Weissbier Bee Cave Brewery Bavarian Hefeweizen

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tgleaso said:
I am sure this is a pretty noob question Looking at the recipe I see german wheat and german pils. I cannot to seem to locate those specific grains at least on midwest supplie sand an few other sights. Can i get a little help on this one please?
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If you are intent on doing all German ingredients, keep looking. Otherwise, sometimes you just have to make due with what what you have access to.
 
Backslider - this is totally normal. I bottled while it still smelled like sulfur and it was fine. Beers in bulk (I.e. in your fermenter) will smell different than an individual bottle, taking off the yeast cake will help, and conditioning mellows out the sulfur aroma, if there is any after you bottle.
 
tgleaso said:
I am sure this is a pretty noob question Looking at the recipe I see german wheat and german pils. I cannot to seem to locate those specific grains at least on midwest supplie sand an few other sights. Can i get a little help on this one please?
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Like mistercameron said, you can make the Hefe with domestic malt and it will be fine, but fresh German malt makes the best authentic Hefeweizen.

Both www.austinhomebrew.com and www.brewmasterswarehouse.com have German malts.

Some German brands are weyermann, durst, and bestmalz.
 
Continuing on the "how your beer changes in the bottle" mindset... Does anyone have any notes on how your hefe tasted at bottling then how it tasted after conditioning? I am on my 5th & 6th batch (a consecutive 3 gal batch brew day) trying to really figure out how to get the best hefe. Last night we bottled both, and even though the airlock blowoff was very banana-y there was very little of that flavor in the samples. Both samples were very grainy, and almost metallic, color was great, and after the CO2 cleared away, the nose was pleasant. I know we drank samples at bottling, but I don't remember how they compared to the final product in the past. I have a short memory. A perfect hefe is my unicorn.... I keep chasing it, but just when I think I've got it, it slips away.
 
I keg mine and I wait for about 10 days after hooking up gas at 12 psi and I get a wonderful banana nose from it from the beginning to weeks later. It's best after the CO2 has worked its magic AFTER being carbonated. I can tell the difference between a "green" hefe and one that is mature and ready for quaffing.
 
Ed, what type of water do you use? I am using a solid recipe, water is one of my factors that I have been changing.
 
mcbethenstein said:
Ed, what type of water do you use? I am using a solid recipe, water is one of my factors that I have been changing.
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I use my filtered tap water that comes from Lake Travis. It makes good beer for me.
 
EdWort said:
I use my filtered tap water that comes from Lake Travis. It makes good beer for me.
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Do you add any additions to your filtered water? I'm using RO filtered tap water, and have tried the recipe with only gypsum, and this last one was with CaCl, as Gordon strong recommends in his brewing better beer.
 
mcbethenstein said:
Do you add any additions to your filtered water? I'm using RO filtered tap water, and have tried the recipe with only gypsum, and this last one was with CaCl, as Gordon strong recommends in his brewing better beer.
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I will sometimes add Fivestar 5.2 buffer to my mash when I remember, but that is it.
 
Hello Ed,

First, thanks for posting this recipe; I'm planning on giving it a try soon. I have a question regarding the 90 min mash schedule that you are using. The only mash schedule that I have used so far is 60 minute 154 degree single infusion with 168 degree fly sparge until I have 6gal wort for the boil.

For this recipe I am planning (interpreting from your description) a below listed mash schedule; would you, or others comment to correct or confirm my understanding?

Boil kettle - 32 qrt.(8 gal) capacity
MLT - Converted cooler (42 qrt)

Mash Schedule
0 min - add (drain) 168 degree water to mash tun and gradually stir in grains; close lid.
5 min
10 min
15 min - stir mash; measure and note temperature.
20 min
25 min
30 min
35 min
40 min
45 min - stir mash; measure and note temperature.
50 min
55 min
60 min
65 min
70 min - stir mash; measure and note temperature.
75 min
80 min
85 min
90 min - drain off 1 - 2 quarts and pour back onto grain bed; repeat until clear of grain particles.

Drain contents to mash boil kettle (vol ~ 6 gal.).


Thanks and best regards.
 
Looks good to me, but I mash for 90 minutes due to the high wheat content. I then batch sparge till I get my desired boil volume.
 
EdWort said:
Looks good to me, but I mash for 90 minutes due to the high wheat content. I then batch sparge till I get my desired boil volume.
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I'm going to guess this helps with efficiency? Or is it more about converting more fermentable sugars?
 
Just poured my first glass of this. It's my first attempt at a Hefeweizen and it's a beautiful thing. I've brewed your Haus Pale and your Apfelwein and I have to say thank you sir for yet another excellent recipe.
 
cracked1 said:
Just poured my first glass of this. It's my first attempt at a Hefeweizen and it's a beautiful thing. I've brewed your Haus Pale and your Apfelwein and I have to say thank you sir for yet another excellent recipe.
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pictures or it didn't happen. ;):D
 
i must say this has been the best hefeweizen recipe i have ever found!!!! this was my fourth hefeweizen (all different, ranging from extract to all grain) and it turned out just beautifully!!!!

