Wheat brew advice... my first wheat

[rescue brew]

[B]I'm making my first wheat beer and I have a few questions. Any bits of wisdom from my fine brothers and sisters at HBT would be much appreciated.[/B]

1. I have seen several recipes calling for irish moss. Is this an essential step for wheat beer recipe?

2. I would like to add some type of berry to it. Some recipes call for berries in the primary, some in the secondary.... some recipes use extract not actual berries... frozen or not frozen.... blue, black, rasp, cherries? Not sure which way to go here.

I will be using briess LME from midwest, I have 6.6 lbs of gold, amber and wheat (65% whe , 35% bar) in house, but don't have the hops or yeast yet. Any recommendation there would be welcome.
Yes I did search HBT.

Thanks

 

[Jamo99]

hallertau or tettnanger are good in wheats. you want something that is mild and soft compared to some of the in your face varieties. also to play a nice supporting role with your fruit.

for yeast it depends on what you're going for. If you want to go dry, SafBrew T58 works pretty well. i've got a american wheat kegged that i used cascade and nottingham yeast. i'm not sure how well a citrusy american version would go with the fruit though.

The berries I would add to a large secondary after crushing up some and pasteurizing at 170 degrees F for 10 minutes.

 

[Short Drive]

"And the next seal was opened, and what seemed to be a voice of wisdom spoke saying, 'Do not brew with wheat or dry yeast.' And suddenly there was chaos and a deep fog rose up within the forum, and hot air flowed forth from all corners, with much wind and little substance, and in the midst of the fog I saw a mechanical horse, silver and stainless. And its rider held four thermometers in his hand, and the rider cried out,saying 'The accurate measurement of fire and the determination of ice is beyond the means of mortals!' And the rider was called Brewpastor." -Revelation 6:18

Beware the wheat.

 

[enderwig]

1. I have seen several recipes calling for irish moss. Is this an essential step for wheat beer recipe?

Irish moss goes in the boil kettle and helps to clear the beer. It is never really essential, but some people use it regularly. For a wheat, its supposed to be a bit cloudy so I wouldn't use the Irish Moss.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I don't know why some people are making this so difficult.

Before anyone can answer your question precisely we have to ask you...are you making a German-style Hefe Weizen or an American Wheat beer?

For a German HW you must use a German yeast for the desired banana/clove/bubble gum flavor. It is usually cloudy, therefore, using Irish Moss is not recommended.

For an American Wheat you can use any ale yeast you want. If you want it clear you can let it sit for a couple of weeks or clarify it. For clarifying, Irish Moss is used in the boil, cold crashing can be done a couple of days prior to bottling, and gelatin as well.

Berries go in the secondary. Avoid the extract flavoring if at all possible.

 

[rescue brew]

Before anyone can answer your question precisely we have to ask you...are you making a German-style Hefe Weizen or an American Wheat beer?
.

I would say american style wheat. This is mainly for my wife who loves Leinenkugal's Sunset Wheat. She says it tastes like blue berries. I like it too, so it's all good !! I want to make something with a similar sweetness but not a clone. Looking for more refreshing wheat flavor, less fruity pebble...

Thank you for bringing that up.

 

[rescue brew]

Beware the wheat.

I am one with the wheat , the wheat and I are friends.

 

[homebrewer_99]

All wheat beers start out basically the same...either all wheat malt or a mixture up to 50/50, but mostly 60 wheat/40 barley.

What determines the overall flavor is the type of yeast used and hop bitterness naturally.

Since wheat is mostly an ale any ale yeast will make you a wheat beer. If you use a lager yeast and ferment at room temps (70F) your brew will be fruitier (slightly sweeter tasting) than normal.

What you are looking for is a good balance between the sweet malt and hop bitterness. Anything else you add to that, like fruit flavoring, can be subtle or over the hill. These choices are yours.

Always start off (with fruit) on the low end of anyones recommended measurement. You can always add more fruit, but you cannot reduce it.

Good luck...now go make the wife happy!

 

[EdWort]

I don't know why some people are making this so difficult.

Before anyone can answer your question precisely we have to ask you...are you making a German-style Hefe Weizen or an American Wheat beer?

For a German HW you must use a German yeast for the desired banana/clove/bubble gum flavor. It is usually cloudy, therefore, using Irish Moss is not recommended.

