Summer Wheat beer idea... thoughts?

[Canuck137]

Hummmmm? My idea for a summer wheat beer... thoughts? Cheers!

Summer Wheat beer

Specialty Grain steep, ½ lb Wheat malt grain, ½ lb 2 row malt grain - 30 mins
3 lbs liquid wheat extract
2 lbs wheat DME
1 lbs dextrose
2/3 oz crushed coriander in boil
One orange peel zest in boil
US Saaz Hopps ½ in boil, ½ dry hop - 20 mins in boil - 5 days dry hop
German Hallertauer Hopps ½ in boil, ½ dry hop - 20 mins in boil - 5 days dry hop
1 tsp Irish Moss in boil 5 mins
Fermentius 05 American dry ale yeast
2 weeks to ferment

 

[joshesmusica]

Hummmmm? My idea for a summer wheat beer... thoughts? Cheers!

Summer Wheat beer

Specialty Grain steep, ½ lb Wheat malt grain, ½ lb 2 row malt grain - 30 mins
3 lbs liquid wheat extract
2 lbs wheat DME
1 lbs dextrose
2/3 oz crushed coriander in boil
One orange peel zest in boil
US Saaz Hopps ½ in boil, ½ dry hop - 20 mins in boil - 5 days dry hop
German Hallertauer Hopps ½ in boil, ½ dry hop - 20 mins in boil - 5 days dry hop
1 tsp Irish Moss in boil 5 mins
Fermentius 05 American dry ale yeast
2 weeks to ferment

sounds like a witbier. minus the fact that you've got us-05, and that we don't know whether you've got sweet or bitter orange peel. i guess it's likely to be close to blue moon.

one thing i've learned to ask myself about steeping grains is, "why?"

your wheat extract is likely to be a mixture of somewhere between half and half wheat malt and base malt. now you're steeping with base grains (which by the way, you may actually end up doing a partial mash considering that you're having the grains in the water for 30 mins, and they're both malts that will have diastatic power in them), so you should be asking yourself, "why am i steeping these specific grains?"

The main reason to steep grains is because they will add color, flavor, and/or complex chains of sugar. these grains specifically are likely in your extract already, so there's not much of a reason to steep them.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Summer Wheat Seven Ways

 

[Kent88]

If you aren't just cleaning out your extra wheat extracts it might make it easier to go with only dry or only liquid. Something to look into. I don't know how you buy it.

Mash (or, if you prefer the word, steep) those grains at about 154F with 2qts water.

Is the dextrose just for priming when fermentation is done?

 

[joshesmusica]

If you aren't just cleaning out your extra wheat extracts it might make it easier to go with only dry or only liquid. Something to look into. I don't know how you buy it.

Mash (or, if you prefer the word, steep) those grains at about 154F with 2qts water.

Is the dextrose just for priming when fermentation is done?

disagree about the liquid vs. dry. then again, i'm always trying to make my recipes exactly the way i want them, which means sometimes i end up using some liquid and some dry.

steeping grains is having grains in water for a certain amount of time that have their starches already converted to sugars. mashing is actually using grains in water in order to provide an environment where starches are enzymically (or through diastatic power) converted to sugars.

i do have the same question about the dextrose, although my first assumption was to boost alcohol.

 

[plan_ahea]

Is the dextrose just for priming when fermentation is done?

I sure hope that 1 lb of dextrose isn't being used to prime ... unless trying to hit 6-7 volumes CO2... kaboom!

 

[Canuck137]

Dextrose is just to boost alcohol content. I prime with one cup of course.

I basically made this beer already but without the grains. I got the grains recommendation from the internet... and the internet is never wrong lol.

So are some of you saying there is no point in doing these "specialty grain" steeps?

I guess I am taking some of my successful extract beers from the last 6 months, (since I started) and attempting to just add the specialty grains.

 

[joshesmusica]

Dextrose is just to boost alcohol content. I prime with one cup of course.

I basically made this beer already but without the grains. I got the grains recommendation from the internet... and the internet is never wrong lol.