Edwort i thank you for the recipe, but i added a few more hops to mine (.5 Hallerteau 60mins, .5 Hallerteau 15 mins, and .5 Hallerteau 5 mins) and upped the grains a bit due to a little bit lower efficiency. It turned out perfect!!!

Hefeweizen is SWMBO favorite beer and this one pleased her to the fullest!!! now i have to brew it quite often!! lol.
 
Guess I've been on an EdWort kick lately because this is yet another one I'm brewing. You really can't beat the simplicity of a good wheat beer.

Has anyone brewed this twice, once with Red Wheat and another with a Pale Wheat or other substitute? I know they both work for Hefe's but I'm curious what the differences would be on a side by side comparison. Went with Red Wheat because it was the one I saw on AHB first :D
 
TheDrunkenRancor said:
Guess I've been on an EdWort kick lately because this is yet another one I'm brewing. You really can't beat the simplicity of a good wheat beer.

Has anyone brewed this twice, once with Red Wheat and another with a Pale Wheat or other substitute? I know they both work for Hefe's but I'm curious what the differences would be on a side by side comparison. Went with Red Wheat because it was the one I saw on AHB first :D
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My local homebrew store's grain sheet said they only had White Wheat, so i was gonna go with that, but when i got there they had both so i said screw it and did half white and half red and i must say it was great!!!
 
Ed, just wanted to thank you for the recipe. Only changes I made was a half a pound of carapils mostly because I did a protein rest. This was my first brew using wheat and I wanted to try a few different things. I wanted to avoid using rice hulls just on principal, so I wanted to do a rest to avoid a stuck lauter.

I've just tasted the chilled flat beer now 12 days out from fermentation and it's fantastic. Clovey, a touch of banana. Very smooth. Can't wait till it's carbed up and pouring from my tap.
 
I am going try this as my first all-grain recipe...I have read almost all of the posts in this thread and seems pretty straight forward. I am going stove top as I have no other options and I am worried that I will not get the 75% efficiency that is projected. I am going to batch sparge and hope for the best. T-minus two weeks to pay off. Thanks for the awesome recipe and to all the great contributions, excellent info for someone so wet behind the ears.
 
erichoyer said:
I am going try this as my first all-grain recipe...I have read almost all of the posts in this thread and seems pretty straight forward. I am going stove top as I have no other options and I am worried that I will not get the 75% efficiency that is projected. I am going to batch sparge and hope for the best. T-minus two weeks to pay off. Thanks for the awesome recipe and to all the great contributions, excellent info for someone so wet behind the ears.
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Are you doing a full 5 gallon batch stovetop? If you are, and you're having trouble hitting a good boil, you may want to increase your boil time to 90 minutes to ensure that you drive off the DMS from the pilsner malt. DMS smells/tastes like corn and is present moreso in pilsner than other malts. I'd also recommend if this is your first AG brew, for your own peace of mind, throw in a handful of rice hulls in your mash. Wheat malt can easily cause a stuck sparge if you aren't used to it. Cheers and good luck! You'll do fine.
 
Thanks for the tips, I am always impressed with how helpful everyone is! I have a great 8 gallon pot with a clad bottom that holds a pretty good boil. The guys at my LHBS echoed your advice on rice hulls, which have worked well with some mini-mashes I have done. I will definitely do a 90 min boil. Pretty excited to get started tonight.
 
erichoyer said:
Thanks for the tips, I am always impressed with how helpful everyone is! I have a great 8 gallon pot with a clad bottom that holds a pretty good boil. The guys at my LHBS echoed your advice on rice hulls, which have worked well with some mini-mashes I have done. I will definitely do a 90 min boil. Pretty excited to get started tonight.
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Give yourself lots of extra time tonight. Expect 5-6 hours start to finish. Don't rush it. And take good notes along the way, that way if you need to scrutinize your process you remember what you did, or if it goes perfectly you can recreate it again!
 
mcbethenstein said:
Give yourself lots of extra time tonight. Expect 5-6 hours start to finish. Don't rush it. And take good notes along the way, that way if you need to scrutinize your process you remember what you did, or if it goes perfectly you can recreate it again!
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I am putting the brew on hold until next week when I get another large pot to properly sparge the grains into. I would rather wait to have the proper equipment then try to "make do" with what I have now. I can handle 4 pounds of grain with what I have but 11 pounds would turn into a nightmare. At any rate, thanks for the tips, notes will be taken for sure!
 
OK I am getting ready to brew this tomorrow.

This will only be my 4th brew and first all-grain, so of course I am trying to prevent any nightmares.

I am going to do BIAB. I bought the grains from Brewmasters and they came crushed already. After reading about wheat already having a low efficiency, would I be better running these quickly through a food processor to help, or just go with it and adjust things next time?

Also, I am going to mash @ 153 for 90 then turn up heat to 170, cut heat and let rest for 10 minutes then drain and squeeze bag. Anyone see a problem with this BIAB adaptation?

Thanks!
 
BIAB will be great for this because you don't need to worry about a stuck sparge with the wheat. I wouldn't worry about regrinding the wheat malt till you make the recipe once. It probably won't be necessary.
 
