Simple wheat beer

[jimny14]

I'm thinking doing something like this, in the near future. Anyone with more experience than me wanna give me some advice i'll gladly take it on board. Was wondering if all the wheat malt will give a good head, or if I should add something like torrified wheat for retention etc. So here's the recipie idea.

23 Litres

Marris otter 2.5kg
Wheat malt 2.5kg

60 min mash

Saaz 2.5% 40g @ 60 mins
Saaz 2.5% 30g @10 mins

60 min boil


Sound any good or should I add some more adjuncts to get and keep a good head?

[CJBrew]

2.5kg of Wheat and you should have some good head there

If I added anything it would be to replace 1kg of the M.O. with some plain raw wheat, and do a cereal mash with it before putting it with the rest of the grist.

I'd also strongly recommend getting a wheat yeast. The Weihenstephan is excellent - I don't know whether you can culture it from the bottles but it may be worth a crack. Otherwhise the Safale WB-06 is pretty good (and probably the same thing)...

[dave-o]

That looks good to me.

What yeast have you got planned?

[symptomlesscoma]

Whatever yeast u use, dont use Wyeast 3056 Bavarian Wheat - way too clovey to be refreshing. Really hoping it calms down a bit.
Wish I'd used Weihenstephan wyeast instead.

[jimny14]

Was gonna look at rescuing some yeast from a bottle but haven't decided which. Anyone know of any wheat beers that have a primary strain in the bottle that I could liberate? If I can't get one done I've got some wb06 on standby.

[micmacmoc]

Whatto Jimny!

I used WB06 yeast, was lovely. I also put some porage in it, orange peel and whole coriander. Its great with curry!
Apparently theres a formula for getting the best from your yeast, goes like this:
pitching temp + ferment temp= 30C
so if you pitch at 18 you should ferment at 12 etc.
Don't know how true this is but I have followed this for my last two using WB06 and its been a great pint. One that the lager lovers have nbeen drinking too.

23litres
MO 2140
wheat malt 2140
oats 320

HHersbrucker 90 40g
HHersbrucker 20 30g

1045-1010 (4.5%) at 75% efficiency
18 IBU
Colour 6EBC
WB06 x2 sachet at 18C ferment at 12 (I worked out the ambient temp in my garage and went from there to achieve the 30C thingy)

I love wheat beer and living in a fishing village there is no shortage of seafood which it compliments so very well, crab and wheat beer is a match made in heaven, god knows why wine knobbies try to convince you with sauvi-blanc when it just makes the crab taste of bitterness....rant over!)

[Barley Water]

I would say that you really need to decide which wheat beer style you wish to make before suggestions can be given. The four pale styles that come to mind are German heffe, German Berliner Weiss, American or British style wheat beer and Belgian wit. The German wheat beers use very unique yeast, especially the Berliner weiss. American and British style wheat beers usually use the normal ale yeasts and there is a special yeast for Belgian Wit. Of the styles mentioned, I have the most experience by far with the heffe. I have never made a Berliner weiss and that one is a bit dangerous as the fermenting organisms can get into your brewery and really mess things up if you are not careful (as is true of all the sour beer styles). Probably the easiest style is the American/British wheat beers as they use the normal ale yeasts and procedures (of course in my opinion they are also the most boring but to each his own). I think wit is a difficult style to do really well, I have had very few homebrewed examples that I thought were great. The fun there is you get to add spices and mess with raw wheat which is what makes it tricky. At some point, I will probably try to get a good wit going but it will have to wait until next summer now as I am into my fall/early winter beers.

[Cheshire-cheese]

... orange peel and whole coriander...
23litres
MO 2140
wheat malt 2140
oats 320

HHersbrucker 90 40g
HHersbrucker 20 30g

1045-1010 (4.5%) at 75% efficiency
18 IBU
Colour 6EBC
WB06 x2 sachet at 18C ferment at 12 (I worked out the ambient temp in my garage and went from there to achieve the 30C thingy)...

Just the kind of thing that I'm planning; how much orange peel and coriander and at which point were they added?

[raiderman]

If you don't like the clove taste some wheat's have ferment at ale temperatures and you'll promote the banana aromas some wheats have

You also need to think about mash programmes - I have a recollection that wheats include a low temp rest around 40c as well as a protein rest at 55c.

[lancsSteve]

Whatever yeast u use, dont use Wyeast 3056 Bavarian Wheat - way too clovey to be refreshing. Really hoping it calms down a bit.
Wish I'd used Weihenstephan wyeast instead.

I really like it as a bavarian style yeast but admit Weihenstephan is FAR more refreshing... (and smells of bananas rather than a sewer in fermentation)

Leave PLENTY of headspace though!

[lancsSteve]

[

Just the kind of thing that I'm planning; how much orange peel and coriander and at which point were they added?

Are you planning a german weissenor a belgian wit? Different yeasts and ingredients!

Belgian wit's are better with torrefied wheat, a belgian strain and up to 5g coriander and curacao wtowards or at end of boil, german weissen's better with malted wheat (60/40 or 50/50) and a german weissen strain e.g. the excellent weihenstephan.

But no coriander/curacao in germans styles... (Breaks there beer purity laws!).

Protein rests and multi-stepped infusions really not needed if you;re going for a simple wheat. There's also LOTS of interesting wheat extras out there now like crystal wheat and chocolate wheat to make a dark wheat beer or crystal one, or just a good old british ale with a lot of wheat in it...