Wheat Profile?

[revansCAAD8]

Hey Gang, brewing our first Wheat IPA tomorrow and was wondering which water profile to use in Bru'n Water? I was thinking the 'Pale Ale' profile since we normally use it for our Pale' & IPA's? Thoughts?

Next, we usually aim for 5.3 Mash PH for our IPA's but was wondering what your Mash PH experience is for Wheat (45%) brews?

Thanks for the help!
Robert & Shelly
GypsyBrew

 

[GuldTuborg]

With that much wheat in a pale beer, the first order of business is to get your mash pH in order. After that, any additions should be made based off the flavor you want. I don't see any reason to make it any different from your usual for pale ales and IPAs.

 

[Yooper]

I usually target a mash pH of 5.4 for my pale ales and IPAs, but if you like the flavor at 5.3, that's fine. A pale ale profile is fine, if you like what sulfate brings to the hops flavor and the dryness of the beer.

 

[ajdelange]

Wheat beers are made with widely varying waters. I always found them to work best with soft (low overall mineral content) water. In particular, if you are using noble hops, stay off the sulfate.

 

[revansCAAD8]

Thanks all! Mashing in....

 

[mabrungard]

No need to worry about offending the noble hops when brewing a hoppy and bitter beer. AJ's advice is most applicable to malt focused beers. If you want the beer to dry in the finish and accentuate the bittering, then sulfate is a requirement.

 

[ajdelange]

Strongly disagree. Though the hops should be subtle in a wheat if there is sulfate it puts an unpleasant, gagging edge on what should be very nuanced bitterness. Individual tastes may vary but that's what I experience and why I brew wheats with 0 sulfate water. And wheat beers are definitely malt 'focused'. It's just that it is largely wheat malt.

 

[GuldTuborg]

But this is an IPA. That it has a bunch of wheat malt shouldn't change that any.

 

[ajdelange]

So it is. I (foolishly) thought we were talking about Weizen. Ignore #4 and #7.