Blood Orange Hefeweizen

[mewithstewpid]

how many oranges did you use? did u use zest?

I used 6, zest from 4. made a "tea" that i threw right in primary.

I have a pretty good deal of citrus. Its not like biting into a regular orange, but it is definelty different that a regular hefe.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

I used 4 fruit and zest, not alot of flavor, fermentation smelled amazing though, my ferm temps were high so the yeast flavors are really there, but as they are dying down allittle bit of orange is coming out, maybe if I fermented cooler I would get the robust orange that people are talking about, but it's fine with me, not going to be a regular thing but wouldn't mind doing it again

 

[CidahMastah]

how many oranges did you use? did u use zest?

I used 6, zest from 4. made a "tea" that i threw right in primary.

I have a pretty good deal of citrus. Its not like biting into a regular orange, but it is definelty different that a regular hefe.

I used 10 oranges for a double batch - zested nearly all of them and followed the directions (tea to primary). Perhaps I had some bland oranges, but they tasted pretty sweet, overripe if anything. nailed SG at 1.050 and ended at 1.009-1.010. Ferment temp was 68-70F

I can taste the citrus slightly, but the wheat by in large overwhlems it. Maybe it will rise up as the wheat tapers off in a few weeks.

Not a bad hefe, but needless to say, I was just expecting something totally different.

I will say this - I would prefer to try another hefe before rebrewing this. This was a lot of extra work for minimal orange contribution.

I will post back if the beer drastically changes and more orange come alive.

 

[mewithstewpid]

oh, i also squeezed the blood oranges into the primary.

I cut them in halves to steep them in the tea, then when done, squeezed all of them over the primary bucket. this obviously loosened all the pulp inside, and a lot of extra juice came out. . then i just put the squeezed halves in the primary. maybe that has something to do with it?

also, what yeast did you use? 3068 here.

 

[CidahMastah]

oh, i also squeezed the blood oranges into the primary.

I cut them in halves to steep them in the tea, then when done, squeezed all of them over the primary bucket. this obviously loosened all the pulp inside, and a lot of extra juice came out. . then i just put the squeezed halves in the primary. maybe that has something to do with it?

also, what yeast did you use? 3068 here.

I took all the fruit and juiced it into the tea, but kept the rinds out. So zest, fruit insides juiced into the tea - then added to the primary.

I used WL351 for the yeast - perhaps that is it, but I wouldn't think so

 

[D_Struct]

Brewing an all-grain batch this weekend. I'll be going with the Wyeast Weihenstephaner 3068 yeast on this one, as well. Might have a little more of a spicy, clove taste than the ester, banana-y flavors from WLP 300.

Really looking forward to it!

 

[Toecutter]

so i brewed this again yesterday, but i changed it a bit I used a dozen oranges for a 10 gallon batch. and I changed the yeast to White Labs WPL 400 which is for a Belgian Witt. I dont like the Bananna flavor from the Hefe yeast mixed with the orange. This will be a different beer, but it should be interesting. one thing. that is some mighty yeast. I pitched at 8 pm and it's already built a significant krusan

 

[Jsmith82]

Haha.. Okay brewers, I bottled on Tuesday, but in light of Pacman getting ready to dominate Mosley, I brought a sampler 4 pack to the party.

Wow.

I brewed this (3rd time) with tarocco oranges and my four beers just lit up the room, everybody was bLown away, what a batch. I used lme for pale, wheat grain, totally a sick beer. Cheers!

 

[Dtroy17]

I just tapped the keg on this and Its very good. My wife is preggo and she really liked it and cant drink guess It a yearly beer from now on.

 

[rdann87]

Just bottled my attempt at this. Tastes good.... A beer for the mrs. which was my goal. Nice orange flavor....I think i shoulda used more lme personally, but I'll see how it tastes once carbonated

 

[mewithstewpid]

After 2+ weeks in bottle it had a very nice rocky head that did not dissipate.

