Questions about recipe

[rtsitler]

Haven't brewed beer in over a year, did a few small batches of cider over that time.
I'll start with the recipe, then on to my questions.

Cherry wheat
2.5 gallon batch

3 lbs liquid wheat extract
1.5 lbs light dry extract
1 Oz tettang
Nottingham ale yeast

1.5 gallons water in pot
Bring to boil, remove from heat stir in extract and return to heat.
As soon as it's starts to boil again add hops in muslin bag for 30 minutes boil.

Cool wort, add it to 3 gal carboy and add water to bring to 2.5 gallons.
Check gravity.

Rehydrate yeast per package instructions.
Add rehydrated yeast to carboy and shake to mix and oxygenate.

Place stopper and air lock in the carboy. Wait for fermentation to complete.

Place 2.5 lbs cherries in secondary carboy and rack on top.
Keep in secondary till fermentation is finished, then add sugar and beer to bottling bucket.

Bottle and allow to bottle condition for a few weeks.

Questions :
Is 30 minutes on for boil or should I be doing 60 minutes?

If I can't find tettang hops, what would be a suitable replacement?

I'll be using a 3 gal carboy to ferment in and would it be OK to use a 5 gallon to secondary in with the cherries?
Or should I primary in the 5 and secondary in the 3? Will 2.5 gallons fit with 2.5 lbs of cherries in a 3 gallon?


I'm sure more questions will arise but this is it for now.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[shanecb]

1 - A 30min boil is perfectly fine to do with this recipe

2 - If you can't find Tettnang hops, Saaz is a perfectly good substitute

3 - I THINK the wort and cherries would both fit in the 3 gallon carboy just fine. So if it were me I would ferment in the 5gal and then secondary on the cherries in the 3gal. The reason being to minimize open headspace in secondary when you don't have active fermentation filling the headspace with CO2. But doing it the other way around will probably turn out just fine as well.

 

[rtsitler]

Ty shanecb I'm going to the LHBS in the next day or 2 and will give this a shot.
It's far easier to make cider, no boiling.

 

[Sailingeric]

Ty shanecb I'm going to the LHBS in the next day or 2 and will give this a shot.
It's far easier to make cider, no boiling.

I have done a few ciders but beer making is very fun! You can take the same grains and extracts and change around the type of hops you are using and when you add them to the boil and you get a different tasting beer.. same with playing around with the different yeast or fermenation temps- you can get different flavors.

 

[rtsitler]

I just read that Sam Adams uses Hallertau hops in its cherry wheat, maybe I'll try that instead of the testing.

 

[rtsitler]

I've just be kind of last with the whole hobby, I've got alot of money invested, now it's time to invest some time and see if u can make a decent beer.