Issues with Wheat beers

[phlawrence]

So, I have been brewing for about 2 years now and have had some amazing successes... but thats not what this post is about. I cant seem to make a good wheat bear. My first attempt was a dunkelweiss, it came out too sweet and bland. There is no better way to describe it... it was lacking something. Then I attempted to make a Wit... again, empty in flavor. It tasted as though I put nothing in it but malt... which was not the case at all, and as it aged it just got worse. I really want to make a Honey-Weiss for my husband as it is one of his favs for the summer but I am afraid that I will run into the same problem. Does anyone have a good recipe or any suggestions for me before I run blindly into Wheat beer hell?

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Wheat beers are a bit tricky when using extract. Proper yeast is the biggest factor you can control along with fermentation temperature.

If you are referring to honey-weiss from Leini's, that will be a pretty tall task. It is a lager that is brewed with lots of honey a little wheat malt and a bunch of 2-row malt. Lagering takes a bit more work than ales do and requires temperature control. You could try using a very clean fermenting ale yeast Wyeast 1056 for example, and fermenting it cold (~60º).

A little more info about your process would be very helpful.

 

[phlawrence]

Unfortunately for me, I am unable to ferment below about 70 due to the air conditioning situation. (I have a chest freezer which I have retrofitted with a temperature regulator for lager but it is being used as a freezer atm). I brew either all extract or partial mash depending on the beer I am making (and how much energy I have that day) although I do have a budding interest in all grain brew. I would like to make a Wheat beer of any kind successfully, Ill take any advice I can get. I suppose keeping it simple in an attempt to get something drinkable and delicious out of it would be nice though.
thanks in advance for all the help

 

[woollybugger2]

I've had excellent results with High Gravity's "Lady in White" Mini-mash kit.

Lady In White - High Gravity's Ingredient Kits - High Gravity

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I brewed the Kiwit recipe from Dogfish head with great success. If you do a search for Kiwit I am sure it will come up. Just try to follow good technique and you should be good to go.

 

[Clonefarmer]

1) If you have been using dry yeast try a liquid. Or if you are using an American wheat yeast strain try one of the German strains.

2) If you have been brewing recipe kits from one place try a different shop's kits.

 

[phlawrence]

Thanks for the help guys. I have been brewing recipes I have found either from my brew shop, or from The Brewmaster's Bible and have not had much success with those. I also use liquid yeast only. I will try a different strain and to use one of the recipes mentioned above. Again, thanks for the help and Ill be checking back for any new info that comes up. Hopefully the next batch will be a success.... otherwise Ill just go back to my IIPA's and Nut Browns

 

[phlawrence]

I cant find the kiwit recipe. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[radtek]

I know it isn't to style but I up the BU's to about 30 when doing wheats. That wheat flavor needs something to bump it up and I'm happy with the results.

Also, take a look at the carbonation levels. You might want to investigate going up a bit in CO2 volumes.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I found it:

The recipe in the book is extract. I will give it to you as it reads

5gal
1.052
IBU's unknown

6.6lbs wheat barley liquid malt extract
.5lbs torrified wheat
.5lbs 6-row

1oz tettnanger hops 60 min
.5oz williamette 10 min
.5oz crushed coriander 10 min

4lbs fresh kiwi peeled and cubed

wyeast 3463

Brew like a normal extract recipe. Add the kiwi at flameout. Stir wort and let kiwi steep for 20 minutes before chilling. Chill wort to pitching temp. Transfer wort and fruit into the fermentor, and pitch. It says to give it 15-20 days in the primary. When the kiwi's rise to the top and are almost white in color that will signify that they have been successfully stripped of flavor and sugar.

 

[Clonefarmer]

I cant find the kiwit recipe. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

The Northern Brewer Homebrew Forum - Dogfish Head's Kiwit

Ok, here's the recipe...

KIWIT
OG - 1.053
FG - 1.014
ABV - 5.1%
Color - 7.7 SRM
IBU's - 20.0
Brewhouse Efficiency - 75%

Fermentables

- 6.6 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (what BYO had in it) OR 8.5-9 lbs Wheat Malt for AG
- 0.5 lb Pale Malt 6-Row
- 0.5 lb Torrified Wheat

Hops

- 1 oz Tettnang[4.5%] (60 min)
- 0.5 oz Williamette[5.5%] (10 min)

Other

- 0.5 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5 min)
- 1 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15 min)
- 4 lbs Kiwi Fruit, Fresh, Cubed (Put in Primary along with yeast)

Yeast

White Labs#WLP410 - Belgian Wit 2

The magazine suggested the liquid extract, but I think I'll use the wheat malt...
Whatcha think?

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Oh..... my Google-foo is strong:

Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's ... - Google Book Search

 

[cghinds]

I've had good success with True Brews American wheat extract kit. it was pretty good. One thing Ive been told and have learned about wheat beers is they are usually better young.

 

[Berlbrew]

OK, don't think I'm trying to insult your intelligence here, but my friend tried to brew an extract wit and her beer tasted just as you describe- not bad, but nothing to make it a wit. Then one day she was drinking one of her brews and I noticed coriander seed floating on top of the beer!

"You did crush your coriander when you brewed that, right?" I said.
"Crushed? No, why would I do that?" she said.

I grabbed some fresh coriander from my brew cabinet and we crushed a seed together.

"Oooh, wooow!" she said
"Yup!" I said.

It's an easy direction to miss, but coriander won't have the taste and aroma that you're familiar with if you don't crush it! Could that possibly be your issue?

 

[phlawrence]

I hear you on the note about crushing them, I actually did.... but maybe I need to get some kind of grinder or something to get the full flavor out of my coriander. I am going to give the kiwit recipe a try and we will see how that goes. Ill keep you posted! Thanks again

 

[LaurieGator]

I just tried a wheat that I had brewed about 6 weeks ago and it turned out fabulous. It was the South by Southwheat beer from Austin Homebrew. It is a nice wheat and the agave extract that they included gave it a very nice flavor, not real malty but had a nice bitterness that was not overwhelming! It is an extract kit with steeping grains, very easy!

Could you get a bucket from Wal Mart to put your carboy in to cool it? I put the carboy in a bathtub with room temp water and it kept the fermentation temp around 64F. (without any extra ice to keep it cool) I also used a dry yeast in it (SafBrew Wheat Yeast #WB-06). I am brewing in AZ where the temps are getting in the 90's when I did my brew....

I hope this helps you out.

 

[phlawrence]

I just cracked open the Kiwit that I brewed about 5 weeks back and it is AWESOME! I am not afraid of Wit beer anymore ... Nor am I afraid I fruit... getting a grapefruit IPA underway now. I added a little bit of oat flakes to the Kiwit when I brewed, just threw it in with my steeping grains and it produced a nice thickness in the beer. It coats the mouth really well... Thanks everyone for all the help!!!