to brew the gummiest of my Roggenbocks.
I think, I will brew first a small experimental BIAB batch to see how wheat special malts behave at high gravities. And to learn what it tastes like.

 

[Drewch]

. . . Or, alternatively, BIAB. . . .

I've done 100% wheat malt beers BIAB: no problem.

 

[IslandLizard]

I've done 100% wheat malt beers BIAB: no problem.

Please elaborate...

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Also, if you can find New Holland where you are, try Pilgrim’s Dole.

This is a great recommendation, and a great Wheat Wine (my favorite New Holland Brew), unfortunately it was discontinued a couple years ago and is no longer produced.

 

[AlexKay]

This is a great recommendation, and a great Wheat Wine (my favorite New Holland Brew), unfortunately it was discontinued a couple years ago and is no longer produced.

Oh, shoot. That was good stuff.

Actually, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve bought commercial beer — too much homebrew to go through now.

 

[Drewch]

Please elaborate...

Wheat make has enough diastatic power to convert its own starch. And with BIAB, there's no such thing as a stuck sparge. So you can do a wheat beer consisting entirely of wheat malt without worrying about adding rice hulls or anything like that.

I think last one I did was something like:
• 100% White Wheat Malt
• 25 IBUs Chinook at 60 min
• 1 pack US-05

 

[JAReeves]

For the 12 Beers of Christmas this year, I made a Wheat Wine as the base for the Crabapple Lambicky Ale. I let the wheat mash overnight, batch sparged in the morning, and it came out at about 10%, before the crabapples in the secondary, and the sour culture has a go at the remaining sugars. I am expecting about 13% by bottling time (November). Since I Mash-In-A-Bag, I don't sweat the stuck sparge issue; Wilser Bags stand up to a lot of pressing and squeezing and generalized abuse.

 

[Protos]

Well, a follow up to my thread. I'm drinking now my 100%-wheat Wheatwine I brewed back in summer. 88% Pale wheat malt, 6% Wheat Aromatic, 6% Wheat Crystal, 1.088 OG, 9.2% ABV, 35 IBU from Fuggle, MJ M54 Californian Lager yeast, BIAB.
The beer is amazingly good. Toasty, sweet and warming. Three months after the brewday, it definitely needs some aging, but what a treat it is already!
The brewday answered my original question: yes, 100%-wheat Wheatwines are rarely heard of because of significant gumminess of the mash. With such a load of wheat malt it gets noticeable even with the BIAB method.

Now I'm thinking of brewing a 100%-wheat Lager.