For an American Wheat you can use any ale yeast you want. If you want it clear you can let it sit for a couple of weeks or clarify it. For clarifying, Irish Moss is used in the boil, cold crashing can be done a couple of days prior to bottling, and gelatin as well.

Berries go in the secondary. Avoid the extract flavoring if at all possible.

Pay very good attention to Homebrewer_99. He is the king of extract wheat beers!

I think we need some pics HB99.

 

[rescue brew]

thank you for the great info...

this is what i am thinking:

-6.6 lbs Breiss wheat LME (65%wh / 35%bar)
-1oz cascade or willamette (flavor)..HBS availability?
-1/2 cascade or willamete (aroma)
-white labs california ale yeast
-1lbs frozen Dole mixed berries (secondary)

 

[dragonlor20]

I would say american style wheat. This is mainly for my wife who loves Leinenkugal's Sunset Wheat. She says it tastes like blue berries. I like it too, so it's all good !! I want to make something with a similar sweetness but not a clone. Looking for more refreshing wheat flavor, less fruity pebble...

Thank you for bringing that up.

Ugh. I studied German for 7 years and I lived there for about a year and a half, and I am going to preface what I am going to say with the statement that American style wheats just do not do much for me with all of their citrus and fruit flavors. They just leave me longing for the true Bavarian wheat flavors! That being said, I picked up a sixer of the Leinenkugal's Sunset Wheat a couple of months back and I had a hard time finishing it because it literally tastes like Fruity Pebbles! I thought it was a flaw or a bad batch at the time, but apparently I am not the only person who found this flavor to be a bit overpowering in this beer!:fro:

 

[homebrewer_99]

Recipe sounds good. 1 lb of berries looks a little light though.

You'll probably want to use at least 2 lbs, but try 1 lb for a week and sample it first then decide if it needs more.

Like I said earlier, you can always ADD, but you can't SUBTRACT fruit flavor.

 

[Brewbeard]

thank you for the great info...

this is what i am thinking:

-6.6 lbs Breiss wheat LME (65%wh / 35%bar)
-1oz cascade or willamette (flavor)..HBS availability?
-1/2 cascade or willamete (aroma)
-white labs california ale yeast
-1lbs frozen Dole mixed berries (secondary)

I would not go with any flavor or aroma hops. Hops and fruit just do not mix well. For the hops, I would go with just one bittering addition and try to keep it low, probably less than 20 IBUs.

 

[BeerSmith]

Hi,
Hops are generally not a significant factor in wheat beer flavors - just enough to balance is fine. For American Wheat I usuallly go with something close to a Bavarian style and then just change the yeast.

Here's an article I recently published on wheat beer styles.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[rescue brew]

Ugh... it literally tastes like Fruity Pebbles! I thought it was a flaw or a bad batch at the time, but apparently I am not the only person who found this flavor to be a bit overpowering in this beer!:fro:

NO not a bad batch it really does have that flavor! My buddy spends a lot of time in Germany for work and he is a fanatic for that traditional wheat style. I have a hard time drinking a sixer of it though! The two just don't compare. I like the idea of "berry" wheat as a seasonal beer, not something to drink all the time. Just a nice summer treat.

BTW . I ended up mixing blueberry flavoring from my LHBS to half the batch.

CHEERS !

 

[rescue brew]

Hi,
Hops are generally not a significant factor in wheat beer flavors - just enough to balance is fine. For American Wheat I usuallly go with something close to a Bavarian style and then just change the yeast.

Here's an article I recently published on wheat beer styles.

Cheers,
Brad

Thanks for the article.

 

[rescue brew]

I would not go with any flavor or aroma hops. Hops and fruit just do not mix well. For the hops, I would go with just one bittering addition and try to keep it low, probably less than 20 IBUs.

this ended up being the recipe...

6.6 lbs breiss wheat
1/4 lbs crystal 10
2 oz willamete ( none used for aroma 1/2 oz flavor)
zest & peices of 1 lemon & 1 lime ( 15 minutes, then strained)
white labs california V ale yeast

I added blueberry flavor to 1/2 the batch.

 

[GloHoppa]

Here's an article I recently published on wheat beer styles.

Cheers,
Brad

Brad,

GREAT article! Having just brewed a Bavarian Hefe less than a week ago, I liked your description of the styles..very informative!