Fruit Beer Lemon-Lime Hefe Weizen

[Brewbuzzard]

Still tangy, still lemony, definitely a bit overcarbed, but it weathered sitting in the basement very well.

Cool beans

 

[hoppyfondue]

I have the grain for this one, but may need to stop by the HBS to see if they have the hops on hand. I want to get this on for the summer.

I'm looking to brew this one soon too, thinking possibly Sunday. Looks way too good to NOT have on the summer brew list!

 

[BurrTucky]

I tweaked this a bit just to try an idea. I used simply lemonade with blueberry, and used 2 of the 1.75L bottles. Also, used safale K-97.

Made a batch for a wedding, it was gone way too quickly. Everyone loved it. So if you want to try a variant version, try it out.

 

[Mothman]

I have skimmed the thread, but haven't read it all yet... has anyone un-hefe'd this hefeweizen?

I'm interested in trying the recipe, but I'm not a big fan of hefeweizens on their own... if I just used a clean yeast instead of a hefeweizen yeast, think this would still be a worthy brew?

Edit: Oh.,.. I see OCBrewing used US05, along with some other changes, and said it was great. May give it a try with the original recipe, just supping in US05.

 

[Transamguy77]

@Mothman i like you am not a fan of Hefe’s and I can say that it’s not very wheaty I actually just made this and split it but the half I put the lime in that keg must have had some crap in it and it soured. Didn’t enjoy it which is why I made it but it looks like I’ll be drinking some Hefeweizen’s now.

 

[rideincircles]

I skipped out on brewing this beer this year, but plan to for next year for certain. My main changes were to use all motueka and use trader joe's limeade over simply limeade. It has way more lime flavor which is the goal I am after with this beer.

 

[cmac62]

I'm thinking of brewing something like this over the weekend. I was thinking of doing a cream ale base with 4lb of 2r, 3 lb white wht .5 lb aromatic and 1 lb minute rice with 1 lb of lactose at FO. Using lalbrew voss at 95* the hops I have on hand are citra, cascade, chinook, HM and motuka. I was thinking 1 oz citra 60 and FO. With the voss do you think I need to wait for the krausen to fall before adding the limeade? Thought, Ideas welcome.

 

[rideincircles]

Here was the last version of my recipe for a 10 gallon batch.
My goal has just to push the lime front entirely and added more hops than necessary.

2 liter yeast starter - one package Omega OYL-021 Hefeweizen on stir plate
Mash at 154 with 7.5 gallons of 169 water treated with 4g Gypsum and 7g CACL.
I did add 1tsp lactic acid 88% to 8 gallons of sparge water, but didn't need that much water for sparging.

12.5 lbs 2-row
10 lbs white wheat
2 lbs Vienna

2.5 oz Motueka 5.1% AAU - 60 minutes
.64 oz lime zest - Bump it to one ounce. That was all I had (6 limes)
1.5 ounce motueka at flameout and whirlpool for 25 minutes
25 minutes later another 1.5 ounce motueka for 20 minutes.
Total 45 minute hop whirlpool before crashing with wort chiller.

Crashed overnight to pitch temp, split the yeast between the 2 carboys and added oxygen.
Fermented at 67 I think. Did not record.
Add 1 gallon of trader joes limeade 9 days in. It has way more lime tartness then simply limeade.
Dryhopped with 3 oz of Motueka for 10 days. (1.5 oz each carboy)
Cold crash to drop hops.
Then kegged.

Adjust your ferment schedule as needed, I just sometimes get lazy and let things roll.

1.066 OG -1.006 FG

I am pushing this into a pale hef category and I don't care, but I may reduce the malt bill next time since I should lighten it up a tad on the abv.

This is the direction I have headed with this recipe after at least 6 variations. There are a couple beers left.

I also made a partigyle that I added raspberries to and some cantillon culture as an experiment and used ahtanum hops. Its still in the carboy 5 months later.

