Weissbier Bee Cave Brewery Bavarian Hefeweizen

[EdWort]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan

Yeast Starter

Yes

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.052

Final Gravity

1.009

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

10-13

Color

3-4 SRM

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

10 days at 68 degrees

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

None

3rd Place winner of the 2007 Alamo Cerveza Fest

Bavarian Hefeweizen 5.5 Gallon

7# German Wheat
4# German Pils
.5# Rice Hulls (if needed to prevent stuck mash)

Mash for 90 minutes at 153 degrees.

.75 Hallertau @ 45
.25 Hallertau @ 15

Wyeast Weihenstephan 3068 with starter.

Ferment 10 days at 68 degrees then crash cool & keg.

O.G. 1.052
F.G. 1.009

5.6% abv

 

[Evan!]

Awesome, Ed...simplicity often produces some beautiful things.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Sounds good, but what's the AA% of the hops?

 

[EdWort]

They range from 3.2 to 4.0%. Whatever it takes to get at least 10 ibu's.

 

[homebrewer_99]

They range from 3.2 to 4.0%. Whatever it takes to get at least 10 ibu's.

Good enough. I put mine closer to 7 IBUs. I like it sweeter.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Good enough. I put mine closer to 7 IBUs. I like it sweeter.

I may try to kick the IBU's up a bit, but the recipe looks great. Thanks, EdWort.

 

[marosell]

I tried making this about two weeks ago. I was worried because everyone said that hefes will ferment vigorously (with risk to blow off) but it didn't. I had some light bubblage for a couple days and then it just stopped.

Yesterday, I opened it up to bottle it and it didnt smell like beer, it smelled like bread, like someone opened up a new bag of white bread and threw it in some water. I took a gravity reading and I got a 1.02. I tasted it and it tasted sweet, so judging that it had a lot more sugars still in it, I pitched some generic ale yeast and it bubbled a little more, then stopped this afternoon (12 hours).

What did I do wrong?

 

[Beerrific]

I tried making this about two weeks ago. I was worried because everyone said that hefes will ferment vigorously (with risk to blow off) but it didn't. I had some light bubblage for a couple days and then it just stopped.

Yesterday, I opened it up to bottle it and it didnt smell like beer, it smelled like bread, like someone opened up a new bag of white bread and threw it in some water. I took a gravity reading and I got a 1.02. I tasted it and it tasted sweet, so judging that it had a lot more sugars still in it, I pitched some generic ale yeast and it bubbled a little more, then stopped this afternoon (12 hours).

What did I do wrong?

Which strain of yeast? How old was it? Did you make a starter? How and how much did you oxygenate/aerate? What temp were you fermenting at?

 

[marosell]

I attempted to create a starter with a beaker and a homemade stirplate (fan and magnets) and a stirbar I borrowed. Used some dry malt to start it.

I used Wyeast 3068, it was new, I didn't oxygenate at all, and I was fermenting at my room temperature (76 degrees).

The second yeast was a generic ale yeast, dehydrated, not too old. I didn't start it, just poured it in on top. 76 degrees.

 

[JnJ]

Hey Ed, I'am assuming your getting your ingredients from AHBS, if so, what wheat are you using? On their site I see "White Wheat", "Torrified Wheat" and "Unmalted Wheat". I was planning to use the Torrified in my hefe, but I'm not sure.

 

[EdWort]

AHS sells German Red Wheat which is what I have used.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_71_112&products_id=112

 

[JnJ]

AHS sells German Red Wheat which is what I have used.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_71_112&products_id=112

Cool, thanks. I think I'll try the red wheat as well.

 

[gallagherman]

Hey All,

I am dying to brew a real german hefeweizen! This is making me excited. EdWort this recipe sounds great, but I am an extract brewer... I have been playing around with my recipe calculator and came up with this:

I am calling it "Wolkigsud Hefeweißbier"

German CaraMunich I 0.50 lb (7.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
Extract - Pilsen Light Liquid Extract 2.00 lb (30.8 %)
Extract - Bavarian Wheat Dried Extract 4.00 lb (61.5 %)

German Hallertauer Hersbrucker (3.5%aa) 0.8 oz Loose Whole Hops 45 Min
German Hallertauer Hersbrucker (3.5%aa) 0.2 oz Loose Whole Hops 15 Min

Expected OG: 1.051 SG
Expected FG: 1.012 SG
Expected ABV: 5.1 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 11.7 IBU
Expected Color: 7.4 SRM

I added a bit of caramunich to make it interesting, don't know how this might affect it. My main question is; what is the proper ratio of wheat malt to regular malt extract?

