2nd Brew Day...........Hefeweizen

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I'll be doing my second brew day tomorrow and will be brewing a Bavarian Hefeweizen extract kit.

The kit has the following ingredients:
1. 2 cans of 3.3 lbs of Muntons LME Wheat
2. Safbrew WB-06 Yeast 11.5 g
3. 2 bags of Liberty Hop Pellets at 1 ounce each

BG 1.045 to 1.049
FG 1.008 to 1.012
Hop Bittering Units: 5

I'm not going to follow some of the directions, but wanted to let you guys look at my plan for tomorrow so I can see if I have any errors ahead of time.

Full Boil: 5 gallons
1. Will add first can of LME and 1 oz of Liberty hops after boil and removing from heat.
2. Bring back to boil for 30 minutes
3. Remove from heat again and add second can of LME and 2nd bag of 1 oz Liberty hops.
4. Return to boil for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and cool to below 75 degrees.
6. Then take hydrometer reading after cooling.
7. Pitch rehydrated yeast after transferring to primary.
8. I'll then aerate my wort by shaking my primary.
9. Let sit in primary for three weeks before taking readings.

My only issue is the LME and hop additions. I'm kinda following the directions for those and I want to make sure I get those right.

 

[Rev2010]

I'd probably only use 1oz of the hops. Am I reading it wrong or are you only boiling for 45 minutes instead of 60?

I aerate before pitching the yeast, not sure if it matters. Also, hefe's are good young, you can get away with 2 weeks. Some people even do 10 days. I did mine in 2 weeks primary and it came out awesome. Of course, your hydrometer readings will really be the determining factor.


Rev.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Yeah, I should've corrected that. I'll be aerating before I pitch my yeast.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Anyone else have any issues with the hop amount? Rev when would you add the one addition of hops then? Yes, I'm only doing a 45 minute boil as that is what the directions say, but I could obviously do longer if people think I should. Just trying to make a good beer so I'm flexible.

 

[Rev2010]

At the start of the boil, but I typically do 60 min boils so you get more hop utilization. If you do 45 you'll lose some, I'm guessing about 1 IBU or so? So, personally I'd do a 60 minute boil with the 1oz of hops for the whole boil. Maybe some other more experienced people can chime in as well.

BTW, what is the Alpha % of your hops?


Rev.

 

[Bombo80]

I just looked at some of the sample recipes on Beersmith and your hop rate is in line with many of them. Liberty hops are listed at 4.30%.
One recipe has three hop additions of Saaz (4.00%). 1.23 oz at 30 minutes, 1.06 oz at 15 minutes and 0.35 oz at 5 minutes.

I think this should turn out very nice. Keep us posted as to your progress.

 

[VAShooter]

I've heard some rumblings about adding LME late in the boil but haven't done the necessary research to know the benefits of doing so....or even how late to add it. I'm brewing a Edmund Fitzgerald Porter clone this weekend and plan on researching the late LME benefits.

I'm sure someone else can add more value on the topic than I can though.

 

[Rev2010]

I've heard some rumblings about adding LME late in the boil but haven't done the necessary research to know the benefits of doing so....or even how late to add it. I'm brewing a Edmund Fitzgerald Porter clone this weekend and plan on researching the late LME benefits.

I'm sure someone else can add more value on the topic than I can though.

There are literally dozens of threads about it on here. Just do a quick search and you'll get all the answers. In brief, late addition LME lends to a lighter overall color than boiling the whole amount for the full boil length. Part of the reason is said to be due to caramelization of the liquid extract mainly from bottom of the pot scorching. Also, supposedly hop utilization is improved a bit with a late addition.

I still don't agree with Bombo's hop comment. I don't think you'll have any problem really using the extra hops, but nearly every recipe I see for hefe's have 1oz of bittering hops and that's it. I have seen some that are 1.25 oz or 1.5oz with the amount past 1oz being a late addition flavor or aroma hop, but it's not as common to see. In Weizenbocks however there typical is a bit more hops involved.


Rev.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I'm not big into the bittering taste that comes with early hop additions so I would go more for an aromatic addition so obviously later would be better for me. Having said that it doesn't seem like the bittering is very high on this...........only a 5. My first beer was an American Wheat and I added both cans of LME and hops at the beginning of the boil and only boiled it for 25 to 30 minutes and it's pretty decent. I like how this one breaks the LME additions up so that'll be something different to try at least.

 

[Rev2010]

The bittering is only to balance out the beer since it's naturally a bit sweeter tasting, that's why it's low. You won't notice the bittering hops in a hefe and that's expected. If you only do aroma you won't have that balance and the aroma hops might possibly interfere a little with the phenols and esters prevalent in hefeweizens. It's up to you though ultimately.

Rev.

 

[Joemama474]

"Aroma" hop additions are not really indicated for hefe-weizen. It may make a yummy beer, but a hefe it will not be. What makes a hefe a hefe is the unique clove / banana yeast profile. A hefe brewed to style will have little to no hop character, and if there is any, it should come from a "noble" variety.

I'm not saying not to brew the kit, I'm sure it'll be delicious. If a real, live bavarian style hefe-weizen is what you're after, do about 8.5lbs of wheat LME, an ounce of hallertau for 60min, and use WLP300 or Wyeast 3068 yeast.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Yeah, I figured this wasn't gonna turn out to be a true Hefe, but I'll still brew the kit. It was a gift from the wife for Valentine's Day and it's supposed to be 60 here tomorrow. It's gonna be a good day to brew...........I'll probably stick with my hop additions and times and see how it turns out. The worst that can happen is I make beer right? lol

 

[Joemama474]

I bet it'll still be yummy, and you're right. Worst case scenario is you end up with beer. Hell of a deal...