 

[cmac62]

I recently used this recipe as a starting point for a margarita gose. Added 30 grams of salt and pitched the limeade after Krausen had fallen. Also fermented with Oly's Hot head kveik. Should be tasty.

 

[Shollister]

I recently used this recipe as a starting point for a margarita gose. Added 30 grams of salt and pitched the limeade after Krausen had fallen. Also fermented with Oly's Hot head kveik. Should be tasty.

I’ll be looking forward to hearing how this turns out! There is a brewery that does a margarita beer near us that is phenomenal and would like to try my own. Did you follow the original recipe or was it a different version? Thanks

 

[cmac62]

I’ll be looking forward to hearing how this turns out! There is a brewery that does a margarita beer near us that is phenomenal and would like to try my own. Did you follow the original recipe or was it a different version? Thanks

I believe I used 8 lb MO and 2 lb white wheat malt, with 30 grams of salt and then 1 bottle of the simply limeade after K had fallen. I got it into the keg this weekend and the sample tasted really good with an FG of 1010, about perfect. The salt and lime turned out nice with a great balance. Looking forward to seeing what this tastes like carbed in a couple of weeks. Waiting to a slot in the kegorater.

 

[BoomGoestheTNT]

Reviving this thread and awesome recipe. Brewed this last summer and it was a big hit. Just kegged a batch and excited to have this on tap again. Got a little carried away with the boys on brew day and forgot the lime zest. Thinking of adding it to the keg. Anyone try something like this? Also used Santa Cruz limeade since there was no Simply Lime to be found.

 

[cmac62]

TNT, I'd make some lime chello and add that to the keg. That way the flavor has already been extracted by the alcohol and you don't have to wait for the beer to pull the flavor out of the zest, but that's just me.

 

[balrog]

I was going to suggest exactly the same tincture method as @cmac62
Specifically, take the zest of 4-5 limes, green only no white pith, into 1-2 oz good vodka, wait 3 days, strain through sanitized hop sock material into keg.
I've done it with orange into a lackluster keg of Blue Moon clone with excellent results.


[edit: the reason to do the vodka tincture, or pure grain alcohol, is for sanitation as the zest will have all manner of things on/in it which would have been sanitized in the last 5m of the boil had you added it then]

 

[rideincircles]

Brewing this one again. May need to order some more motueka soon since I only have 4.5oz.
That's not enough for a good dry hop. Will play that by ear, but reviewing on my calculator for final ibu count.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

think it's time to brew this again. I have home grown sorachi ace hops and some wakatu hops which are also limey type NZ hops. I think i'll go a little bigger with dry hopping and lime zest.
Because the corner of my kitchen is low 60's and i don't have a new ferm chamber yet i think i'm going with T-58 for the yeast.
only 5 gallons.
not sure how this will turn out.

 

[BongoYodeler]

think it's time to brew this again. I have home grown sorachi ace hops and some wakatu hops which are also limey type NZ hops. I think i'll go a little bigger with dry hopping and lime zest.
Because the corner of my kitchen is low 60's and i don't have a new ferm chamber yet i think i'm going with T-58 for the yeast.
only 5 gallons.
not sure how this will turn out.

I've had this on my to-brew list for at least three years now. One of these days...

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I've had this on my to-brew list for at least three years now. One of these days...

I made this back in 2018 when i was still new to brewing. I couldn't find the limeade so used frozen concentrate and originally didn't put enough in and it was bad. Added another can and it was great. but it slowly fermented out because majority of lime flavor faded. but i know better now. since i keg i can knock the yeast down with sorbate to keep that sweet lime flavor around. But i think i need more lime peel also.

 

[balrog]

Best is to zest 5-6 limes, no pith white part, soak 3-4 days in just a couple iz vodka, strain through hop sock into bottling bucket at bottling time or into keg.

 

[skarb]

I brewed this a couple days ago and getting ready to add the limeade, but I can't seem to buy it anywhere in Canada. There is a Target store 45min drive away but I'm not going just to check. The closest I found was limeade frozen concentrate, made by Minutemade. I assume it is close enough to Simply Limeade. Trying to decide between two options for adding it, obviously a little worried about infecting the beer.

