Basic Wheat Recipe - Critique

[kristiismean]

I normally make IPA's / ESB / Pale ales but for the wife I want to do a nice wheat beer, but similar to Boulevards. but in a nutshell, will this recipe work?? Changes or recommendations welcome!


5 lbs American 2-row
1.15 Flaked Wheat
1.5 Lbs Malted Wheat

and this is where I need help:

Hops:
.2 Bravo @ 50 min
.1 Zuez @ 30 min
.2 Summit @ 5 min

Yeast: Wyeast american wheat 1010

OG 1.045 FG 1.011 ABV (80% eff) 4.46 IBU 21.49 SRM 3.07

 

[messiah]

I always look to make my wheats at least 50% wheat. I have gone over without rice hulls, but your mileage may vary. You might even want them at 50% if you are prone to stuck sparges.

 

[IslandLizard]

Have you looked up a clone recipe for Boulevard's Wheat? There are many out there. I think they use Simcoe as a (late addition) flavor/aroma hop.

50% or more wheat is standard protocol to call it a "wheat" beer, but even at 40 or 30% wheat it can have decent wheat qualities. Your current recipe at 34% wheat is on the lower end. With "Zuez" do you mean Zeus as in Columbus/Zeus/Tomahawk (CZT)?

Summit is really a bittering hop, I would use something more fragrant, such as Willamette, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo, Simcoe, etc. All of those are pretty bold, for subtler flavor, look into EKG, Saaz, Styrian Goldings, etc.

Recently I've been brewing a lot of wheat beers using Mandarina Bavaria as late addition/hopstand hops, and love the mandarin/tangerine flavor they bring to the beer.

If you use a lot of raw wheat flakes (20%+), a 15 minute protein rest at 122°F will help lautering without using rice hulls.

 

[kristiismean]

Islandlizard. I am going to make one with your recommendations, Mandarina Bavaria sounds like a really good choice. what's the worst that will happen, she won't drink it and I'll have to? Oh my!

But I have the grain bill from boulevard in % only.

This is what came directly from them in regards to their unfiltered wheat:


"Malt
Pale Malt – 65%
Wheat – 15%
Malted Wheat – 20%

Mash in at 47 C and rest for 7 minutes.
50 C – 30 minutes
63 C – 7 minutes
73 C – 15 minutes
Mash off at 78 C

We target a beginning of boil gravity of 10.6 and boil for 70 minutes targeting 11.2 at the end of the boil. "

Then Bravo, Zues and Summit hops are listed, No volume, listed. no timings on the hops either.