Recipes for Wedding Beer

[phaiel]

Everyone,

I am making all of the beer and wine for my wedding. I have been making beer for almost two years now, but up until this point, I have not been the sole provider of beer for a party. Not to mention this is MY wedding. All batches will be 10g. I decided to make three types of beer: Hoppy Red Ale (satisfy the hopheads, but have a little bit of maltiness - a fiance favorite), American-Vienna Type Lager (ala Brooklyn Lager) and a honey wheat beer (never made a wheat beer - 5g on watermelon & 5g on ?apricot?).

The quantities may be a little rough as I made these all as 5g recipes and scaled up. Mind the percentages more so. Lastly, I probably will dry-hop the lager. Let me know what you think.

thanks.

The recipes:
Lager
Vienna Lager
Boil Time: 60 min
SRM: 10.1
Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG
IBU: 26.1

Ingredients:

8 lbs 12.1 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) - 45.2 % 
8 lbs 12.1 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) - 45.2 % 
1 lbs 12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) - 9.0 % 
1.4 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) - 0.5 % 

0.95 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - First Wort - 7.6 IBUs 
0.95 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min -  9.5 IBUs 
0.47 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min - 7 2.9 IBUs 
0.47 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min - 2.1 IBUs 
0.47 oz Vanguard [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min - 2.3 IBUs 
0.47 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 5.0 min - 0.8 IBUs 
0.47 oz Vanguard [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min - 0.9 IBUs 
1.0 pkg German Lager (White Labs #WLP830) [35.49 ml] Yeast 12 -

Red Ale
American IPA
Boil Time: 60 min
SRM: 13.7
Est Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
IBU: 62.1

Ingredients

19 lbs 5.7 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter - 80.0 % 
1 lbs 15.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L - 8.0 % 
1 lbs 15.0 oz Munich Malt - 8.0 % 
7.7 oz Melanoiden Malt - 2.0 % 
3.9 oz Roasted Barley - 1.0 % 
3.9 oz Special B Malt - 1.0 % 

0.98 oz Perle [8.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min - 14.0 IBUs 
0.98 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min - 27.0 IBUs 
0.98 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min - 9.6 IBUs 
0.98 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min - 5.8 IBUs 
0.98 oz Pacific Gem [15.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min - 4.8 IBUs 
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35.49 ml] Yeast 12 - 
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop - 0.0 IBUs 
1.00 oz Pacific Gem [15.00 %] - Dry Hop - 0.0 IBUs

Wheat Ale
American Wheat or Rye Beer
Boil Time: 60 min
SRM: 5.5
Est Original Gravity: 1.045
Est Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
IBU: 20.0

Ingredients

7 lbs 1.9 oz White Wheat Malt - 46.2 % 
3 lbs 15.3 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter - 25.6 % 
12.7 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L - 5.1 % 
6.3 oz Honey Malt - 2.6 %
 
0.23 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min - 8.2 IBUs 
0.93 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min - 14.0 IBUs 
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35.49 ml] Yeast 7 - 
3 lbs 2.6 oz Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 8 20.5 %

 

[dawgmatic]

I like your ideas, theyre very reasonable. Usually when people post about wedding beer suggestions they want to do super heavy stuff that a non beer drinker wouldn't enjoy, like iipas, Belgian tripels, barley wines.

My only advice is for your last brew, the honey wheat. All that honey is going to ferment out an leave you with a very dry beer. I would just increase the pale malt an honey malt an lose the honey. I'm not sure how well watermelon is going to work, but then again I have no experience with watermelon beers.

I can tell you that my next beer is going to be an American wheat beer, secondaried on apricots an peaches, with orange peel at the end of the boil. I'm calling it a fizzy navel. So I think you should remove those question marks around your apricot idea

 

[phaiel]

Thanks, Dawgmatic. I edited that recipe: increased the pale and honey malt.

Any other suggestions?

 

[ahurd110]

I am actually going through the same process myself. I am getting married in September and plan on making three 10 gallon batches. I think you have a good idea with the lager--I am not doing one because I have never lagered and am nervous about serving my first lager at my own wedding. The hoppy red ale sounds like a good plan, and a wheat is always a safe bet...I would agree about ditching the honey though. Personally I am planning on an APA, an oatmeal porter and a hefe.

Congratulations and best of luck with the beers!

 

[BigGoat]

The is a good looking watermelon wheat recipe on here that uses 8 cups of watermelon. I don't know how to post links or I would.

 

[dawgmatic]

The is a good looking watermelon wheat recipe on here that uses 8 cups of watermelon. I don't know how to post links or I would.

You mean this one?
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f75/watermelon-wheat-139086/

 

[Cyclman]

I am actually going through the same process myself. I am getting married in September and plan on making three 10 gallon batches. I think you have a good idea with the lager--I am not doing one because I have never lagered and am nervous about serving my first lager at my own wedding. The hoppy red ale sounds like a good plan, and a wheat is always a safe bet...I would agree about ditching the honey though. Personally I am planning on an APA, an oatmeal porter and a hefe.

Congratulations and best of luck with the beers!

A Blonde is a great, easy alternative to a lager.

 

[BigGoat]

You mean this one?
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f75/watermelon-wheat-139086/

I do mean that one. Later in the post he changes it to 8 cups. I will be brewing this one for my town's watermelon festival this year