Wheat beer help

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madchemist83

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Hi.
My first brew is almost ready to be bottled and I'm looking for ideas for second one already ( damn it's addicting).
I was thinking of Wheat Beer as it seems pretty easy to brew. At first I was thinking to make Weizenbock but it requires long lagering at low temps which I have no way of maintaining. So I guess I'll just go for ol simple Wheat beer.
Any recommendations on recipe and temperatures are greatly appreciated.
:rockin:
 
Hank's Hefeweizen from Midwest is very good. Either get the kit from them or just take the recipe to your LHBS and pick up the ingredients yourself. Use either WLP300 or the Wyeast equivalent (not sure what it is). No good dry yeast option for this. Ferment as close to 62 as you can get it. I've fermented this at ~70 and it still turned out fine so don't sweat it too much if you can't get to 62. Welcome to the addiction!
 
No need for a kit IMHO. Wheat beer is becoming one of my favorite to brew and drink. Kits and extract can get you a darn fine one too. Just don't use dry yeas if you wan a real Hefeweizen/German flavor. A single tube of WLP300 or 380 (my fav) is fine, and you don't need to make a yeast starter, just pitch it rigt in. Temps are nearly as important for this style than others, but you want to keep the beer near 65f as much as you can.

One big thing that catches people making whea beers from extract is that. "Wheat Extract" (dry or liquid) is a mix of wheat and normal barley. So don't do have wheat ext act and half pale extract, just use all wheat extract.

A single dose of hops at 60min is all you need. Hallertaur is a good choice, but it's not super important. Just don't use anything citrusy like Cascade or Centennial. Good luck!

Oh, and one last thing. Without proper temp control, a weizenbock will turn out extremely "estery" meaning it will taste like a Belgian beer. Great if you like that, not so much if you don't. I'd recommend a simple wheat beer first, before you tackle the weizenbock.
 
ok now I see a problem ... I can't control my temp to be around 65. All it is is a bucket wrapped in towels.
 
What about Wyeast 3056 ? it's fermentation temps are 64-74. And actually i wouldn't mind a little banana esters in there
 
ok now I see a problem ... I can't control my temp to be around 65. All it is is a bucket wrapped in towels.

You should easily be able to maintain 65° by rotating ice bottles in your bucket. I have a plastic storage box big enough for 2 carboys/buckets and could keep 65° all summer.
 
What about Wyeast 3056 ? it's fermentation temps are 64-74. And actually i wouldn't mind a little banana esters in there

In my experience, fermenting at a lower temp doesn't mean you sacrifice banana flavors. I bottled a dunkelweizen last weekend that was fermented at 62 and the banana/clove balance was fantastic. What I didn't get at that temp that I got when I fermented a hefeweizen at 70+ was a strong bubblegum character.

I'd suggest going to iTunes and downloading the Hefeweizen episode of The Jamil Show. Might as well get advice from one of the masters.
 
In my experience, fermenting at a lower temp doesn't mean you sacrifice banana flavors. I bottled a dunkelweizen last weekend that was fermented at 62 and the banana/clove balance was fantastic. What I didn't get at that temp that I got when I fermented a hefeweizen at 70+ was a strong bubblegum character.

I'd suggest going to iTunes and downloading the Hefeweizen episode of The Jamil Show. Might as well get advice from one of the masters.

+1 on all of this. The standard thing you hear about Hefe yeast giving more banana when fermented wrong is a gross oversimplification. Jamil mentions in his Dunkelweizen episode that he ferments low-mid 60's for a balanced flavor profile. I tried it once and loved it. I ferment all my wheat beers around 64F now and couldn't be happier. They have a ton of great Hefe flavor, but the flavors of the clove/spice/banana/JuicyFruit/etc all kind of blend together nicely.
 
Which yeast did u use?

I use WLP300 for my hefe/dunkelweizens. Fantastic yeast. Pretty sure Wyeast 3068 is essentially the same thing. These can put off a sulfur smell during fermentation but don't freak out. It should be completely gone by the time you bottle. :mug:
 
If you think 300 throws sulfur, just wait until you try 351 Seasonal Bavarian. I thought I was making Egg Beer!! It threw more sulfur for me than any Cider I've made. The whole house smelled like rhino farts for a couple days. I actually freaked out and started researching how to cure the flavor, but it still just fades away completely with a little time, just like the 300.
 
