Hefeweizen Mouthfeel

[Ale to the Chief]

What gives hefs that really creamy mouthfeel? I just made my first one and the flavor is just where it should be but it doesnt have that creamy mouthfeel that commercial hefs have. Does that come from using extract?

 

[Aleforge]

What gives hefs that really creamy mouthfeel? I just made my first one and the flavor is just where it should be but it doesnt have that creamy mouthfeel that commercial hefs have. Does that come from using extract?

I'm interested in this also, I have the stuff to make my first Hefe and was hoping to avoid the cause if possible.

What kit did you use btw? I got one from Austin Homebrew.

 

[McSwiggin']

try steeping some flaked wheat or stone ground wheat in the recipe. I use 1.5 pounds of stone ground wheat in my typical hefe recipes. It will also help with head retention. Make sure you steep for at least 30 mins, wheat usually requires a little more coaxing than specialty grains.

 

[BrewWench]

Head retention and creamy mouthfeel are from the wheat. What ratio of wheat:barley are you using? I usually end up doing 60:40 because I love the wheat so much - if you do less wheat than that, it will have less of a mouthfeel and less head.

 

[BrewWench]

Oops, to answer your question, I've gotten the mouthfeel from extract wheats. Have not made an all-grain wheat yet, but I can't imagine that's [only] what does it.

 

[TexLaw]

Yep, the mouthfeel comes from the proteins in the wheat, and those might be a little harder to come by in extract versions. Steeping some wheat is fine with a hefeweizen, since you are not worried about clarity in the final product, but you can also steep a little carapils. Even better, you can try a partial mash.


TL

 

[cuinrearview]

TL you just made my day. I'm going to post up about my first hefe and how different it's been than my other brews for a few reasons. The grains you mentioned were what I used!

 

[tagz]

i steeped some flaked wheat in my last hefe, and it was somewhat thicker, but i felt that it came out too sweet. this past round i went straight dme for a more crisp taste.

 

[DeathBrewer]

partial mash is the way to go. the extract will still do the trick, but using 3/2 lbs of wheat/vienna or something will really give you what you need...plus it's a fairly easy mash.

i don't see how flaked wheat would make your beer too sweet.

i'm making PM wheat beers all summer. I've already started with an american hefeweizen, a pale chocolate dunkelweizen, a straight german weisse-bier, and several more dunkelweizens. good stuff...every two weeks

 

[tagz]

oh, i think the thick mouth feel accentuated the sweetness. it got down to 1.012 so it shouldn't have been overly sweet from the dme. i figure dropping the extra starches might make things a little more crisp.

 

[Ale to the Chief]

Thanks for all the tips. I really want my next batch to have that good mouthfeel so maybe i'll try partial mash or steeping some flaked wheat. For those that asked I used Briess Wheat DME which I believe is 60/40. I also steeped a small amount of Munich which I don't think did anything except maybe make it even darker than i wanted it.

 

[McSwiggin']

the munich will help with body too. How much did you steep? If you had a half pound munich and half pound flaked wheat, steep for 20-30 mins and see if it puts you anywhere near where you want to be. If you have a weak fuzzy head or no mouthfeel, increase the wheat to a pound on the next batch. If you need more body, add a half lb of honey malt or even some caravienne. I use 1 lb of stone ground wheat as my default in most wheat recipes.

Also, remember you can increase your corn sugar for priming in a wheat, most of the styles call for a little more carbonation. 6-7 oz is my usually amount. where I will only use 4.5 - 5 oz on some ales or steams.