American Wheat Beer Hoppy Session Wheat Beer

[z-bob]

This just moved way up the list in my brewing backlog. I had a bunch of hops in the freezer already, and just bought 4 more pounds (Centennial, Northern Brewer, CTZ, Crystal, and Tradition) I couldn't help myself; the hops were on sale really cheap but the flat rate postage was kinda high so I doubled-up.

I'm not real fond of extremely bitter IPAs, but I need to start using more than 1–1.5 ounces per batch.

 

[Steven Barrett]

Anyone tried to clarify this with gelatin? I love hops but I don’t love haze.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Anyone tried to clarify this with gelatin? I love hops but I don’t love haze.

Not sure just how much haze you'd be able to clear up more because of the wheat making up a large portion of the grain bill.

 

[Von Mises]

I just emptied a keg of a version of this. Great recipe, easy drinker. Beautiful looking beer!

I used:
4lb Pale Ale Malt
4lb White Wheat
1lb Flaked Oats
2.5 oz Acid Malt.

30 minute boil, 1 oz Centennial @30
2 oz Citra & 2 oz Mosaic @160 degrees.
Dry Hop 1oz each Citra & Mosaic.
Kegged on day 12.
Thanks for the recipe & inspiration!

 

[GearHead71]

I just emptied a keg of a version of this. Great recipe, easy drinker. Beautiful looking beer!

I used:
4lb Pale Ale Malt
4lb White Wheat
1lb Flaked Oats
2.5 oz Acid Malt.

30 minute boil, 1 oz Centennial @30
2 oz Citra & 2 oz Mosaic @160 degrees.
Dry Hop 1oz each Citra & Mosaic.
Kegged on day 12.
Thanks for the recipe & inspiration!View attachment 667741

Looks great! I'm kegging mine tomorrow! Tried the hydrometer sample last night and it smelled and tasted awesome.

 

[GearHead71]

Just kegged my second batch of this. No idea what I screwed up on the first batch but this one came out great! Very low bitterness but lots of hop flavor. This will definitely be part of the rotation

(Here's how my first batch looked. Had a lot of yeast flavor to it even after weeks of sitting in the keg. Looks like a different beer):

 

[cheesebach]

Just kegged my second batch of this. No idea what I screwed up on the first batch but this one came out great! Very low bitterness but lots of hop flavor. This will definitely be part of the rotation

View attachment 669004



(Here's how my first batch looked. Had a lot of yeast flavor to it even after weeks of sitting in the keg. Looks like a different beer):

View attachment 669005

Did you change the yeast or make any changes to your dry hop or whirlpool hop schedule?

 

[balrog]

or any change to process? At all?

 

[GearHead71]

Did you change the yeast or make any changes to your dry hop or whirlpool hop schedule?

or any change to process? At all?

2 things were different:

1. The first batch I did was the first batch ever on my new equipment. There's a chance I didn't clean the kettle well enough and maybe there were some machining oils or something left over.

2. The first batch I messed with the water chemistry and pH levels. I could have screwed something up there as well. The second batch I just used tap water through and RV filter.

Other than that, same yeast, same recipe.

 

[sniak]

For this recipe i decided for the first time to try to fix my water profile.
I kinda went lost with all the information and calculators available.
I have water with this profile:


Ca – 57
Mg – 28
Na – 50
HCO3 – 220
SO4 – 36
Cl – 84

What and how much do i need to add to achieve the suggested water profile ?
Should i even bother ? ( i mean is the difference from the suggested profile significant here or for this recipe in particular ? )

Thanks

 

[Miraculix]

For this recipe i decided for the first time to try to fix my water profile.
I kinda went lost with all the information and calculators available.
I have water with this profile:


Ca – 57
Mg – 28
Na – 50
HCO3 – 220
SO4 – 36
Cl – 84

What and how much do i need to add to achieve the suggested water profile ?
Should i even bother ? ( i mean is the difference from the suggested profile significant here or for this recipe in particular ? )

Thanks

I would leave it as it is. You just would need to compensate for the high alkalinity. A rule of thumb would be to add about 2% of the overall grainbill weight on top of it as acidulated malt. This works, but there are also more elaborate ways of calculating the proper amount of acid necessary. I go the easy route.