What do you guys think?

 

[gallagherman]

Also instead of caramunich I was thinking maybe carared, but I don't really know the difference between the two haha

 

[EdWort]

I added a bit of caramunich to make it interesting, don't know how this might affect it. My main question is; what is the proper ratio of wheat malt to regular malt extract?

You can brew it with 100% wheat malt extract since it is not all wheat to begin with. Works fine according to some extract brewer friends of mine.

 

[discgolfin]

Hey Ed how has your versions with red wheat compared to german wheat other than color? Im making this with red wheat today. I upped the red wheat and pilsner by a bit..Im still trying to home in on my effeciency. I would rather be on the high side than low side. We shall see.

Jay

 

[EdWort]

No comparison IMHO. I'm about to cut back on my grain, as my efficiency has pushed the beer to 6%+ which is out of style. It hammers quickly when you hit the 80s in efficiency.

 

[discgolfin]

No comparison IMHO. I'm about to cut back on my grain, as my efficiency has pushed the beer to 6%+ which is out of style. It hammers quickly when you hit the 80s in efficiency.

I ended up with 6% as well..bit higher eff.

1 week in bottle, I was inpatient but hefe's condition fast so tasted it and man very nice refreshing hefe..hint of clove and banana..nice recipe ed.

Jay

 

[Soulive]

How does this look for a double batch? I want to use Pale instead of Pils malt, but I'm not sure about the ratio. I assume it'll work...

1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 5.00 %
14.00 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.00 %
5.00 lb Pale Ale (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) Grain 25.00 %
0.45 oz Magnum [12.75 %] (60 min) Hops 9.9 IBU
0.25 oz Magnum [12.80 %] (10 min) Hops 2.0 IBU
2 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP300)

 

[EdWort]

I would not count the rice in my ratio. I would also make it more like a 60/40 ratio of Wheat to 2 row. Pils is required for German authenticity though. Any reason why other than that's what you have?

 

[Soulive]

I would not count the rice in my ratio. I would also make it more like a 60/40 ratio of Wheat to 2 row. Pils is required for German authenticity though. Any reason why other than that's what you have?

I am using the 2 row because I am trying to use it up and I already have the Wheat on hand. Does this look better?

1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 0.00 %
11.50 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 60.53 %
7.50 lb Pale Ale (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) Grain 39.47 %
0.45 oz Magnum [12.75 %] (60 min) Hops 9.9 IBU
0.25 oz Magnum [12.80 %] (10 min) Hops 2.0 IBU
2 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP300)

 

[EdWort]

That looks better. Be sure to soak and rinse your rice hulls before you add them, that way you won't waste any of that precious wort.

 

[Soulive]

That looks better. Be sure to soak and rinse your rice hulls before you add them, that way you won't waste any of that precious wort.

Ok good. I never thought of pre-soaking them. Great tip!

 

[RotorHead6]

Ed,

Would I be able to use White Labs WLP300 in place of the Wyeast. It is just easier for me to obtain that yeast. It seems to be along the same Lines. Thanks.

 

[EdWort]

Ed,

Would I be able to use White Labs WLP300 in place of the Wyeast. It is just easier for me to obtain that yeast. It seems to be along the same Lines. Thanks.

Should be OK. I heard it was the same Weihenstephan strain.

 

[adx]

According to http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm WLP 300 and Wyeast 3068 are the same yeast.

 

[RotorHead6]

Would it be wrong to substitute sterling leaf hops for the hallertauer hops? The LHBS is out of the hallertauer. I didn't know if this would totally change the recipe. Thanks

 

[EdWort]

Would it be wrong to substitute sterling leaf hops for the hallertauer hops? The LHBS is out of the hallertauer. I didn't know if this would totally change the recipe. Thanks

Should be OK, but watch your IBUs, Sterling is about twice as strong as Hallertau. Depending on the Alfa % you will want to scale back to about 1/2 for each addition.