 

[Tiedye]

OK - I brewed up a batch this weekend. I followed the recipe pretty much straight from the book. The OG turned out at 1.035 instead of the target of 1.050 . The yeasties seem to be doing their thing. Very slow, mellow bubbles in my airlock.

Am I ok with the lower OG? Do I need more sugar? If so, how much of what, and how???

This is my first batch moving off the stove and using a ton of new fun equipment (penrose kettle, home made IC ala Bobby, bayou banjo, and new O2 aerator). So far I've avoided spousal drama with all the new gear, but I need this to turn out better than before I upgraded!

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!!!!

 

[Jsmith82]

@Tiedye - I wouldn't sweat it, this was my learning curve beer and I've not only done things backwards and upside down, I've missed the OG twice hitting a range of 1.043-1.045. It continues to steal the attention of the room when I bring it out.. I think that's what I like most about this beer, it's just a flat out good beer and a toughy to really botch up. My last batch which was one of the first times I tried ag brewing, I hit 1.045 and finished at 1.012 with an ABV of 4-4.3% (It was spousal approved ).

Since it's already taken off with a healthy fermentation, if it were me I'd let it go as is and write it off as learning your new equipment, the flavors though weaker should still balance but just a little lighter then normal. Decocting wort and adding dextrose (somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, just going off experience here), you're risking contaminating but also only upping the power of the beer if the yeast hold out and eat your additive.


@ Mewithstewpid - my boss is giving my the stink eye, thanks for that pic. Now I have to find a way to justify trying to drink my monitor.

Cheers!

 

[CidahMastah]

Well I gave this beer some more time to age and I gotta say - I like this beer, but I don't love it. I think the citrus you get in the hefe doesn't warrant all the extra work. i.e. the flavor isn't pronounced enough for me.

Not sure if this just isn't the beer for me, or if I just prefer other German styled hefes instead. To test my theory I brewed ed worts bavarian hefe - and I hope that will clear it up for me.

Good luck all

 

[mewithstewpid]

Well I gave this beer some more time to age and I gotta say - I like this beer, but I don't love it. I think the citrus you get in the hefe doesn't warrant all the extra work. i.e. the flavor isn't pronounced enough for me.

Not sure if this just isn't the beer for me, or if I just prefer other German styled hefes instead. To test my theory I brewed ed worts bavarian hefe - and I hope that will clear it up for me.

Good luck all

keep us posted!

pics of both, too, if possible, would be sweet

 

[CidahMastah]

keep us posted!

pics of both, too, if possible, would be sweet

Will do.

I hope I remember to grab a pic of the blood orange (I do love the color of the brew - and that white creamy head

 

[Tiedye]

Thanks for the comments Jsmith82! Taking your advice!

 

[TheGeek]

Well after some free-time turbulence from buying my first home, I finally got this brewed again. This year I did AG as I stated before recipe pretty much what beersmith shows on page 3 except i did:

5# Pale Malt
3.5# Red wheat

I couldn't find any blood oranges, so I used Navel this year. I also used WLP380 (Hefeweizen IV) which is my favored hefe yeast.

I'll post a pic and give some tasting notes in a couple weeks when its kegged.

 

[CidahMastah]

Will do.

I hope I remember to grab a pic of the blood orange (I do love the color of the brew - and that white creamy head

I must say - this one really came around in the last week or so. Great mouthfeel and better citrus flavor. I might be under the spell of this brew a little bit, as I have had a sort of craving for it with this sunny weather.

I am thinking for me this hefe is definitely peaking right about now. Next time I think I will give it a full 3-4 weeks before I crack into it.

 

[Jackhole]

What brand of extract did you guys use? I can't find any that have 55% wheat, 45% barley. Closest I've found was 40/60.

edit: Ran the search a little differently and found that people are using Munton's.

 

[TheGeek]

Welp, here it is.