 

[Braufessor]

For this recipe i decided for the first time to try to fix my water profile.
I kinda went lost with all the information and calculators available.
I have water with this profile:


Ca – 57
Mg – 28
Na – 50
HCO3 – 220
SO4 – 36
Cl – 84

What and how much do i need to add to achieve the suggested water profile ?
Should i even bother ? ( i mean is the difference from the suggested profile significant here or for this recipe in particular ? )

Thanks

I would do one of two things.....
1.) The suggestion above - get 2% acidulated malt in the grain bill to counter all that alkalinity.
2.) Go with all RO water.

That water is really high in alkalinity and that generally does not play very nice with hoppy lighter colored beers. So, your water and this particular beer are really not made for each other. Your water is better suited to brown ales, porters, stouts, black lagers, etc. (I have similar water)
Personally, RO water is the easiest route in my opinion. There is really no "minerals" to add to your water that is going to "fix" it. Basically, the only thing you can do is try to counteract the alkalinity as much as you can.

I suppose one other thing you could do that would help some - boil the water in an attempt to drop out the alkalinity (white sediment that will fall out during boiling of hard water). Then drain water off of sediment and still add acidulated malt or lactic acid to counter the remaining alkalinity. You will only get 25-50% of the alkalinity out boiling it though - if that. Again - simple solution is to use RO water from the store. For a few dollars, you can start with exactly what you need.

 

[sniak]

I would do one of two things.....
1.) The suggestion above - get 2% acidulated malt in the grain bill to counter all that alkalinity.
2.) Go with all RO water.

That water is really high in alkalinity and that generally does not play very nice with hoppy lighter colored beers. So, your water and this particular beer are really not made for each other. Your water is better suited to brown ales, porters, stouts, black lagers, etc. (I have similar water)
Personally, RO water is the easiest route in my opinion. There is really no "minerals" to add to your water that is going to "fix" it. Basically, the only thing you can do is try to counteract the alkalinity as much as you can.

I suppose one other thing you could do that would help some - boil the water in an attempt to drop out the alkalinity (white sediment that will fall out during boiling of hard water). Then drain water off of sediment and still add acidulated malt or lactic acid to counter the remaining alkalinity. You will only get 25-50% of the alkalinity out boiling it though - if that. Again - simple solution is to use RO water from the store. For a few dollars, you can start with exactly what you need.

Thanks for detailed response !

1. This can be a solution, but i already have my grainbill, and have to pay for shipment again to order some acidulated malt.
2. Unfortunately i don't have an RO system. i checked where can i buy some, but can't seem to find in my area.

Thanks for the boil explanation ! this explains a lot, i have been boiling water to sterlize some stuff, and was suspecting the white powdery stuff left at the end was the result of minerals/salts dropping from the boil.

So, i went to the store and checked some of the mineral waters they sell there, took notes of the water profile. Got home and entered the values to the Bru'nWater sheet. Seems like i found one that might fit the bill:

Ca – 80
Mg – 19
Na – 6.5
HCO3 – 10
SO4 – 18
Cl – 170

Can i go with this as is ?
I suspect i might need to add some gypsum because this is too acidic.
Maybe instead of buying gypsum i can add something like 20% of the water that is high in alkalinity, and the rest with the low one.

EDIT -
So i ran the numbers, and if i add ~7% from the water that is high in alkalinity and the rest is from the "softer" water, i get to where i think i want to be.

Think thats what i'll do.

 

[Braufessor]

Thanks for detailed response !

1. This can be a solution, but i already have my grainbill, and have to pay for shipment again to order some acidulated malt.
2. Unfortunately i don't have an RO system. i checked where can i buy some, but can't seem to find in my area.

Thanks for the boil explanation ! this explains a lot, i have been boiling water to sterlize some stuff, and was suspecting the white powdery stuff left at the end was the result of minerals/salts dropping from the boil.

So, i went to the store and checked some of the mineral waters they sell there, took notes of the water profile. Got home and entered the values to the Bru'nWater sheet. Seems like i found one that might fit the bill:

Ca – 80
Mg – 19
Na – 6.5
HCO3 – 10
SO4 – 18
Cl – 170

Can i go with this as is ?
I suspect i might need to add some gypsum because this is too acidic.
Maybe instead of buying gypsum i can add something like 20% of the water that is high in alkalinity, and the rest with the low one.

