Honey Wheat - Recipe

With all of the dark, strong and sour beers I have been brewing recently, it was time to make something light and easy drinking.  After tossing a few ideas around I decided to make some honey wheat beer. 

Recipe (10 Gallons)
  10# Rahr 2-row
  5# Wheat malt (Local shop didn't have enough of one kind, so I used white and red)
  2# Wheat flour
  3# Orange blossom honey added at the end of the boil.
  1oz Zythos hop blend (60)
  1oz whole homegrown Cascade hops (15)
  2 packs US-05 dry yeast

Mash:
  Protein rest 10 minutes at 122F
  Sacc rest 50 minutes at 152F

Notes:
  Brewed 12/2/12  OG=1.051
  I took a chance mashing so much wheat with no rice hulls, but with the protein rest and a thin (1.5qt/#) mash, I didn't have too much trouble sparging.  I boiled 9 gallons down to a little over 7. At the end, I topped off with 2.5 gallons of bottled water, giving me 10 gallons in the fermeters.

Raspberry Wheat - Tasting

This beer (Recipe) (Brewing) has only been in the keg for about a week and its just about ready for drinking now.  Just in time for tomorrow's party.
 Low malt flavor, just enough hops to balance and a neutral yeast make this wheat beer a clean canvas for the local raspberries to shine.

Appearance:  It has this reddish amber or maybe copper color.  Not as bright red as I would have liked, but this is what you get without food coloring.  The head is nice foamy slightly pink, but mostly white.

Aroma:  the smell is mostly fruity (I would guess raspberry) with a little wheat in the background.

Flavor:  It has a slight tartness and up front berry flavor with a little wheat.  I think there are some hops sneaking in too.

Mouthfeel:  Thin, but in a nice refreshing way.  The carbonation gives it some body.  Just about what I would want for a light refreshing fruity summer beer.

Overall: I do like the beer and I hope it is taken well tomorrow - but I do hope they leave me some to savor over the next month or so too.  Also it gives a preview to what the lambic version may be when it is ready.

 7/8/12 - Brew 5.25 gals.  BR=12 OG=1.046
   Wort was surprisingly clear/white
   US-05 pitched @71 - In swamp cooler w/ ice bottles.
  7/13-15/12 - Picked 7.5# raspberries (total)
  7/15/12 - Added 5.5# Raspberries to Primary  G=1.005
  7/26/12 - Secondary G=1.006
   Not a whole lot of raspberry aroma.  Some flavor. OK warm.  should be better cold/carb
   Good clarity.  better than expected.  color good, little lighter.
  8/2/12 - Keg  ABV=5.25%

Raspberry wheat 2012

Last year, I made a "wheat" beer with wild raspberries to serve at my daughter's birthday party. I add the " because at the last minute, I couldn't get any wheat malt and substituted a couple pounds of wheat flour. The beer turned out good, so this year I am only changing things a little. The recipe now has 50% wheat malt and I chose a different hop.

I brewed the base beer on 7/8/12. The brew day was rather uneventful and went pretty smoothly. I was surprised at how clearish white the wort was coming out of the mash tun. I am not used to brewing without darker malts. The whole thing looked greenish while boiling with the hops. It carmelized in the kettle a bit, so the final wort looked like the more usual light brown.

Friday 7/13 picked around 2# but almost half were eaten, leaving me with 1.25#
Saturday 7/14 picked over 4#. After washing, I had 5.5# of berries.
2# are going to the lambic, which leaves 3.5 for this.
Sunday I picked another 2# giving me a total of 5.5# for this beer.

I will give it another week or so before racking to secondary to let it clear up before kegging.  This will be on tap for mid-August.

My little helper

4 way wheat beer tastings




Weihenstephan, Schneider, Franzikaner, Mine!

  Spring is here (not that we really had much of a winter) and that means its time to break out the wheat beers. Or as the Germans call it Weissbier. Sure America has wheat beer too, but this post isn't about those.  I stopped by the beverage distributer and grabbed 3 German weisse beers to compare - and of course added my own into the mix (This one). I had used the weihenstephan yeast for mine, so there should be some similarities.

 #1. Weihenstephan 
  We start with the Worlds oldest brewery. It also happens to be the only one that I have a matching glass for.
     Yellowish orange hazy. Pillowy white head.
      Fruity Belgian yeast aroma
      A little bread malt in flavor.  Refreshing light beer.  Yeast esters dominate the flavor.  It is a little tart with some citrus and maybe a hint of banana.
     The beer has good carbonation with a slight prickliness to it.

#2 Schneider Weisse "The original weiss beer"
   This one is a bit darker with an off-white head.  Sizzling carbonation.
   It has a cleaner aroma and flavor.  Not as light and refreshing as the last one.
   Lauren says it needs brats :)
   The flavor does have some yeast mixed with a mild maltiness - and perhaps some fruit?
   It has a good carboniation, but with less prickly.
   This beer has a slightly drying to the mouth in the finish. Is that tannins?

#3 Franziskaner Weissbier
   How can you not love a beer with a drunken monk on it?
  Pours light hazy orange with large creamy off white head.
  Mild yeasty aroma with a slight spiciness mixed with citrus and bread.
  This beer has a good wheat flavor with more of that spicy citrus.  It also has a slight drying of the mouth.
  Again highly carbonated with some prickly, but not overly soda like.
  Another great beer.  Similar to the weihenstephan one.  My Only complaint is the foil wrap that is impossible to get off if you want to reuse the bottle.

 #4 My 2nd run wheat beer
  One difference - this beer was kegged, while the others were all bottle conditioned.
  Nice light orange color.  Hazy, but it is starting to clear up a bit.  More translucent than the others, but not by a whole lot.  Pillowy white head.
  Mild yeast aroma.  Less of the clove/banana than I got on the initial tasting.  Leaves a slightly phenolic after taste.
  Flavor is bright and almost citrusy wheaty goodness.  Good carbonation.
  Definitely light and refreshing.

Overall:  Mine may be the overall most refreshing, but I think I like the more complex flavors of Weihenstphan and Franzikaner a little better.  To me, Schneider came in last place here.