Hefeweizen - increasing body, head retention

[crippled1]

My current grist is:
57.1% white wheat
28.6% pilsner malt
14.3% light munich

I would like more body and head retention.
I really want to try adding torrified wheat to accomplish this but I haven’t seen much info about it.
Or would flaked wheat be a better choice?

 

[Kickass]

Could your mash temp/technique be responsible for the lack of body? The grain bill seems fine to me

 

[monkeymath]

I don't think flaked or torrefied wheat offer a significant advantage over malted wheat. And commercial Weißbier certainly uses malted wheat - at least 50% by law, and in most cases hardly more than that (due to the brewing process).

Wheat, in any shape, does not increase the body. I'd even say it adds less body than pilsner malt, certainly less sweetness. Munich malt gives a nice impression of maltiness. 15% seems good. If you want more body, I'd suggest something like 40/40/40 wheat/pils/munich, but that would probably be detrimental to head retention.

Something to try: step mashing with a short (15 mins) protein rest, maybe a simple decoction. I wouldn't expect a huge difference, but it could help. As always, mash pH is important as well.

You haven't told us the OG of your recipe, which may be an important factor here. Going for 12.5 to 13 degrees plato (1.050-.1052), possibly even a bit more, should give plenty of body.

Keep the bitterness low (10-15 IBU, I think). Some recipes call for aggressive carbonation, which certainly is not inappropriate, but I prefer them a little softer. (Maybe I'm just a bit sensitive to the "carbonic bite"). Last but not least, glassware and pouring technique are important.

 

[Jag75]

I agree with @Kickass . I use 2 row and white wheat and never have an issue with head retention or body. Your gb looks good.Maybe you had too much water and thinned it out ?

 

[Bilsch]

Glycoprotein rest.

 

[crippled1]

My target OG is 1.052.
I am doing BIAB with 5 gallons of water and 7 lbs grain in a 30 qt pot.
The mash is very thin.
I am in the habit of keeping mash temps on the low end 154 max I’m not a fan of heavy beers.
Next brew I will mash at the upper end, that will certainly help.
As for head retention IDK yet.

 

[deuc224]

Try melanoidin, i just cracked a hefe i di a while ago but gave it 10 days of conditioning(i hate yeast bite) and its exactly here i want it to be. Has body and isnt thin. My recipe was pils, wheat and melanoidin.

 

[Beer666]

My advice would be to try. no boil version.

 

[hottpeper13]

For my wheat beers I mash in at 104* for a beta glucan rest of 10 min then add boiling liquor to hit 148* and rest for 90 min, then to 172* for mash out. The 172* step is a dextrin rest for foam positive proteins that were developed in the 104* step. I have to use a brush to clean the foam off my glasses between beers. I do the same for my American Pils, for my German Pis I do a 2 step decoction.

 

[monkeymath]

The 172* step is a dextrin rest for foam positive proteins that were developed in the 104* step.

I have to admit I don't follow. What is a "dextrin rest"? (I first thought you meant dextrinisation, but that seems unlikely at 172 Fahrenheit.) And how do these dextrins relate to the proteins you alluded to? And what happens to those proteins during this step?

Can you elaborate and provide a reference here?

 

[hottpeper13]

I found it in Technology Brewing and Malting, 5th edition. If you read the entire mashing chapter starting on page 220 it will improve your skills , but the info in this thread is on page 253- 263. I'll try to find the paper from a technical bulletin from the MBAA, but my skill on a key board trying to find it is way less then my brewing skill.

 

[crippled1]

I have decided to add some Briess caracrystal wheat malt.
I also want to add a hint of sweetness.