Summer Ale / Wheat ?

[scottyg354]

Looking to make a summer brew. Need some answers here. I am looking to used light malt, maybe a honey malt. I would also like to use some citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime) and ginger in this recipe.

Can you guys give me some suggestions as to when to add the zest, honey and ginger. Should I steep them with my grains during the boil. Boil them towards the end of the boil?

Any suggestions on good grains to use for a summer brew? I am going to be steeping them as I do not know how to mash as of yet. Also can use some suggestions on hops.

 

[jsweet]

I brewed a summer lemon wheat a couple weeks ago, drew the recipe together from a couple of different places. It's still fermenting so I can't tell you how great it came out, but I used lemon zest and I can give you some feedback on the amount and when to add: I was brewing a 3-gallon batch and added the zest of 2 lemons with 5 minutes left in the boil. The lemon flavor is definitely detectable right now, but it might be just a shade too puckering. I'm thinking two completely zested lemons would have been more appropriate for a 5-gallon batch (so more like zest of 1 1/2 lemons for a 3-gal batch). But I might change my mind once it's carbonated.

 

[jsweet]

Oh, and I don't have the recipe handy (it's at home) but for malt I used about 75% wheat extract and 25% honey, and for hops I used a modest amount of Hallertauer.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

Looking to make a summer brew. Need some answers here. I am looking to used light malt, maybe a honey malt. I would also like to use some citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime) and ginger in this recipe.

Can you guys give me some suggestions as to when to add the zest, honey and ginger. Should I steep them with my grains during the boil. Boil them towards the end of the boil?

Any suggestions on good grains to use for a summer brew? I am going to be steeping them as I do not know how to mash as of yet. Also can use some suggestions on hops.

Zest: Can be added toward the end of the boil, at flameout or in the fermenter after fermentation has slowed. Each will result in a slightly different flavor profile. This is VERY generalized, but my experience is that ~15 minutes at the end of the boil results in a muted flavor (kind-of background, barely noticable unless you use a larger quantity). Flameout is a bit more out front and the fermenter has a pretty good nose and flavor. I like to add a bit for the last 5 of the boil and a bit more to the fermenter (but that's me)

Honey: Not the malt, but actual honey... Similar effects. You can add it at the start of the boil for less honey flavor and a subtle background flavor, or you can add it with ~ 15 minutes left for a distinct honey flavor. I prefer longer boils, no less than 30 minutes (again, that's my pref).

Honey Malt: Can be steeped ~ 155 for 30-45 minutes. It's sweet. Most say to keep the quantity <20% of the total bill. It has a nice smooth, sweet flavor. Just be careful to not go crazy.

Ginger: never used it...

Grains:
- I like your honey malt idea. It'll also help with head.
- Caramel/Crystal. simliar to honey but more caramel-y than honey. Also helps with head.
- might consider a simple 50/50 barley & wheat. good head and good flavor.

Hops: Some of my favorites for light, summer-ish beers are
- Hallertaur
- Saaz
- Perle

Yeast: White Labs options
- WLP001 (California Ale). Simple, clean ale yeast
- WLP051 (California Ale V). Similar to WLP001 but a bit more 'fruity'
- WLP060 (American Ale Blend). Very clean, almost lager-like
- WLP080 (Cream Ale Blend). Clean, crisp, slightly estery
- WLP300 (Hefeweizen Ale). German hefe strain, banana and clove, typical flavor...
- WLP550 (Belgian Saison). Phenolic and spicy (peppery)

 

[scottyg354]

One more dumb question. Malts and grains for a 5 gallons batch. You would usually use about 5 pounds right or wrong?

 

[scottyg354]

This is my first go at creating a recipe.

 

[jsweet]

This is my first go at creating a recipe.

Get a program like Beersmith or something, that will help you out immensely.

What I typically do is I start with a recipe I want to scale or tweak, note the OG, IBU, and color numbers, then screw around with my version in Beersmith until I get the batch size and tweaks that I was aiming for, but with comparable stats (unless I want to change one of the stats, e.g. the main recipe I based the summer lemon wheat off of had ~6.5% ABV, and I wanted more like 4.5% ABV so I cut down on the extract appropriately).

Or you can just start from scratch and put in the style you want to make, and Beersmith (or equivalent programs) will help you match the style guidelines.

In any case, definitely do that if you are crafting your own recipe, then you don't have to "guess" (or calculate by hand) as to whether you are using a reasonable amount of grains/extracts/hops/etc.

 

[scottyg354]

Get a program like Beersmith or something, that will help you out immensely.

What I typically do is I start with a recipe I want to scale or tweak, note the OG, IBU, and color numbers, then screw around with my version in Beersmith until I get the batch size and tweaks that I was aiming for, but with comparable stats (unless I want to change one of the stats, e.g. the main recipe I based the summer lemon wheat off of had ~6.5% ABV, and I wanted more like 4.5% ABV so I cut down on the extract appropriately).