I'm not sure that it will make much difference in this recipe, but in general you should never squeeze your grain bag. Rinse your grains with 170* water instead.
 
mcbethenstein said:
Ibut in general you should never squeeze your grain bag. Rinse your grains with 170* water instead.
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This is a myth that a lot of BIABers have debunked. It is a common misconception that if you sparge past 168F you will get tannins in your beer. Not true. You need basic PH AND temps above 168F for this to happen. If you do a single sparge you should never have issues with tannins. If you fly sparge, or batch sparge multiple times you have to be more cognizant of this issue because you continually increase the PH value (to more basic) as you add more water and dilute from your mash PH (which is likely PH5.4+/-2).


1. It is ok to squeeze the bag.
2. You should sparge because if you don't it will lower your efficiency.
3. I would mill the grains twice. It will only help with your efficiency and can only help, not hurt you.

When I did BIAB (quite a while ago) I had good luck with a single sparge at 180 (your grains will bring it down to ~168F). If you don't have a good way to sparge simply pull your bag into a colander and do your best to pour some hot water over the grains to rinse the sugars into your brew pot.
 
Well, the brew was a success! Everything went perfect. Hit all temps and held them, hit correct pre-boil volume, and OG. It's now bubbling along furiously at 68 deg.

Only issue I had was the spout on my bottling bucket getting stepped on and pulled out while it had starsan in it. I had about 6 ppl here yesterday so we were fighting for floor space near the kettle.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
CidahMastah said:
This is a myth that a lot of BIABers have debunked. It is a common misconception that if you sparge past 168F you will get tannins in your beer. Not true. You need basic PH AND temps above 168F for this to happen. If you do a single sparge you should never have issues with tannins. If you fly sparge, or batch sparge multiple times you have to be more cognizant of this issue because you continually increase the PH value (to more basic) as you add more water and dilute from your mash PH (which is likely PH5.4+/-2).

1. It is ok to squeeze the bag.
2. You should sparge because if you don't it will lower your efficiency.
3. I would mill the grains twice. It will only help with your efficiency and can only help, not hurt you.

When I did BIAB (quite a while ago) I had good luck with a single sparge at 180 (your grains will bring it down to ~168F). If you don't have a good way to sparge simply pull your bag into a colander and do your best to pour some hot water over the grains to rinse the sugars into your brew pot.
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I am a BIAB'er and was wondering, (scientifically), what would happen if you rinse/sparge the grains with cooler water? I have done this but have not tasted any difference in my finished beer. I have sparged with room temp water, and did the same batch, (a Kolsch), with 150 degree water. I also squeezed on one batch, and didn't squeeze of the other. I never tasted a difference between the two...
 
I just brewed this last night for the second time. Last time I hit my numbers perfectly, this time my og was low, 1.045. I'm not sure why I did everything the same. Bad crush maybe?
 
Brewed a Dunkel version of this yesterday. Replaced the Pilsner malt with Munich. We'll see how it turns out and I'll report back as soon as I try it. :)
 
Great so far!
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Has anyone brewed this using the advice from Yooper on his water primer sticky? -- Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate (what your LHBS sells) to each 5 gallons of water treated. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist.

Deviate from the baseline as follows:

For soft water beers (i.e Pils, Helles). Use half the baseline amount of calcium chloride and increase the sauermalz to 3%

My water is horrible, lots of sulfer.

I'm intending to use distilled water using 1/2 tsp Calcium chloride and add to the grain bill 3% Sauermalz.

Any thoughts?
 
I've had good results with RO water and 1/2 tsp of CaCl & 1/8 tsp gypsum. Makes for a good balance. If you can get it I would suggest RO water. It has a minute amount of minerals left in it. Distilled would have nothing left in it.

And my hefe recipe has .2 lb acid malt/ sauermaltz. Gives it a nice finish, the tiniest bit of a sour bite....balances the maltiness.
 
foonogg said:
Great so far!
<img src="https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43899"/>
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Great recipe Edwort! Brewed this on the 16th og 1.071 fg 1.016 tastes awesome out of the hydrometer getting ready to rack this! Can't wait to taste it cold out of the tap.

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pdean50 said:
Ed I would just like to say thanks for the recipe. My brew partners and I brew 15 gal. of your Hef. and just recently entered it into and brew competition called Timbers Army Homebrew Competition. We won first place in the Hefeweizen catagory with a second place overall. We now get to brew the beer at McMenamins 5 barrel system.
We also placed 1 lb of blueberry's from my backyard in 5 gallons of your hef. and won second place in the hef. group. The judges said that the blueberry hef. was a perfect example of what a fruit beer should taste. They said it was perfectly well balaced. Needless to say this years blueberry's are ready to pick to later be placed in yet another brew of your hef. recipe.

Thanks for letting other people take a chance on your nice recipe. If you want I would be happy to give you my imperial porter recipe which won in the peoples choice awards at the same brew competition.:) There was no catagory for the porter but some of the judges said it was quite suprisingly good.
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I wanted to do a blueberry hefeweizen, and was curious to the method you used. Did you crush the blueberries, and put it into secondary fermentation? Soak in vodka? It sounds really good! Great Idea for a NW Hefeweizen! :mug:
 

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