coopers wheat jazzin it up

[hammy]

Alright guys

I'm new to the forum and pretty new to the homebrew world.I've done a couple of kits a dj of wow and a dj of turbo cider.

For my next brew i'm already thinking of going extract but i don't have a big enough pot yet,so i was thinking of trying to improve a kit with some extra bits and bobs.

I have
1 can of coopers wheat beer
1 kg of wheat DME
500g of dextrose or beer enhancer
1 sachet of safbrew wb-06
100g of hallertauer mittlefruh

I maybe going to try a short boil with the DME and sugar and some of the hops.Thing is i still don't really know much about using hops or the amount to use and how long to boil for(would 20 mins do it?)

My favourite wheat beer is erdinger so was hoping to end up with something similar.

So if anybody has any advice or tips on how to go about this it would be very much appreciated!!

Thanks
H

[seymour]

...For my next brew i'm already thinking of going extract but i don't have a big enough pot yet,so i was thinking of trying to improve a kit with some extra bits and bobs.

I have
1 can of coopers wheat beer
1 kg of wheat DME
500g of dextrose or beer enhancer
1 sachet of safbrew wb-06
100g of hallertauer mittlefruh

Sounds great, go for it!

I maybe going to try a short boil with the DME and sugar and some of the hops.Thing is i still don't really know much about using hops or the amount to use and how long to boil for(would 20 mins do it?)...

Yes, maybe even 15 minutes would be fine. The kit is hopped extract, which provides the bitterness, so your hops are simply for a late flavour/aroma addition.

My favourite wheat beer is erdinger so was hoping to end up with something similar.
So if anybody has any advice or tips on how to go about this it would be very much appreciated!!

I think you've already worked out an excellent method, probably about as close as you'll get adapting a kit. You've added German noble hops, and a true-to-style German wheat yeast strain, which are key.

Happy brewing!

[hammy]

Cheers seymour

Would 15-20g of the hops at start of boil and the same with 5 mins to go and then the same again after primary fermentation and it being racked to the secondery.

So seven to ten days primary then five in secondery with hops then bottle.Sorry if these are stupid questions but as i say i'm quite new to this and don't want to mess it up!!

H

[seymour]

Would 15-20g of the hops at start of boil and the same with 5 mins to go and then the same again after primary fermentation and it being racked to the secondery...

You could, and your resulting beer would be nice and hoppy like an APA or IPA, but that's not how typical hefeweizens such as Erdinger are made. Best practice in a traditional all-grain process would be: about 2/3 of the hops at the beginning of a long boil for bitterness (which in your case has already been built-into the kit) and about 1/3 of the hops with 15-30 minutes remaining (which you are providing in your own hops and a short boil.)

So seven to ten days primary then five in secondery with hops then bottle.Sorry if these are stupid questions but as i say i'm quite new to this and don't want to mess it up!!

That should work, but the timing is not an arbitrary thing. Let the beer teach you. If you use a secondary fermentor at all, you would rack from primary to secondary when the primary fermentation is done, which is indicated by dramatically reduced bubbling in the airlock, or by taking a hydrometer reading. That's not strictly necessary though, especially with this beer style which retains so much yeast in suspension anyway. You could be lazy and leave it in the primary fermentor for several weeks, then rack straight to your bottling bucket.

[hammy]

Cheers again for the advice

I think i'll take your advice and just put them in the short boil.

Hopefully get it on next week.

H

[seymour]

Sounds good, happy brewing!

[rootsbrew]

That is quite a lot of sugar. I reckon 25 litres would be good for that much. Depends how alcoholic you like it.
Re: hops, if adding them late or to the FV - make sure you pour some hot water over then and give them a quick steep for at least 2 - 3 mins first. They might smell good in the FV, but I've found they're a bit pointless unless warmed through - maybe it's the cold weather?