Advice on My Second Brew - Dunkelweizen

[DaPearl9]

Hey everyone. My first homebrew, an English-style Brown Ale, is nearing the end of primary fermentation and my roommate and I are getting ready to start a new batch. We were thinking of a Dunkelweizen and after looking at a few recipes I've put this together as a sort of hybrid:

6 lbs. Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 lbs. Light Dry Malt Extract
1.5 lbs. Muntons Dark Crystal Grain
.5 lbs. Black Patent Grain (lightly crushed)
1 oz. Northern Brewer Hop Pellets (60 min)
.5 oz. Hallertauer Hop Pellets (30 min)
.5 oz. Hallertauer Hop Pellets (5 min)
Liquid Wyeast 3068

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions to improve upon this recipe. I was considering adding in Chocolate Malt Grain (making it .25 Black Patent and .25 Chocolate) but just put in chocolate here since we have some left over from the Brown Ale (also why I made it 1.5 lbs. Dark Crystal as opposed to 1 lb).

Brewing plans would be steeping the grain for 60 minutes with a light sparging before boiling the rest of the malts.

Fermentation temperature would be around 66-68 degrees given control limits within our apartment.

Can any more experienced brewers impart any wisdom on this recipe?

 

[Dos_Locos_Brewery]

This sounds like a delicious recipe - please proceed! However, it won't much resemble a dunkelweizen, so if that's what you have your heart set on, here are some things to think about. For the style, this recipe would put you way over the top for starting gravity, color, and bittereness. The very roasted notes from black patent and/or chocolate would detract from the weizen character you'd get from the excellent yeast you've selected. A dunkel is not black like a porter or stout - you'll get in the right range with just the dark crystal. Likewise, the hop bitterness & flavor would tend to mask the weizen flavor profile. Scale back if you want that weizen flavor profile. Finally, this looks like a pretty big beer for a dunkel - you could scale back on the amount of extract, or just call it a weizenbock... Cloning Aventinus a few years ago was a very rewarding experience...

Cheers,

Dos Locos

 

[DaPearl9]

Thanks for the advice! I'm glad to hear it sounds delicious and will be a really big beer, which I like. I may scale back the black patent malt somewhat so it's not overpowering. I'd be happy enough to call it a Weizenbock if that's what it resembles.

 

[syd138]

Well, I don't have beersmith here at work.. but I'll tell you that is going to be one high OG. Its going to be a very strong beer.

Heres a Dunkel I just brewed up on Sunday. The OG is at 1.049 which is pretty standard for a Dunkel Weissen

5.00 lb Wheat DME
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L
0.25 lb Aromatic Malt
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt
0.75 oz Hallertauer
Safbrew WB-06 (Wheat Beer Yeast)

 

[DaPearl9]

High OG is fine with me. I think I'll probably just call it a Weizenbock at this point though I'll think I'll be using the Black Patent very sparingly. Any advice on the mash and hopping? For the mash I was advised to either:

Do 1 hour at 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit and sparge (what I am leaning towards).

or

Throw all the grains in the water and steep it until the water begins boiling then take it out.

In terms of hopping, I was thinking of moving things around about to utilize the Hallertaurer's spicy aroma's more.

 

[Clonefarmer]

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions to improve upon this recipe. I was considering adding in Chocolate Malt Grain (making it .25 Black Patent and .25 Chocolate) but just put in chocolate here since we have some left over from the Brown Ale (also why I made it 1.5 lbs. Dark Crystal as opposed to 1 lb).

I am drinking a Dunkel with 1/8 lb chocolate and it blends nicely into the malt flavor.

Do 1 hour at 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit and sparge (what I am leaning towards).

This method is most likely to give better results.

In terms of hopping, I was thinking of moving things around about to utilize the Hallertaurer's spicy aroma's more.
Today 01:21 PM

The hops in a Dunkel are best in the background, that hop schedule will give plenty of hop flavor/aroma as is.

 

[syd138]

Do 1 hour at 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit and sparge (what I am leaning towards).

or

Throw all the grains in the water and steep it until the water begins boiling then take it out.

QUOTE]


Do 1 hour at 155