Dunkel Weizen Extract Recipe

[lawrencee11]

I have what I believe is a Dunkel Weizen recipe that I would like some input on. This will be my first batch I have brewed that isn't from a Mr Beer kit. I found/made the recipe by combining a couple that I found and then going with something different. The guy that helped me find the stuff at the brew shop seemed to think it would be pretty good (I gathered this because whenever he would get another ingredient he would say "Oh yeah, this is going to be really great.") I just told him I found the recipe, not that I made it.

Any suggestions for anything would be great. Again, this is my first real batch and I'm looking for anything helpful.

1) Sanitation- Anything that will come in contact with the wort must be sanitized. On the side of caution everything I use will be cleaned and sanitized.

2) After the temperature of the wort is down to 70 degrees, yeast can be added.

3) Keep records of everything... Color, smell, when the fermentation starts, how vigorous it is, specific gravity...

This is for a 5 gallon recipe. My biggest concern is the overall taste, then its the bottling. I have also thought about adding 1 lb of honey with the extract as well and will be using spring water from gallon jugs from the grocery store.

Ingredients: 6.6 lb Wheat malt extract, 1.65 Amber malt extract, 0.25 lb Caraffa II, 0.5 lb Flaked oats, 2 oz Hallertaur Hop Pellets, 3068 Weihenstephen Weizen wyeast (smackpack)

Boil 2 gallons of water, add caraffa and flaked oats in muslin bag once boiling.
After 15 minutes add hops and all malt extract.
Boil for an additional 45 minutes.
Add wort to 3 gallons of very cold water in fermenter.
Once temperature reaches 70 degrees add activated wyeast.
Check specific gravity after fermentation subsides, once it is stable for 2 readings that are 24 hours apart it is ready to bottle.
For bottling:
Sanitize bottles and all other tubes and equipment.
Boil 2 cups of water with 2/3 cup of cane sugar for 15 minutes
Add sugar water to wort and lightly stir

 

[ncbrewer]

Some thoughts:

When chilling, it's easier/faster to chill the hot wort before mixing with the water. You can figure how cool it needs to be by the weighted average method.

Late extract addition is becoming more popular. You could check it out, or wait until you're more comfortable with your process.

2/3 cup of cane sugar seems like a lot for a 5 gallon batch. Try an on-line calculator like https://northernbrewer.ca/
And use the estimated volume going to the bottling bucket.

I haven't brewed a dunkel wiezen, so I can't comment on the recipe.

Good luck.

 

[ncbrewer]

Also, I don't know your exact plans for priming, but I boil the priming solution for 10 minutes, and then cool it in a pan of water with ice. (Many brewers don't boil it - your choice) Add this to the bottling bucket and rack the beer onto it without splashing - entering the bottom on a tangent so it mixes the priming solution in. Some then stir, some don't.

 

[lawrencee11]

I'm not seeing any kind of calculator there... Maybe I'm just over looking it but I'm sure I can find one somewhere. Thanks for reminding me to let the sugar water cool before adding it as well. I feel like its going to be something small like that that I overlook and ruin my whole batch.

 

[Yooper]

The oats are a problem. They need to be mashed with a base malt, or else contribute starch and not fermentable sugar. I would leave them out.

When you add the carafa grains, don't add it to boiling water. Bring the water to no higher than 170 degrees, then add them and steep them for 20 minutes and then remove the grainbag.

Bring that to a boil, and add half of your extract (with the pot off the heat), and then bring to a boil. Then add your hops. Two ounces of hops may be a bit much- I'd check that on the label and see the AAUs (the amount of alpha acids in the hops).

Then chill the wort to under 90 degrees, and then add the cool/cold water so that you have a temperature under 70 degrees. Top up (with non-chlorinated water) to the 5 gallon mark on your fermenter. Then stir well, check the SG with a hydrometer, and add the yeast.

I would not use honey with this batch, but you can if you want. It makes a thinner beer in the end, and that wouldn't be my preference for this first batch.

When you bottle, I wouldn't add the sugar water to the beer and gently stir. First, you won't stir it that well, and secondly, you'll stir up all of the trub in the bottom so that you'll have a ton of crud in the bottle. Invest in a bottling bucket and bottling wand, and you'll be so much happier with the beer in the end.

 

[lawrencee11]

The bag of hops says 4.4% AA what should I be looking for here?

Will chilling the wort like this not introduce the opportunity for bacteria to grow? I've got 9 liters of bottled Deer Park Spring water to use. Should I just record this specific gravity for use later or is there a certain number I need to look for?

Got it, no honey.

Ive got a 5 gallon bucket, a 6 gallon fermenter with a nozzle, a thermometer, a hygrometer, tubing, an airlock, and bottling wand, so some of that is covered. I will try and find a secondary bucket to be able to use a a bottling bucket. How should I add the bottling sugar to each bottle evenly?

 

[ncbrewer]

Will chilling the wort like this not introduce the opportunity for bacteria to grow? I've got 9 liters of bottled Deer Park Spring water to use. Should I just record this specific gravity for use later or is there a certain number I need to look for?

You can chill the wort with the lid on, in a sink full of ice and water. Very little exposure to the air. You will need to stir occasionally, but still not much exposure - just be careful and sanitary.

For an extract batch, if you've added the correct amounts of everything, including water, the gravity will be very close to what the ppg of all the components add up to. Gravity check is mostly for reassurance. Since you're adding top-off water, getting a homogeneous mix will be difficult, so your gravity reading could be off. Lots of extract brewers don't even take an OG reading for that reason.