Is brewing wheat beer (extract) any different?

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jigidyjim

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I think for my 5th beer I'll try a wheat beer... are all the steps/equipment/etc. going to be the same?

Thanks.
 
Just don't make the mistake I made. I did a wheat beer for my second brew and went cheap and used dry yeast (coopers I think). Make sure you're using a Hefeweisen yeast. 3/4 of what makes a wheat beer a wheat beer is the yeast that you use. It's worth the few extra bucks.
 
Just don't make the mistake I made. I did a wheat beer for my second brew and went cheap and used dry yeast (coopers I think). Make sure you're using a Hefeweisen yeast. 3/4 of what makes a wheat beer a wheat beer is the yeast that you use. It's worth the few extra bucks.

WB-06 can make some tasty beer, I made one of my best Hefe's ever using it.
 
I think for my 5th beer I'll try a wheat beer... are all the steps/equipment/etc. going to be the same?

* I would use a liquid weizen yeast of some kind
* use a blowoff tube
* use a blowoff tube
* use a blowoff tube

Wheat-based beers are infamous for massive airlock blowouts. You have been warned.
 
WB-06 can make some tasty beer, I made one of my best Hefe's ever using it.

Maybe I misrepresented myself there. I used a non-hefe yeast because it came with the kit and I was being cheap. Make sure to use a Hefe yeast.

And I second the blowoff tube recommendation. The first dunkelweisen that I made blew the lid off of the ale pail. SWMBO was not pleased with the yeast and wort on the walls.
 
WB-06 is a dry speciality yeast for wheat beer fermentations. Produces subtle estery/phenol flavor typical of wheat beers. Never used it but I imagine it gets you in the ballpark if the liquid yeast isnt available. Whatever yeast you choose, follow the fermentation temp guidelines close! Too hot and you could get lots of bananna flavor that you may/may not enjoy.
 
I'm using a Hefeweizen yeast (Wyeast 3068) for a batch of hard apple cider right now and fermented at 17*C (62.5*F) to ensure I'm at the absolute low-end of the temperature range for the yeast. The minimum temperature for the yeast is 65*F, which is above the ambient room temperature I've been fermenting at. The reason being the activity of the yeast produces heat which I've measured at around 19*C/66*F at the height of fermentation.

The reason I mention this is because true Hefe yeasts have so much to offer that their treatment is worth a lot of consideration.
 
And I second the blowoff tube recommendation. The first dunkelweisen that I made blew the lid off of the ale pail. SWMBO was not pleased with the yeast and wort on the walls.


What size bucket were you using? I have a 6.5 glass carboy... do people have explosions with that setup too?
 
Maybe I misrepresented myself there. I used a non-hefe yeast because it came with the kit and I was being cheap. Make sure to use a Hefe yeast.

And I second the blowoff tube recommendation. The first dunkelweisen that I made blew the lid off of the ale pail. SWMBO was not pleased with the yeast and wort on the walls.

I know what you mean there are a lot of WB-06 detractors out there. And even coopers dry yeast is a nice clean fermenter in the right beer. I made a few IPA's using it and they were nice. :mug:
 
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