Making a dunkelweizen

[Mojzis]

So I recently bought an imported dunkelweizen (ale not lager) and loved it. I think the brewery was Warstein or something along those lines. Anyway I was hoping to make my own dunkel which assumes the same style and taste. The one I had was moderately dark, caramel flavor, slight smokiness, and not very carbonated or hopped. I'm hoping to get some feedback on what people think of my own recipe. I use beersmith and make all grain, 2.5 gal batches (smaller batches means less loss in case of error). Anyway, here it goes:

2 lbs. 3 oz. Wheat Malt, German
2 lbs. 3 oz. Munich Malt
4 oz. Special B Malt
2.4 oz. Wheat, Roasted
4 oz. Rice Hulls
0.5 oz. Tettnang 60 min.

Beersmith gives:

IBU's: 14.1
Color: 19 SRM
OG: 1.051
5.2%



Just looking for some input or advice. Oh and the yeast i'll be using will hopefully be from another import I have waiting in the fridge. It is an unfiltered imported helle weiss (Leikiem). I'm looking to get that banana/clove style the Bavarian yeast strains have. Using this isn't for certain, rather an idea. Cheers!

 

[discooby]

I’ve never used Special B in my dunkelweizens but I do use chocolate malt at about 4% (may be too much for some but I like it!); Wheat malt at about 60% and Munich Type II at about 33% of the grain bill… not to forget rice hulls at about 4%. For the yeast I use WLP 300 or Wyeast 3068.

My last batch I used some pilsner malt (21%) as I was low on Munich (9%) and everyone liked that better than my normal (above)… I live with crazy people!

 

[Mk010101]

I've done two dunkleweizen's in the last few months. One of them I used almost 5% special B and I think it turned out fine. That one was a little on the lighter side at 14 SRM. I like the idea of using munich malt as a dunkleweizen is a malty beer and munich malt is great for that.

I did another dunkleweizen that is almost carbed up now and ready to drink. I used the roasted wheat in that one much like you did (2.5% of grain bill) and it definitely provided the color for the beer.

I think you have a good recipe there. Give it a shot and see how it turns out. Yeast is a big part of the flavor, and I've heard the warmer you ferment, the more banana you'll get, but I've always fermented mine below 64 degrees. Usually get only sight banana in mine, much how I like it.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I'm pretty sure that warsteiner dunkel is not a dunkelweizen but a dunkel lager.

 

[Mojzis]

I was hoping that special B and munich will give it the malty caramel i'm looking for. And about being a dunkel lager, I do believe you are right RevrseApache, although the bottle doesn't say so (google does wonders). However i'm not looking for a clone and I don't have the equipment for lagering. I am sort of looking for an introduction to a new style I might like to brew. Are the two styles (dunkel lager vs dunkelweizen) extremely different?

 

[ghpeel]

"moderately dark, caramel flavor, slight smokiness, and not very carbonated or hopped."

First of all, I'm not convinced you had a Dunkelweizen. Are you sure it wasn't just a "Dunkel"? That's a dark lager with a slight caramel flavor, but I'm not sure about the smokiness.

A Dunkelweizen is like a darker Hefeweizen with some extra crystal. Here's my recipe, which I really, really like

5.0 lb Wheat Malt
3.0 lb Munich malt
1.5 lb Pale Malt
6oz Special B
6oz Crystal 40
2oz Carafa III Special/Dehusked
15 IBU of any German hop from a 60min addition

WLP 380 Hefe IV, 1qt starter, ferment about 64F
OG: 1.057, 5gal batch

Creamy wheat character, with bready/clove aroma. Dark caramel & plum/raisin flavors. A bare hint of chocolate. Very rich and pretty tasty.

 

[ghpeel]

Are the two styles (dunkel lager vs dunkelweizen) extremely different?

Yeah, they have some similarities in their dark crystal character, but after that, its kind of night and day.

Dunkel: super clean beer (lager), with dark caramel notes.

Dunkelweizen: fairly pungent aroma from the Hefe yeast, often with banana or clove yeast flavors, dark caramel notes, sometimes prune/raisin/cherry notes as well.

 

[Mojzis]

Good to know and thanks for the recipe. I think i'll be making this next. I wan't to harvest the yeast from the german helle weiss I have in the fridge. Hoping it works out.

 

[Mojzis]

First of all, I'm not convinced you had a Dunkelweizen. Are you sure it wasn't just a "Dunkel"? That's a dark lager with a slight caramel flavor, but I'm not sure about the smokiness.

A Dunkelweizen is like a darker Hefeweizen with some extra crystal. Here's my recipe, which I really, really like

5.0 lb Wheat Malt
3.0 lb Munich malt
1.5 lb Pale Malt
6oz Special B
6oz Crystal 40
2oz Carafa III Special/Dehusked
15 IBU of any German hop from a 60min addition

WLP 380 Hefe IV, 1qt starter, ferment about 64F
OG: 1.057, 5gal batch

Creamy wheat character, with bready/clove aroma. Dark caramel & plum/raisin flavors. A bare hint of chocolate. Very rich and pretty tasty.

Do you do double or single infusion mash?

 

[ghpeel]

Single infusion. Honestly, I do that for all my beers. Just haven't bothered with a step mash for anything, but I am thinking about experimenting with a 112F rest to increase the "clove" flavor precursor ("4-v-g") in my wheat beers.

 

[Mojzis]

I haven't done anything besides a single. I have heard some that say its needed others that say its not. I like the simplicity of a single. I believe i'll be trying out your recipe next. Looking forward to it.