So are some of you saying there is no point in doing these "specialty grain" steeps?

they're not specialty grains. they're base malted grains.

random question, are you using beersmith? if not, i would highly suggest the investment.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

My thoughts would be:
Nix the irish moss and the dry hop, change additions to 60min and 5min (1-2oz tops though also depending on AAU), and throw in 200g of dried hibiscus flowers (in a hops bag) at 5mins.
Just my two cents though.

 

[aviator01]

If you don't want to shell out the $20-25 for beersmith try brewtarget. I'm cheap, so open source free stuff is the way to go.

 

[IslandLizard]

@joshesmusica is right on, why are you steeping those grains?

This is besides the fact they need to be mashed as they contain only very small amounts of sugar but mostly starch that needs to be converted to sugar to be useful. That conversion is what mashing does, and steeping does not (much).

All wheat extracts contain between 40-65% wheat and the balance in barley (2-row).

Dextrose does not really belong in wheat beer, but if you want to boost the alcohol and lower the FG, go for it.

That's a big load of coriander. I use 7 grams (1/4 oz) coarsely crushed per 5 gallons and it is definitely there. Same for the orange peel, I guess it's fresh, which is fine.

Dry hopping sounds fine, if that's what you want, a hoppy aroma and taste in your wheat.
To really get the wheat, a Witbier yeast would be more in line rather than US-05.

On second thought, this is all a moot point.
OP: "I basically made this beer already..."

 

[Canuck137]

they're not specialty grains. they're base malted grains.

Ah ok, I guess there is no point then. What would be a good specialty grain for a wheat beer???

 

[Canuck137]

@joshesmusica

OP: "I basically made this beer already..."

I did make it already, but without the stepped grains, it was the best beer I made , I thought it was pretty good! I wanted to try and add some specialty grains for a steep. I did read those were some good options, but I imagine that was incorrect.

If someone has an idea for a specialty grains let me know cheers.

 

[Steady-Hopper]

Personally, I would drop the dextrose; it seems unnecessary. I would just put some other type of DME or LME in place of it. Like mentioned before, I don't think the steep is necessary. You could make a great Summer Wheat with all wheat DME, maybe a bit of light crystal if you really wanted to do a steep, and aim for around 15-30 ibus with whatever hops you have placed at the beginning of the boil. This is all subjective take what you like from what I've said - there are many ways to skin a cat. I would also up the orange if you want more orange flavor.

 

[Canuck137]

they're not specialty grains. they're base malted grains.

random question, are you using beersmith? if not, i would highly suggest the investment.

Beersmith? No. But I just looked it up, thanks for the idea.

 

[joshesmusica]

Beersmith? No. But I just looked it up, thanks for the idea.

beersmith is great. i love it for when i'm making my own recipes, but especially for when i'm trying to make a proven recipe my own.

as far as the steeping grains for a wheat beer, or even a witbier (which are, oddly, different), i usually try to add a bit of body with a crystal/caramel malt. just enough to add a bit of flavor and color.

i have a beer that i came up with in my head before i realized that there were some craft breweries making this style of beer. it's a hoppy wheat. i call it bashing boundaries, because when i originally started asking about a wheat beer that is dry hopped with the type of hop that i like, many of my homebrewer friends said that it wouldn't work because a wheat beer features the yeast and a dry-hopped beer features the hops. then my brother-in-law came up with the name, because of the fact that the boundaries between a hoppy beer and a wheat beer were being combined. it's still one of the best beers i make, and i am consistently asked to brew.

so a hoppy witbier is not out of the question, is what i'm trying to say.

 

[Kent88]

I've heard great things about brewtarget, and it is free, why not give it a try before you shell out for beersmith?

You don't have to drop those grains, people are just having a problem with you calling them "specialty grains" and that you plan to "steep" them (not that I can read their minds, but that is my best guess). Drop the word "specialty" and change "steep" to "mash" and the only thing related to the grist that people would probably knock you for (again, not psychic) is that you are attempting to mash a very small amount of malt. I've mashed down to 1lb of malt and while it was a pain to control the temp it can be done. It is up to you to decide if it is worth the effort to try mashing some malt.