I've linked the image from last years version for comparison. The primary differences being this years was AllGrain, last years was exact to the recipe and done with DME.

I think the color difference is a little exaggerated in the photos due to lighting. But the flavor with the AG is great! Citrusy as I remember little banana, little clove. A tasty brew for summer!

 

[CidahMastah]

Just thought I would offer this up. In my quest with the hefe style I went back and found the dunkelweizen episode from the brewing network. One notable difference I found there was the ferment temp.

According to Jamil 62F is the money spot for the ferment temp to get both clove and banana in the right amount for hefe's and dunkelweizen. He also says that you should pitch the correct amount of yeast.

Has anyone tried this recipe at 62F?

 

[nspaldi0]

I've brewed this twice as an extract batch. I fermented the first without temp control, and it was around 68-70 degrees temp. The second time I had temp control and kept it at 66 then moved to 68 to finish. I've got the ingredients for all grain batch and am going to ferment at 62 per Jamil's recommendation for the style. I'll report back when I brew it. I hope to brew it this weekend.

 

[CidahMastah]

I've brewed this twice as an extract batch. I fermented the first without temp control, and it was around 68-70 degrees temp. The second time I had temp control and kept it at 66 then moved to 68 to finish. I've got the ingredients for all grain batch and am going to ferment at 62 per Jamil's recommendation for the style. I'll report back when I brew it. I hope to brew it this weekend.

awesome. Let us know how it goes. I am hoping to brew this again in 2-3 weeks and try the lower temps - but any initial information out the gate would be great.

 

[mlg5039]

I brewed this a month ago, the AG version. I substituted pilsener malt for the 2-row and fermented 3068 at 62 degrees. It is fantastic!

 

[kmac666]

I made one batch with 4 oranges, for me not enough orange flavor. So maybe I went a little over the top for some but just brewed a 5 gallon batch with 10 bloods - pulp and zest. I love it. The girls I had over couldn't get enough. It's a refreshing, delicious summer beer. If you want more than just a subtle orange flavor I highly recommend at least doubling the oranges to 8. 10 with pulp and zest turned out incredible.

 

[MTB]

Does the orange mask the taste of banana/cloves? I plan on brewing a hefe soon with 3068 and fermenting at 62* (I like the clove taste). Does the orange balance well with the traditional hefe flavors?

 

[MDRex]

I'd actually like less banana flavor, but don't have good temp control. What would be a good yeast for this that can ferment at a higher temp, like low 70's, and keep the banana flavor low? I'm also planning on going big with the oranges like kmac above, so should I even worry about too much banana?

 

[CidahMastah]

I made one batch with 4 oranges, for me not enough orange flavor. So maybe I went a little over the top for some but just brewed a 5 gallon batch with 10 bloods - pulp and zest. I love it. The girls I had over couldn't get enough. It's a refreshing, delicious summer beer. If you want more than just a subtle orange flavor I highly recommend at least doubling the oranges to 8. 10 with pulp and zest turned out incredible.

Did you zest all the oranges?

 

[gurrback]

I just sampled my first batch of this beer and the results are so-so. I used 5 large mandarin oranges as a substitute for the blood orange (out of season). I used the zest and the meat of the orange boiled in a "tea" to sanitize the orange as the recipe suggests. I fermented at a higher temp, about 72F, again as the recipe called for. I used LME and added it with 20 minutes left in the boil. I added the orange directly into the primary as per the recipe.

I say "so-so" because the colour is off....not quite as orange or quite as light as I was expecting. It's actually a bit murky. Also, the orange is very, very subtle. There's a sweet banana/orange nose, but it's a little lost on the palate. Overall it’s just not screaming “heffe” to me.

Disconcertingly, there is a bit of a strange sweetness that I tasted in one other beer I've brewed. It's very hard for me to identify the smell/taste that I'm talking about, but it's sweet/tangy and sort of metallic? Can anyone identify this off flavour? Maybe it's not even an off flavour and I'm just paranoid.