Does (Weyermann) Oak-Smoked Wheat taste like Wheat?

[SipalayBrew]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to brew a Smoked Wheat Ale by the end of the year, and I wondered if Oak-Smoked Wheat retained the fresh, perfumed aroma that I like in ordinary Wheat malt? Or does the smokiness overpower the actual wheat flavor?

Basically, I'm aiming for an easy-drinking, creamy, perfumed wheat ale with noticeable (but not overpowering) smokiness.

Right now, my recipe is as follows:

• Weyermann Oak-Smoked Wheat Malt, 41%
• Weyermann Pilsner, 49%
• Château Biscuit, 10%

Any feedback/advices?

Bonus question: What kind of hops would you use? How many grams?

Thank you for reading!

 

[hungupdown]

No idea.

But ended up giving away a whole batch of Weisenbock, that was (accidently) overwhealingly smokey, for my liking!
But I don't care much for any peat smoked whisky, and can't drink Laphroaig. So, I'm maybe not the best judge anyway.

It was an early BZ G4 days brew, with stuck mash; needing lots of stirring during mash and sparge; then a boil overheat cut out (at 125°C). On emptying, found heater base covered in 1/4 inch layer of burnt on flour. Which must have fallen from grain bed, with all the stirring.

I always use Hallertauer Mittefrueh, for all my wheat beers. 22/30g @60min, & 22/10g @15min (for 15 IBU in 23L).

And normally, Mangrove Jacks M20 wheat beer yeast. (Trying WHC banana split yeast, in current batch. It had more banana aroma during ferment, 19°C 3 days, then 24°C. Just carbonated, and is very similar to M20, though FG a couple of points lower. Not so clean tasting, but maybe just too early yet.)

I enjoy Schneider Weisse (6.2% ABV, FG 1010), made using a slightly low mash temperature. Much more, than the fuller bodied Weizenbock (ABV 6.4%, FG 1015), even when done without burning.

The SW has more distinctive wheat beer flavour (similar to Hacker Pschorr, Hefe Weisse, but maybe slightly maltier).

SW malts:
56% wheat malt
20.5% Vienna malt
17% Pils malt
6.5% Caramunich malt
+Oat hulls (@13% by weight of wheat)

Your recipe wouldn't have the maltiness, from the Vienna, or caramel from the Caramunich..
I'd be happy to try, with them scaled back, but wouldn't cut both out.

In Germany, to be classed as wheat beer, it's got to be made with over 50% wheat.
I scaled both my recipes wheat% down, from their original 60%. But might try for the 60%, now I've got the hang of the BZ G4.

 

[AlexKay]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to brew a Smoked Wheat Ale by the end of the year, and I wondered if Oak-Smoked Wheat retained the fresh, perfumed aroma that I like in ordinary Wheat malt? Or does the smokiness overpower the actual wheat flavor?

Basically, I'm aiming for an easy-drinking, creamy, perfumed wheat ale with noticeable (but not overpowering) smokiness.

Right now, my recipe is as follows:

• Weyermann Oak-Smoked Wheat Malt, 41%
• Weyermann Pilsner, 49%
• Château Biscuit, 10%

Any feedback/advices?

Bonus question: What kind of hops would you use? How many grams?

Thank you for reading!

The smoke on the Weyermann is pretty subtle, and my palate didn’t note any decrease in “wheatiness.” Then again, that’s subtle, too.

If you’re not attached to oak smoke in particular, another approach might be to use regular wheat and then replace some of the Pilsner with Weyermann rauchmalz. I’d start at 50/50 Pilsner/rauch, and adjust from there.

I like high-farnesene hops in Grodziskie. Saaz is the easy one to find, but if you can track down some saazer cousins from Poland or Ukraine (Lubelski, Sybilla) they are lovely. At most 1 g/L somewhere between 5 and 20 minutes.

I do not think smoke works well with fruity New World hops. I’d stick to noble or English hops, or something with that taste profile.

 

[SipalayBrew]

The smoke on the Weyermann is pretty subtle, and my palate didn’t note any decrease in “wheatiness.” Then again, that’s subtle, too.

If you’re not attached to oak smoke in particular, another approach might be to use regular wheat and then replace some of the Pilsner with Weyermann rauchmalz. I’d start at 50/50 Pilsner/rauch, and adjust from there.

I like high-farnesene hops in Grodziskie. Saaz is the easy one to find, but if you can track down some saazer cousins from Poland or Ukraine (Lubelski, Sybilla) they are lovely. At most 1 g/L somewhere between 5 and 20 minutes.

I do not think smoke works well with fruity New World hops. I’d stick to noble or English hops, or something with that taste profile.

Thank you so much for your advice!
Rauchmalz is not available in my country, but I can have beech-smoked barley.
What do you think of 33% pilser, 33% regular wheat, 33% beech-smoked barley? How would it taste like?

 

[AlexKay]

Thank you so much for your advice!
Rauchmalz is not available in my country, but I can have beech-smoked barley.
What do you think of 33% pilser, 33% regular wheat, 33% beech-smoked barley? How would it taste like?

Beech-smoked barley is rauchmalz. The Weyermann version is relatively mild, and if you use it at 33% will be noticeable but not overpowering. But the level of smoke varies hugely by who is smoking it. My local malthouse makes beech-smoked barley that gives a very smoky beer at 20%.

 

[SipalayBrew]

Beech-smoked barley is rauchmalz. The Weyermann version is relatively mild, and if you use it at 33% will be noticeable but not overpowering. But the level of smoke varies hugely by who is smoking it. My local malthouse makes beech-smoked barley that gives a very smoky beer at 20%.

Thanks for the info!

+ So you mean Weyermann beech-smoked barley isn't consistent, in terms of smoking?

+ Can you confirm beech-smoked barley has the same diastatic power than regular barley?

+ I may try 40% wheat, 30% beech, 30% pilsen.

 

[AlexKay]

Thanks for the info!

+ So you mean Weyermann beech-smoked barley isn't consistent, in terms of smoking?

+ Can you confirm beech-smoked barley has the same diastatic power than regular barley?

+ I may try 40% wheat, 30% beech, 30% pilsen.

I think that 40/30/30 sounds like a good idea. Since the Weyermann beech-smoked is a bit more kilned than Pilsner, I think dropping the biscuit is a good idea.

Weyermann beech-smoked barley is moderately consistent in my experience, though smokiness (I think) decreases with long storage. But comparing Weyermann to the beech-smoked barley of a different maltster — they could be completely different.

Weyermann doesn’t seem to spec the diastatic power, other than saying the enzymatic activity is “high.” I have to believe that means that at the bare minimum it can self-convert. But it doesn’t matter, since with 70% wheat and Pils you have more than enough enzymes for anything you want to use for the last 30%. Unmalted grains would be no problem.