EDIT -
So i ran the numbers, and if i add ~7% from the water that is high in alkalinity and the rest is from the "softer" water, i get to where i think i want to be.

Think thats what i'll do.

Blending water is a good strategy.... I have done the same, and sounds like a good plan. The minerals will be right in the ballpark for a beer like this. Does it give you an estimate on your mash pH with that water and grain bill? That would be the only thing. I am usually adding 1-2ml of lactic acid per 5 gallons on beers like this with Reverse Osmosis water.

As far as finding reverse osmosis water.... your best bet is the refill machines at a Walmart or grocery store - those are usually RO machines. I just use 3 gallon jugs and refill.

 

[sniak]

Just finished brewing my version of this !
First time doing all-grain, second time brewing anything. Ended up taking double the time i thought it would take me (6 hours overall).
Cleaning up was hell, but i was smiling the whole time.


I do have two questions:
1. I tasted the sample i took for OG, it really had a strong hop bite. Does this mellow during fermentation ?

2. Although i used proper bags for the hops, i ended up with some trub in the fermentation bucket, is this okay ?

 

[Braufessor]

Just finished brewing my version of this !
First time doing all-grain, second time brewing anything. Ended up taking double the time i thought it would take me (6 hours overall).
Cleaning up was hell, but i was smiling the whole time.


I do have two questions:
1. I tasted the sample i took for OG, it really had a strong hop bite. Does this mellow during fermentation ?

2. Although i used proper bags for the hops, i ended up with some trub in the fermentation bucket, is this okay ?

Beer out of the kettle after boil is harsh.... always..... nothing like the finished product ever.

Trub/break material in the fermenter is fine. All other things being equal and correct, you are totally fine.

 

[sniak]

Beer out of the kettle after boil is harsh.... always..... nothing like the finished product ever.

Trub/break material in the fermenter is fine. All other things being equal and correct, you are totally fine.

Short update. Bottled this today, still tasted a bit harsh.
I hope three weeks conditioning in the bottles will smooth this out.

EDIT:

i was a bit of a smart*** and changed the recipe a bit:

1.80 kg White Wheat Malt 46.2%
1.30 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) 33.3%
0.80 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter 20.5%

28.00 g (1oz) Centennial 30.0 min

28.00 g (1oz) Amarillo Whirlpool
28.00 g (1oz) Citra - Whirlpool
28.00 g (1oz) Nelson Sauvin Whirlpool

28.00 g (1oz) Citra Dry Hop
28.00 g (1oz) Nelson Sauvin Dry Hop

1.0 pkg Safale US-05

OG: 1.043
FG: 1.010

Bottled on day 12.
I don't have temperature control for the fermentation stage. But i did use this device which i placed on top of the fermentation bucket to measure the temp every 30 min. This is the temp graph:

 

[Oldskewl]

Short update. Bottled this today, still tasted a bit harsh.
I hope three weeks conditioning in the bottles will smooth this out.

EDIT:

i was a bit of a smart*** and changed the recipe a bit:

1.80 kg White Wheat Malt 46.2%
1.30 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) 33.3%
0.80 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter 20.5%

28.00 g (1oz) Centennial 30.0 min

28.00 g (1oz) Amarillo Whirlpool
28.00 g (1oz) Citra - Whirlpool
28.00 g (1oz) Nelson Sauvin Whirlpool

28.00 g (1oz) Citra Dry Hop
28.00 g (1oz) Nelson Sauvin Dry Hop

1.0 pkg Safale US-05

OG: 1.043
FG: 1.010

Bottled on day 12.
I don't have temperature control for the fermentation stage. But i did use this device which i placed on top of the fermentation bucket to measure the temp every 30 min. This is the temp graph:

View attachment 673141

How did this batch turn out? I planned to make an OtherHalf type oat beer using roughly

45% 2 row
45% oat malt
5% carapils
3% honey malt
2% acid malt
Citra/Nelson/Mosaic.

