Help with All American Wheat Recipe

[mdbassoon]

Hello fellow Homebrewers! I'm putting together a wheat beer for my 4th of July party and wanted to get peoples opinions on which ingredients I should use. I brew extract so right now I was thinking:

8 oz Crystal 15 (for steeping)
8 oz Carapils (for steeping)
3 lbs wheat DME
3 lbs wheat DME (late addition)
White Labs WLP 320 Yeast
Ahtanum Hops
.5 oz 60 min
.25 oz 20 min
.25 at flameout

I picked the Ahtanum because it's (supposedly) more citrusy which would work better for a summer wheat, but I've never seen it or tasted it used in a wheat beer before. Any suggestions for alternate ingredients? I'd like to keep the hops down to one or two varieties at most. I also want to keep all the ingredients American since this is for 4th of July.

 

[kesslerr1]

Ahatnum will work for what you are looking for. I think your receipt is great, simple and screams land of the free and home of the brave.

Here are a few suggestions that you could always try if you wanted.

You could always add some fresh wheat to your steeping grains. In extract wheat beers I like to steep a pound or so of wheat as it tends to increase some of the wheat flavors IMO especially red wheat if your LHBS has it. Also you could try adding a few oz of honey malt (no more than 8 oz honey malt get over powering quick) to your steeping grains for a honey wheat flavor. OR simply try adding a half a pound to a pound of honey to your primary. I wouldn't boiling b/c honey will lose flavor when boiled. If you do want to add some honey just know it will dry your beer out some. Like I said your receipt looks fine these are just other ideas you could play with

 

[mdbassoon]

Sweet thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely try steeping with wheat. I've done honey and honey malt with other recipes, but never steeped wheat.

 

[mdbassoon]

I brewed this over the weekend. Unfortunately, I stupidly forgot to add the 2nd bag of DME during the boil. I ended up boiling it separately in another gallon of water and adding it afterwards. So the whole thing is actually 6 gallons now, a little less alcoholic and a little less bitter. The only other change I made from the posted recipe was the addition of a pound of wheat per the suggestions of kesslerr1. I'll post pictures and tasting notes once it's ready.

 

[johnmac22]

I picked the Ahtanum because it's (supposedly) more citrusy which would work better for a summer wheat, but I've never seen it or tasted it used in a wheat beer before. Any suggestions for alternate ingredients? I'd like to keep the hops down to one or two varieties at most. I also want to keep all the ingredients American since this is for 4th of July.

I cannot really speak to the wheat beer as i have yet to brew one but Ahtanum hops are in stone Pale Ale of you've had it.

I also like the idea of using them in a wheat beer...I want to eventually brew a wheat beer (if I can get off this IPA kick) and think Ahtanum would go well in a wheat...thanks for the idea!