Dreamsicle Wheat - 1st Recipe

[BAOKBrewer]

So, I have this idea for a Wheat beer with strong citrus and vanilla tones, akin to a Dreamsicle popsicle. I'm shooting for extract with steeping grains in a 5 gallon batch. This is what I came up with:


5 lb. Briess Golden Light DME

Steeping Grains:
1.25 lb Flaked Wheat
.5 lb America Two-Row Pale
.25 lb Light Wheat

Hops:
3/4 oz. Amarillo for 60 min. (bittering)
1/2 oz. Amarillo at flame-out (aroma)

Adjuncts:
1 oz. Sweet Orange Peel
1 Vanilla Bean
1 tsp. Irish Moss

Yeast:
Wyeast 1010 - American Wheat

Does this sound like a decent recipe? I know it will make beer, but would it accomplish my goal of citrus and vanilla with a slight sweetness? Any help is appreciated.

 

[MuddyMo]

Interesting idea. Here is an HBT thread you might look at. It is for an all grain recipe, but there are some good thoughts.

I searched the recipe kits at Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies for something like this and found nothing even close. They don't even have orange fruit flavoring.

That yeast is for an American style wheat, which is known for its tartness. A neutral yeast strain like Wyeast 1056 might be a better fit. Hop flavor and aroma would seem to be priority over bitterness, you may want to reduce the size of your 60 minute hop addition. Also, unless you are going to do a mash, the American 2-row pale doesn't really do anything for your recipe.

My thinking would be to start with a fairly malty base recipe and add what you need to get the orange, vanilla and citrus hop flavors in the mix.

Cream Soda Beer might be a good starting point.

Good Luck!

 

[brewguy82]

Ha this is so funny because I had been planning on making a creamsicle style beer as well with the same idea I do 2 gallon batches so I was gonna do:
2lbs of dried wheat malt extract
.5lbs of crystal malt 10L
.2lbs flaked oats
1oz tettnager
Sweet orange peel
1 vanilla bean or extract
Wyeast1010
Though been debating on the whole using vanilla bean split in half vs extract and using actual orange zest vs brewers best orange peel.
Wyeast

 

[brewguy82]

Though the guy at my LHBS suggested substituting the wyeast1010 with a kolsch yeast. Says the american wheat strain is boring

 

[PT Ray]

You need to start with wheat extract. The grains you have for steeping all need to be mashed and your non diastic grain (flaked wheat) doesn't have enough supporting enzymes from the other malts to be converted. I would just steep a pound of Dextrin malt. That will offer some of the thicker mouthfeel you get from a flaked grain and doesn't have to be mashed. Even though Amarillo hops are citrusy I don't think it's character fits with what you want. I think an ounce of a noble hop for bittering will work out better. The last thing is an addition of an ounce of fresh coriander. This does have kind of a citrusy character that should work well. So something like this:

1 lb Dextrin Malt Steeped
6.6 lbs Wheat Extract
1 oz Hallertaur 60 min
1 oz Orange Peel 5 min
1 oz Fresh Crushed Coriander 5 min

 

[brewguy82]

So you wouldn't get anything from steeping flaked oats? What about adding a little two row? Or crystal malt?

 

[BAOKBrewer]

I'll take a look at the links and do some more research. I wondered about using the flaked oats for that creamy mouth fell, but wondered about the mash issue. I'll look into the Dextrin Malt though.

Thanks for all the good info everybody. I'll definitely update when I get this puppy off the ground.

 

[PT Ray]

Flaked oats ideally needs to be mashed (co-mashed with a base malt that has a surplus of enzymes) but it tends to be accepted to steep a conservative amount. I wouldn't exceed a pound in a 5 gallon batch. I believe steeping still extracts some of the beta glucan in the oat meal that gives that kind of oily, earthy character. That's my hypothesis at least.

 

[devilishprune]

Actually, wheat malt has about the same diastatic power as 2 row. If you mash that and some flaked oats then you will indeed get conversion and have nothing to worry about.

 

[rycov]

i wonder if you will get what you are looking for just from the orange peel. the outside is more harsh and astringent. seems like you would want some of the sweeter juice flavor too for it to taste like creamcicle. just a thought. still sounds really good though.