Or you can just start from scratch and put in the style you want to make, and Beersmith (or equivalent programs) will help you match the style guidelines.

In any case, definitely do that if you are crafting your own recipe, then you don't have to "guess" (or calculate by hand) as to whether you are using a reasonable amount of grains/extracts/hops/etc.

Will iBrewmast for my iPad work. I played around with ti for a little but didn't get to in depth.

 

[jsweet]

Will iBrewmast for my iPad work. I played around with ti for a little but didn't get to in depth.

Looks fine to me.

These programs differentiate themselves on some of the advanced features, but for n00bs like you and I, they all work just fine -- all you are looking for is something that will do the IBU and FG etc. calculations for you. It's possible to do all that by hand, but why?

 

[hough77]

I brewed a summer lemon wheat a couple weeks ago, drew the recipe together from a couple of different places. It's still fermenting so I can't tell you how great it came out, but I used lemon zest and I can give you some feedback on the amount and when to add: I was brewing a 3-gallon batch and added the zest of 2 lemons with 5 minutes left in the boil. The lemon flavor is definitely detectable right now, but it might be just a shade too puckering. I'm thinking two completely zested lemons would have been more appropriate for a 5-gallon batch (so more like zest of 1 1/2 lemons for a 3-gal batch). But I might change my mind once it's carbonated.

How do you sanatize the fruit before you throw it in the primary? I was told if you don't, it could infect the beer.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

some people put it in a little bit of vodka, let it sit overnight and then dump it all into the fermenter. others use Oregon brand puree since it is pasteurized and canned. others still (like me) just blend it into a puree and dump it in. I figure the beer has enough alcohol (once fermentation is mostly done) to kill/inhibit bad stuff.

 

[hough77]

Good to know, someone once mentioned putting the chunks of fruit in a jar, putting the jar in water at 185 degrees on the stove (I guess) and then dumping it in the bucket. I haven't tried it but I'm going to this weekend to my Belgian Whit that is 3 days in the primary right now.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

yes, you can pasteurize too...

I wouldn't go that high though. Aim for 155 else you'll set pectins and have trouble. others simply put the fruit into the whirlpool once temps are <160.

 

[scottyg354]

How do you sanatize the fruit before you throw it in the primary? I was told if you don't, it could infect the beer.

I assume if you throw it in the boil you don't have to worry about it. Maybe wash the fruit with no rinse sanitizer then water?

 

[Rob_B]

Here's my Summer Ale Recipe. It's crisp, tasty and perfect for a hot day. It did dry out a little more than anticipated but that's not a bad thing IMO. Drinkable very young I let it go in the primary for 3 weeks and another 3 in the bottle.

6 lbs 2-row
3 lbs White Wheat Malt
1 lb Wheat, Flaked
1 lb Oats, Flaked

1/2 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh 60min
1/2 oz Cascade 10min
1/2 oz Cascade 3min

1 oz Lemon Zest 5min
1 1/2 oz Ginger, Crystalized 5min
1/2 oz Grains of Paradise 5min

Safale US-05

Single infusion mash, batch sparge.
OG 1.050
FG 1.010 5.24% ABV
IBU's 11
SRM 3.8

 

[ThePearsonFam]

Here's my Summer Ale Recipe. It's crisp, tasty and perfect for a hot day. It did dry out a little more than anticipated but that's not a bad thing IMO. Drinkable very young I let it go in the primary for 3 weeks and another 3 in the bottle.

6 lbs 2-row
3 lbs White Wheat Malt
1 lb Wheat, Flaked
1 lb Oats, Flaked

1/2 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh 60min
1/2 oz Cascade 10min
1/2 oz Cascade 3min

1 oz Lemon Zest 5min
1 1/2 oz Ginger, Crystalized 5min
1/2 oz Grains of Paradise 5min

Safale US-05

Single infusion mash, batch sparge.
OG 1.050
FG 1.010 5.24% ABV
IBU's 11
SRM 3.8

Sounds terrific. Very close to what I do w/out the oats and ginger. And I like the Saison yeast... I'll have to try yours. Does that amount of ginger provide a good background note or a pretty strong flavor?

 

[Rob_B]

Sounds terrific. Very close to what I do w/out the oats and ginger. And I like the Saison yeast... I'll have to try yours. Does that amount of ginger provide a good background note or a pretty strong flavor?

The crystalized ginger is a nice background and not at all in your face (it might be if you used fresh though). I bet the Saison yeast would be pretty great with this one. I was going for a clean yeast to let the spices do the talking this time around.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

Very cool... yeah, I'd prolly let the yeast stay out of the way on yours too. I'd want to taste the ginger.