Egg Beer, that's funny! I have more experience making wine than beer, and with wine, sulfer can be a serious issue that demands intervention. The first time I noticed it with one of my beers it was hard for me to accept the old 'RDWHAHB' response from other brewers on here. But, they were right. It passed.

On the topic of wheat beers, I may give your Munich Hefeweizen a try. Sounds interesting.
 
Jwalker, you wont be disappointed with that Munich/Wheat 50/50 mix. It's the best hefe I've ever made by far. I was concerned it would be too "bready" but that's not the case at all. The Munich replicates some of the flavors of the decoction that tradition hefe's get (I'm a single infusion type of guy). If you make it, post back here with your results, especially if you use something other than WLP 380.
 
I'd like to follow your wheat beer endeavors. Will u post pics and updates and whatnot?
 
Should I add some barley or rye into mix?

Munich is barley.

I like adding up to 3% (~0.25 pounds) Melanoidin malt to simulate the decoction mash. Get's you pretty darn close.

The Weihenstephan strain (300/3068)is a poster child for temp control...very different flavors & balance at different temps. Keep it as cool as you can (~62-64) for the cleanest flavor. You still get plenty of the classic hefe flavors.

A hefe is one of the best for homebrewers because it's best when fresh. We have the benefit of drinking it as soon as its ready - no waiting for it to cross the Atlantic :)

And +1 for weizenbock not being a lager...it's a weizen of bock strength.
 
Witbeer

Batch size: 6.0 gal
Boil volume: 5.0 gal
OG: 1.045
FG: 1.011
Bitterness (IBU): 15.5
Color (SRM): 3.8
ABV: 4.4%

[Grains]
Wheat DME 4.000lb Extract 46.4%
Pilsener (German) 3.000lb Grain 34.8%
Rye Malt 1.000lb Grain 11.6%
Peated Malt 0.500lb Grain 5.8%
Brown Sugar, Light 0.125lb Sugar 1.4%

[Hops]
Mt. Hood 1.00oz 4.3% AA Pellet @ 60 min, 12.0 IBU
Saaz 1.00oz 3.5% AA Pellet @ 10 min, 3.5 IBU

[Yeast/Other]
Whitbread Ale yeast 1.0 unit(s), Yeast

how about this one ?
 
actually I just bought some hefeweizen and after couple of bottles I had worst beer farts ever .. so I'm not doing wheat beer ... sorry mugen :tank:
 
Ya that happens to me too. I think it's gluten sensitivity. I never had intentions of brewing with wheat although wheat beers taste great.
 
Maybe I'll add some Simpsons Maris Otter and less Wheat. And some Golden Promise. And wheat yeast :fro:
 
Witbear

Batch size: 6.0 gal
Boil volume: 5.0 gal
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.011
Bitterness (IBU): 15.4
Color (SRM): 4.0
ABV: 4.5%

[Grains]
Pilsener (German) 4.000lb Grain 42.1%
Golden Promise Malt 2.000lb Grain 21.1%
Wheat DME 2.000lb Extract 21.1%
Maris Otter Malt 1.000lb Grain 10.5%
Peated Malt 0.500lb Grain 5.3%

[Hops]
Mt. Hood 1.00oz 4.3% AA Pellet @ 60 min, 11.9 IBU
Saaz 1.00oz 3.5% AA Pellet @ 10 min, 3.5 IBU

[Yeast/Other]
Bavarian Wheat yeast 1.0 unit(s), Yeast
 
I know some folks are down on the Danstar Munich dry yeast, but I've always had great success with it. I just scored 44 vials of White Lab for 39 bucks though so my Danstar/Safale days are over for awhile. :cross:
 
wyeast and white labs have good descriptions on their sites

example:
weihnstephan - most common german wheat, banana/clove balance depending on temp
German wheat - about the same but flocculates better, so better for light/clear beers
bavarian wheat - adds apple, pear, plum esters.
 
that's why I want to try Bavarian .. but I decided not to do wheat beer but porter.
What happens if you use wheat yeast in porter recipe ?
 
Well it would be kinda like a dunkleweizen, but thinner in body and too toasty. Probably not a good combo.

I used the 351 seasonal Bavarian in a hefe a few months back. It was ok but not great. Had a sharper acidity in the taste ban I was used to, and a slight "citrus" flavor. I like 380 the best of the hefe yeasts.
 
So I'm done with my second brew just have to pitch yeast in. And of course I couldn't hold myself from trying my first one. So I chilled it and here it is.

20120304_182940.jpg


20120304_182954.jpg
 

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