Amarillo Hefe?

[tagz]

I'm going to be brewing a half batch of hefe soon. When my wife picked up the ingredients she grabbed Amarillo hops. Should I go ahead and give the brew a go with these? Should I stick to one bittering addition, or would the flavor make an interesting combo with the hefe yeast (3068)? Thoughts?

 

[Franzi]

I vote to try with the Amarillo hops. You can buy a traditional hefe at the liquor store. Try something different and if you don't like it, well it's only a half batch.

I made a half batch of hefe bittering with Phoenix and aroma-ing with Sterling. Oddly enough, it tastes awesome and even my anti-beer wife has some every now and again.

 

[sconnie]

I'd also say go for it, and try doing some flavor additions. New Glarus just came out with an imperial weizen that was very highly hopped with American hops; I wasn't optimistic about it's taste but it was great! See what happens with the Amarillo!

 

[SRFeldman79]

go for it.
i made a dunkel weizen style wheat and dry hopped it with cascade and my crew love it...alarmingly so...

 

[HOOTER]

I was looking through my copy of Joy of Home brewing in the guidelines for brewing 5 gallons section to get some ideas for what hops to use in my hefe, and I noticed that Papazian recommends Amarillo for an American wheat beer. If they'll work in an American wheat why not in a hefe?

 

[blargeyyarr]

you're crazy... why would you make a half a batch of beer? i vote to go for it, but add enough malt and water to make 10 gallons.

 

[tagz]

thanks for the responses. i'll give the amarillo a go. i've been doing half batches to experiment and refine my skills, but my last hefe was pretty tasty so maybe i'll just go 5 gallon. :rockin:

 

[Poobah58]

I would use it but not with 3068. Use an American Wheat yeast or S-06.....

 

[Short Drive]

Use the 3068. I too have had the New Glarus Imperial Hefe and its great. They used Cascade, but Amarillo would would be similar. Think citrus bubble gum. For an American wheat with Amarillo try Three Floyds Gum Ball Head. And go over the top with the Amarillo.

 

[tagz]

Just bottled the Amarillo Hefe today. The sample tasted great. It has a nice crisp hop character that doesn't interfere with the fruitiness of the yeast at all. Can't wait to taste it when its fully carbonated.

2.5 Gallon Batch

3# Wheat DME (60/40)
.25 Amarillo (60 min)
.25 Amarillo (10 min)

OG - 1.054
FG - 1.012

Did a late extract addition. Fermented cool initially - Day 1 - 3, 61 degrees; Day 4 - 7, 64 degrees; Day 8-12, 64-68 degrees. My last hefe had some pretty strong fusels. The step up seemed to make a world of difference. Great fruity flavors without the harsh alcohol bite.

I'll update when I have a proper tasting!

 

[Chriso]

I normally hate estery Hefe's but this intrigues me. Did you pitch the smack pack direct to stress the yeast, or did you prep a starter? Also how were you controlling your temps, do you use a temp-controller on a fridge/chest freezer? Or just environmental (changing rooms)?

 

[tagz]

I used washed yeast. Made a 1/2 quart starter and bumped it up to a quart over the course of a couple days. The yeast must have been pretty healthy because they started up fairly quickly despite the cool temps.

I changed rooms to control the temps. My basement is a steady 55 degrees, so with the fermentation the carboy was reading 61. Then I moved it to a cool, exterior wall closet that, and finally to the living room. I was worried that the cool start might hurt my final gravity, but it actually went further than I expected. Target was 1.014, and I hit 1.012. The activity was definitely more subdued than my last hefe which blew off a substantial amount.

I'll let you know how the final product tastes!

 

[Reddy]

I wish I had found this thread earlier...

I have a lemon wheat going and I used Amarillo's. The LHBS has been pretty limited in their hop supply lately so I smelled what they had while thinking "lemon" and picked what I thought would work. I think they really complement the lemon flavor somehow. To be fair though, I didn't use hardly any (it is a wheat after all) but it's a nice subtle aftertaste. I've only snuck a taste from the carboy, but I can't wait until it's done!

In a tradition hefe it would probably be frowned upon, but hey, RDWHAHB!

 

[tagz]

I wish I had found this thread earlier...

I have a lemon wheat going and I used Amarillo's. The LHBS has been pretty limited in their hop supply lately so I smelled what they had while thinking "lemon" and picked what I thought would work. I think they really complement the lemon flavor somehow. To be fair though, I didn't use hardly any (it is a wheat after all) but it's a nice subtle aftertaste. I've only snuck a taste from the carboy, but I can't wait until it's done!

In a tradition hefe it would probably be frowned upon, but hey, RDWHAHB!

You mind posting the recipe? Just curious how much you used and the timing of your additions.

 

[Reddy]

I'm not positive (don't have the recipe written in front of me) but I think it was an ounce for the whole boil, and half an ounce with 15 or 20 minutes left. (I halved that since it was a half batch).

Like I said, there's no obvious hop presence, which to my way of thinking works for a wheat, so depending on personal taste you may want more or less or whatever. I don't normally like hoppy brews, so YMMV.

 

[homebrewer_99]

If you use a German yeast and not a German hop then you've shortchanged yourself.

I'm all for experimentation...as long as it's labeled properly. However, if you do not use a German hop AND a German yeast it's not a Hefe Weizen...it's "SOMETHING" else, just NOT a HW.

Since you used German yeast and an American hop...it's not a HW...a wheat beer, yes, a HW, no.

Point boing, if when making a wheat beer it's either German, Belguim (who have strict rules) or American...when not followed to the letter for the first two...it's simply a (bastardized) American beer.

That said, I hope it works out for you, but don't call it a Hefe Weizen...please.

 

[HOOTER]

I'm all for experimentation...as long as it's labeled properly. However, if you do not use a German hop AND a German yeast it's not a Hefe Weizen...it's "SOMETHING" else, just NOT a HW.

I used Mt. Hood and Saaz for my Hefeweizen. Mt. Hood is a Hallertauer hybrid, but American grown. The Saaz hops were likely grown in the U.S and don't fit into the German noble hop category. My question is, if you want to make an authentic German Hefewiezen, which hops should be used?

 

[positiverpr]

ever had gumballhead from fff? its an american wheat with amarillo and its unbelievable

 

[tagz]

If you use a German yeast and not a German hop then you've shortchanged yourself.

I'm all for experimentation...as long as it's labeled properly. However, if you do not use a German hop AND a German yeast it's not a Hefe Weizen...it's "SOMETHING" else, just NOT a HW.

Since you used German yeast and an American hop...it's not a HW...a wheat beer, yes, a HW, no.

Point boing, if when making a wheat beer it's either German, Belguim (who have strict rules) or American...when not followed to the letter for the first two...it's simply a (bastardized) American beer.

That said, I hope it works out for you, but don't call it a Hefe Weizen...please.

Last time I checked the Reinheitsgebot doesn't have jurisdiction in my kitchen.

 

[Chriso]

I think he's trying to make the Champagne argument-- A Champagne is just a sparkling wine if it's not authentically from the region. A Hefeweizen isn't a hefeweizen unless it's made in the traditional German style, e.g. using the "right" ingredients. Call it an American Weizen and it's not subject to the same.

We can all agree it's still beer, though. And hopefully good beer! I am excited to give this recipe a brew.

Besides, HB99 brews a lot of hefe's, you can expect him to be a little purist about it, just like a die-hard Camaro fan would probably freak if you modded a classic Camaro with, say, some wretched Dodge fuel-injected engine from a mid-90s car. (*Just an example. I'm not a Camaro purist.*) When you know something well, and work with it all the time, we all tend to get a little nuts about it.