 

[auto]

Looks excellent, what was the yeast starter on this one?

 

[EdWort]

I used 1/2 cup of Wheat DME and 16 oz. of water to make the starter wort. It will work fine for 5 gallons. Step it up to a quart if you are going to split it between two 5 gallon fermenters for a 10 gallon batch like I do.

 

[Jeffro]

Ed, I've got some Crystal 4.4 hops I'm planning on using in your recipe. Do you think that'll be OK?

 

[EdWort]

Ed, I've got some Crystal 4.4 hops I'm planning on using in your recipe. Do you think that'll be OK?

No idea. I've never used Crystal. A true Bavarian Hefe will have a German noble hop.

 

[BakerStreetBeers]

My first batch of this has been bubbling away happily in my water heater closet since Sunday evening. I ended up with 6+ gallons as well as a lower OG -- about 1.040 -- too much runnings and didn't compensate with extended boil. That doesn't bother me too much -- it'll be weaker, but I've got more of it! The larger volume did lead to a small amount of beer coming up through the airlock on my ale pale. I have been following a tip I picked up on the apfelwein thread and using vodka in my airlocks so not overly worried about introducing nasties.

I have a question about this recipe. If you cold crash and keg, do you still end up with yeast in suspension creating a cloudy beer? I seem to remember reading that the official style guidelines allow for both a clear and cloudy version, but I've always associated Hefeweizen with a poured glass that is cloudy.

 

[EdWort]

It's OK to crash cool for a day or so. There's a lot of yeast in suspension and there will be plenty even after crash cooling.

 

[BakerStreetBeers]

Ed, in the immortal words of Wayne Newton, "Danke Shoen". This stuff is SO GOOD. My first batch has been pouring since Saturday and I like it more every day. It's got a big nose like your grandma's house when she's making banana nut bread, except it's cold and it's beer. The mouthfeel is creamy, incredibly smooth and the flavor is a bit sweet, but not overly so. There is quite a bit of the banana, and a nice touch of clove thrown in as well. I think my fermentation temps were maybe on the higher end -- need to get a thermometer in that water heater closet.

I'm a hophead. Or I thought I was until this beer. Well, ok, I'm still going to love me a nice aggressive, grapefruity IPA. But this beer is an entirely different part of the spectrum, maybe even a different spectrum altogether.

Man, that's good stuff. I just hope it doesn't peak out before my hefe-loving buddy from high school comes to visit in a couple of weeks. For that matter, I hope I don't drink it all before then!!

 

[EdWort]

Man, that's good stuff. I just hope it doesn't peak out before my hefe-loving buddy from high school comes to visit in a couple of weeks. For that matter, I hope I don't drink it all before then!!

Thanks. I actually bottled some and the O'Fallon HBT group drank a 22 oz. bottle 6 months later. It was still very tasty then. It's a great summer beer.

 

[Ryan]

I have a quick question. Was this ever made into an extract recipe? I am not an AG brewer yet, but would like to give this recipe a try.

 

[EdWort]

I have a quick question. Was this ever made into an extract recipe? I am not an AG brewer yet, but would like to give this recipe a try.

Give this one a try from Homebrewer_99. His extract brews kick butt.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=32811

 

[Sigafoos]

Hey Ed, thanks for being awesome. My first AG was your APA and it looks like this will be my second. I have two questions:

In your original recipe, for the 7#/4#, what's your estimated efficiency? I put it into my software as 70, but wanted to be sure because I have a crazy attention to detail (I'm estimating 65 for myself, just because I'm getting used to my system).

Also, I thought I read somewhere that wheat generally requires a protein rest. Is that only for unmodified, and the stuff you're using is modified? I'm assuming what I get will be as well, but since I'm new to this I wanted to be sure.

 

[EdWort]

I usually get in the 80s as far as inefficiency goes, but the recipe is calculated for 75%. I used modified wheat malt, so a single infusion works fine.

The main thing with this beer is constant fermenting temps. Keep it between 65-68 degrees. It will ferment around 8-10 degrees higher than ambient for the first couple days just from the thermal activity of the yeast working.