If you do use those grains, just remember to keep the temp close to 152F-154F and only use about 2 quarts for that mini-mash.

 

[joshesmusica]

I've heard great things about brewtarget, and it is free, why not give it a try before you shell out for beersmith?

You don't have to drop those grains, people are just having a problem with you calling them "specialty grains" and that you plan to "steep" them (not that I can read their minds, but that is my best guess). Drop the word "specialty" and change "steep" to "mash" and the only thing related to the grist that people would probably knock you for (again, not psychic) is that you are attempting to mash a very small amount of malt. I've mashed down to 1lb of malt and while it was a pain to control the temp it can be done. It is up to you to decide if it is worth the effort to try mashing some malt.

If you do use those grains, just remember to keep the temp close to 152F-154F and only use about 2 quarts for that mini-mash.

have no problem with him misusing the words. just trying to help him understand it better. wouldn't have any problem if he's trying to mash so little. it's why i told him he's basically doing a partial mash now. i simply gave him advice that he should be asking why he is doing something before he does it as a new brewer. there's not really any point to mashing those grains, unless he just wants to give the partial mash method a try without messing with the beer too much.

but from what it seems, he is actually looking for some kind of specialty grain to throw in.

personally, i wouldn't throw much, if anything, in, as i kinda like my wheats a little dried out, and crisp. But when I do a hoppy wheat that i make often, i try to have it land somewhere around 1.014. but since he's doing extract, it will likely already have some residual sweetness to it, so, again, there's not much reason to be throwing specialty grains in there on this one.

 

[IslandLizard]

Although past point here, the beer has been brewed already, the main reason I see for using malts and raw grain adjuncts in extract brews is for flavor, mouthfeel, and color, and if used in larger amounts for a possibly more fermentable wort, without adding sugar adjuncts.

I like a wheat beer to have some raw flaked wheat included, and some oats. To do that they need to be converted, hence a pound or 2 of wheat malt or 2-row is added for a mini mash.

 

[azazel1024]

If anything I'd dump the base malts that you are steeping and swap in maybe a quarter or half a pound of honey malt. That one should be mashed as well ideally, but that little isn't going to make it a starch bomb really. I'll just make it cloudier, a little more body and a little bit of (very) background honey note to it.

 

[NCSU_Brewer]

Nix the Irish moss. Wheat beers should be cloudy.

 

[Canuck137]

Adding a specialty grain is starting to sound more complicated that I thought lol!

I basically made this beer, minus the irish moss and specialty grains a few months ago. I also used the German wheat yeast, otherwise it was the same.

I swapped the yeast to try for a more "American" wheat style, figured the Irish moss would clear it up a bit. It was tasty but VERY cloudy, took about a month to clear up in the bottle even somewhat. Otherwise I was very happy with it. That beer was what really made me say "Ok this beer brewing is worth it and fun" after that I did an IPA and was also very happy with it. The first 2-3 beers I made were ok at best and I was happy they did get much better!

Just figured I would take the next "half step" and do a grain steep... but thanks for the ideas and info, it will help me make a better choice perhaps, or just make it a harder choice lol

 

[azazel1024]

Most specialty grains are just fine, but generally the light lovibond ones, like any of the Crystal malts that are 25L or lower, Honey malt, Biscuit, I think Victory and a few others should ideally be mashed with base malts as their kilning process does not convert 100% of the statch to some kind of fermentable/unfermentable sugars. That said, SOME of the starchs in them have been converted, so it probably isn't earth shatteringly bad to use a bit as steeping grains in an extract beer.

I have certainly seen some beer kits and extract recipes that have used them without a minimash. At the same time, a minimash isn't that hard. Use half and half of the specialty grain and a base grain. Stick them in a hop sock and around 1.5 quarts of water per pound of the grains. Bring the water temp up to about 150-158F. Then dunk the grains in. Let sit for 30 minutes, pull out the grains, add the rest of the water and go from there. It is like a baby partial mash.