American Hefe

[Rezzin]

Here's what I'm looking at right now. Can anyone provide any suggestions? John, your the wheat master around here - what do you think?

I was going to just use pale and wheat initially but I noticed on Widmer's site (my wife likes that beer and it's the reason I'm giving this a shot) they also use C40 and Munich. So here's what I'm going with for now.

10-15-2008 Widmer Hefeweizen Attempt #1

A ProMash Brewing Session Report
--------------------------------

Brewing Date: Wednesday October 15, 2008
Head Brewer: Mike Yasuma
Asst Brewer:
Recipe: Widmer Hefeweizen Clone

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.75
Anticipated OG: 1.049 Plato: 12.14
Anticipated SRM: 4.8
Anticipated IBU: 25.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Actual OG: 1.049 Plato: 12.14
Actual FG: 1.012 Plato: 3.07

Alc by Weight: 3.80 by Volume: 4.86 From Measured Gravities.
ADF: 74.7 RDF 62.2 Apparent & Real Degree of Fermentation.

Actual Mash System Efficiency: 75 %
Anticipated Points From Mash: 48.95
Actual Points From Mash: 48.95

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
51.3 5.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
41.0 4.00 lbs. Wheat Malt America 1.038 2
5.1 0.50 lbs. Munich Malt Great Britain 1.037 6
2.6 0.25 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Magnum Pellet 12.80 24.7 60 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette Pellet 5.00 0.4 2 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.00 0.5 2 min.

Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP320 American Hefeweizen Ale

Saccharification Rest Temp: 153 Time: 60



Maybe scale back a .5# of pale and go with a full # of munich? I know Rob would be proud.

If anyone has used 320 before, can you share your opinion on it?

[brahn]

Munich's great, so I think you'd be fine going up to the full pound, should compliment the flavors well IMO. The only thing I'd change is swapping rye for the wheat.

[jward]

I have brewed the Widmer clone recipe. It makes a good beer. You will probably like the increased flavor with the extra munich. I use this recipe these days:

11lbs wheat malt
4.5lbs pale/2-row malt
2.25lbs vienna malt
1lbs cara-pils
1lbs crystal40L

~2oz SAAZ @60 minutes 12 IBUs
~1ox Centennial @30 minutes 14 IBUs
~1oz SAAZ @15 minutes

It has lots of the good wheat spice and the hops work great. I started with the vienna when I ran out of munich. Last time I didn't have C40 and mixed a higher and lower crystal malts. It was darker and tasty. Maybe I should make a brown or red wheat beer....

The WLP320 is all ab out the temperature. I think 67-68F is as neutral as it will get give or take the error of my temp reading. Warmer gets you more banana and lower gets you more clove. I have been making the same recipe with US-05 with good results as an American Wheat (not Hefe of course).

[Rezzin]

I think 67-68F is as neutral as it will get give or take the error of my temp reading.

When you say 'neutral' do you mean clean like 001 or is there still noticeable banana/clove?

I have been making the same recipe with US-05 with good results as an American Wheat (not Hefe of course).

Oops, stupid me - I should change that to American wheat, not hefe!

[jward]

I think 67-68F is as neutral as it will get give or take the error of my temp reading.

When you say 'neutral' do you mean clean like 001 or is there still noticeable banana/clove?

I think it gets both flavors within the whole temperature range. You can either minimize them or favor one over the other. I kept lowering fermentation temperature to reduce the clove flavor and learned the hard way.

I have been making the same recipe with US-05 with good results as an American Wheat (not Hefe of course).

Oops, stupid me - I should change that to American wheat, not hefe!

If you use WLP320 I'd call it American Hefe. If you use US-05 I'd call American Wheat.