I’m guessing my oat malt was not crushed thoroughly although visually it appeared to be and my gap was set at .025. I was targeting an OG of 1.060 and I ended up with 1.046, largest miss ever for me. I did (2) 3 oz whirlpool additions at 185F and 160F. I was planning a 6-8 oz dry hop, but may back it down to 3 oz per this recipe since I now have a Session IPA.

 

[sniak]

How did this batch turn out? I planned to make an OtherHalf type oat beer using roughly

45% 2 row
45% oat malt
5% carapils
3% honey malt
2% acid malt
Citra/Nelson/Mosaic.

I’m guessing my oat malt was not crushed thoroughly although visually it appeared to be and my gap was set at .025. I was targeting an OG of 1.060 and I ended up with 1.046, largest miss ever for me. I did (2) 3 oz whirlpool additions at 185F and 160F. I was planning a 6-8 oz dry hop, but may back it down to 3 oz per this recipe since I now have a Session IPA.

I'll update when i try. gonna give it at least another week to bottle condition before i try (total of three weeks).

EDIT
You made me curious.
I placed one bottle in the fridge. Gonna try it tonight and update.

 

[sniak]

Okay. So I opened a bottle. Smells and looks great, tastes not bad. But still has a bit of a harsh bitter aftertaste.
Definitely gonna give it the full 3 weeks bottle conditioning.

 

[Oldskewl]

Okay. So opened a bottle. Smells and looks great, tastes not bad. But still has a bit of a harsh bitter aftertaste.
Definitely gonna give it the full 3 weeks bottle conditioning.

Keep us updated. Another week or two should give it time to mellow out.

 

[popquizkid]

How did this batch turn out? I planned to make an OtherHalf type oat beer using roughly

45% 2 row
45% oat malt
5% carapils
3% honey malt
2% acid malt
Citra/Nelson/Mosaic.

I’m guessing my oat malt was not crushed thoroughly although visually it appeared to be and my gap was set at .025. I was targeting an OG of 1.060 and I ended up with 1.046, largest miss ever for me. I did (2) 3 oz whirlpool additions at 185F and 160F. I was planning a 6-8 oz dry hop, but may back it down to 3 oz per this recipe since I now have a Session IPA.

I have been using oat malt is a recent string of batches that had efficiency issues even at 25% of the grain bill. My crush also appeared okay. About to brew a batch this weekend sans oat malt to see if it really was the malt, or something else in my system.

 

[Persevalli]

Thanks for the recipe, it is really great!
I´m pouring with 2oz of Amarillo in keg and it´s a big success. For me it´s like a lighter NEIPA (or NEAPA as folks used to say here...).

 

[sniak]

Keep us updated. Another week or two should give it time to mellow out.

Update:
The off after taste indeed mellowed out, and it's great now !
Thanks Braufessor for the original recipe.

It is just a tad more bitter than i imagined it would be. Next time i would probably cut the bittering Centennial to 0.5 Oz or maybe move it to the 15min.

 

[Oldskewl]

Update:
The off after taste indeed mellowed out, and it's great now !
Thanks Braufessor for the original recipe.

It is just a tad more bitter than i imagined it would be. Next time i would probably cut the bittering Centennial to 0.5 Oz or maybe move it to the 15min.

Glad to hear it turned out well for you. I kegged my botched Other Half clone batch over the week-end. OG ended up 1.046, FG ended up 1.010. Hydo sample was decent. Here is what I did:

1:1:1oz Citra/Mosaic/Nelson whirlpool @ 190 for 30 min
1:1:1oz Citra/Mosaic/Nelson whirlpool @ 160 for 20 min
1:2:1oz Citra/Mosaic/Nelson 60F dry hop for 3 days after soft crash to 55F for 2 days

I will report back in a week or two to report how it turned out.

 

[sniak]

Glad to hear it turned out well for you. I kegged my botched Other Half clone batch over the week-end. OG ended up 1.046, FG ended up 1.010. Hydo sample was decent. Here is what I did:

1:1:1oz Citra/Mosaic/Nelson whirlpool @ 190 for 30 min
1:1:1oz Citra/Mosaic/Nelson whirlpool @ 160 for 20 min
1:2:1oz Citra/Mosaic/Nelson 60F dry hop for 3 days after soft crash to 55F for 2 days

I will report back in a week or two to report how it turned out.