1) Thaw the concentrate and add to carboy through a sanitized funnel.

2) Boil then cool 1.5L water, mix with the frozen concentrate in a sanitized container, then add through the funnel.

Thoughts?

I'm curious what you ended up doing here. I'm in Canada as well and getting ready to brew this weekend. Like yourself I can't find the simply limeaide and was going to try the minutemaid frozen concentrate. Curious how it turned out

 

[BongoYodeler]

I would look for all natural, not from concentrate, limeade. Seems like you should be able to find something like that regardless of brand, even if you have to get it at a health food store. Just make sure it has no preservatives.

I’m also going to be brewing this in the next week or two, but I do have access to Simply Limeade. This beer has been on my radar for a few years now, and I’m psyched to finally brew it as it should make for a great summer beer.

 

[skarb]

I can't seem to find the exact yeast either. I was looking at Escarpement Labs Weizen I, but that one is supposed to be a banana bomb. Not what I'm going for. I'm going to take another look around to see if I can get something closer that's not from concentrate and also see about my yeast options. May even go with something neutral or even try voss kveik for a citrus flavor if I can't find a hefe yeast I like

 

[BongoYodeler]

I can't seem to find the exact yeast either. I was looking at Escarpement Labs Weizen I, but that one is supposed to be a banana bomb. Not what I'm going for. I'm going to take another look around to see if I can get something closer that's not from concentrate and also see about my yeast options. May even go with something neutral or even try voss kveik for a citrus flavor if I can't find a hefe yeast I like

Yeah, same here. My local shop stopped carrying White Labs yeasts. I decided to go with SafAle WB-06. Probably won’t be exactly the same but I can’t get WLP380 unless I order online, and it’s getting too warm to take that chance.

 

[balrog]

I’ve always used wb06

 

[BongoYodeler]

I’ve always used wb06

Good to know, thanks.

 

[skarb]

Hmm

I’ve always used wb06

Hmmmm I think I could get Safale wb06. You've done this recipe a bunch of times with it and it's turned out well? Any big banana or clove flavors from it. I feel like i wouldn't want a big banana or clove expression

 

[balrog]

Hmm

Hmmmm I think I could get Safale wb06. You've done this recipe a bunch of times with it and it's turned out well? Any big banana or clove flavors from it. I feel like i wouldn't want a big banana or clove expression

I generally dislike clove, but in this recipe it works well with the lime. I get no banana. None. Pretty sure none.
WB06 at 67F ferment, 10days, then keg. Mash 158F. Water just Gypsum for about 50 Ca, 10 CL, 100 SO4.

 

[skarb]

I generally dislike clove, but in this recipe it works well with the lime. I get no banana. None. Pretty sure none.
WB06 at 67F ferment, 10days, then keg. Mash 158F. Water just Gypsum for about 50 Ca, 10 CL, 100 SO4.

That's great! Thanks for the info. Do you add the limeaid too. It seems like the recipe recommends to add the limeaid roughly 3 days after fermentation started or once it died down and about 3 weeks in primary befor ebottling or kegging. Just seems like awhile

 

[balrog]

That's great! Thanks for the info. Do you add the limeaid too. It seems like the recipe recommends to add the limeaid roughly 3 days after fermentation started or once it died down and about 3 weeks in primary befor ebottling or kegging. Just seems like awhile

Yep I add the lime aid just when recipe calls for it. And sometimes I zest more limes and soak in a little vodka and strain and pour the tincture in at that point also

 

[skarb]

Yep I add the lime aid just when recipe calls for it. And sometimes I zest more limes and soak in a little vodka and strain and pour the tincture in at that point also

I thought about doing that with the lime zest and vodka as well, but may not this first time. I like your idea of having it only fermenting about 10 days and then to keg instead of 3 weeks. As long as the result is good of course