Sounds great!
I see you used more Nelson than I did. I Think maybe I used to little, since I don't really feel it that well in my beer.

 

[srqbrew]

I am working on dialing in my hoppy beer process, and I wanted a modern (ester-driven, full-mouthfeel) compliment to @BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde. I think this is just the ticket. Doesn't require an obscene amount of hops or get into poly-phenol oxidation problems (I don't think?). Both recipes should show flaws readily, but still be enjoyable to drink on their own. I'm excited to brew it! Thanks @Braufessor!

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Took a stab at this recipe. Went with 45/45 2 row/white wheat and 5/5 flaked oats/flaked barley. Centennial for bittering and then mandarin bavaria and hell melon the rest of the way. Came out great! Thanks for the light/refreshing recipe @Braufessor !

 

[srqbrew]

First crack at this came out OK. Missed my OG badly, and the beer finished at 1.004. The bitterness was too assertive for this FG. I think it will balance better with more malt.

That said, the aroma and mouthfeel were tremendous, even with the low gravity. I will repeat with the same grain bill and hops and see how the next version goes.

Details:
Grain bill = as written
Hops = 0.5 oz Centennial at 30 min, 1 oz Comet and 1 oz Mosaic at flameout, 1 oz Comet and 1 oz Mosaic after high krausen
Yeast = US 05
Fermentation schedule = 63F for 5 days, 66F for 4 days, kegged and force carbed for 5 days

 

[Isonad]

Had my first pint of this tonight (using mix of Idaho 7, Bru1 and Azzacca) and for a 3.5ish% beer it has a surprisingly good body to it. Great beer to have on tap to give you that hop punch without the booze!

 

[Miraculix]

Had my first pint of this tonight (using mix of Idaho 7, Bru1 and Azzacca) and for a 3.5ish% beer it has a surprisingly good body to it. Great beer to have on tap to give you that hop punch without the booze!

Sounds like my type of beer!

 

[morebeer]

I've been eying this recipe for a while and I'm finally going to try it tomorrow. Going with Sabro, Citra, Mosaic combo because I have some. Doing a 10 gallon batch so I think we will try a couple of different yeasts too. Lutra Kviek because I have some I harvested from a Kolsch we just did and it was impressive, so we'll see what it does with this style. Might do Verdant IPA yeast for the other.
Will update with our results!

 

[z-bob]

How does this beer compare to Lagunita's Little Sumpin'? Not as high ABV (or as high in calories) but looks really similar otherwise.

 

[Braufessor]

How does this beer compare to Lagunita's Little Sumpin'? Not as high ABV (or as high in calories) but looks really similar otherwise.

Hmmmm.... I have not had that beer in forever.
If I was going to compare it to something commercial that I drink from time to time, I would maybe say Bell's Half Hearted Ale perhaps.

 

[balrog]

Just checking in. Made it several times now with
44% Maris Otter
44% Briess White Wheat
9% Flaked Oats
3% Carapils
Hops are Citra/Mosaic/Galaxy 2:1:0.6 oz at flame out, 0.5oz Bergamot at 30m into 60m boil.
I color outside the lines a bit on the yeast, going for 95F ferment with Voss Kveik for tangerineyness
[Edit: forgot to add, Ca:Cl:SO4 are targeted for 50:50:50]
4.6% ABV, fruity, nice. Thanks @Braufessor .

 

[Braufessor]

Just checking in. Made it several times now with
44% Maris Otter
44% Briess White Wheat
9% Flaked Oats
3% Carapils
Hops are Citra/Mosaic/Galaxy 2:1:0.6 oz at flame out, 0.5oz Bergamot at 30m into 60m boil.
I color outside the lines a bit on the yeast, going for 95F ferment with Voss Kveik for tangerineyness
[Edit: forgot to add, Ca:Cl:SO4 are targeted for 50:50:50]
4.6% ABV, fruity, nice. Thanks @Braufessor .
View attachment 780669

Nice. I just brewed this a few weeks ago with Citra/mosaic/galaxy as well.