Hefeweizen

[fatboy570]

Brewed a Kolsch for my uncle last Christmas (oh no I mentioned a religious holiday! somebody take me to the gulag!). He called the other day, seems the Kolsch ran out for some reason, and asked if I could make a hefe. Never made one before, not much on wheats at all, but Im game for a challenge. Looking for an extract recipe. Thanks

[Mill Rat]

Can't help you too much with the extract recipe, but if you use a liquid weizen yeast (which I recommend because quite a bit of the classic weizen flavor is from the yeast), keep in mind that these strains tend to be vigorous fermenters. Thus a blowoff tube for the primary fermenter is a much better idea than an airlock.

[markaberrant]

I published this in our homebrew club's newsletter.

Easy German Wheat Beer - 5gal recipe
5.5 - 6lbs of dry wheat extract OR 6.5 - 7 lbs of liquid wheat extract (somewhere around 1.048 - 1.052)
approx 1 oz of your favourite noble hop (ie; saaz, tettnang, hallertau, spalt) - shoot for 15 - 20 IBUs.
Wyeast 3068 (if not available, can sub with 3333, 3638, or 3056)

Procedure:
1. Boil everything for 1 hour, cool and pitch yeast
2. Try to keep fermentation temp around 68F for the proper balance between banana and clove.
3. Ferment until FG is reached - should be somewhere around 1.015 or less, and bottle or keg as usual. No secondary required. Wheat beers are best while fresh, so drink up once carbonated!

[fatboy570]

Thanks for the replies. I may use a touch of light specialty grains, could I use 1/2 oz Tettnanger and 1/2 oz Hallertau, or does it make a difference? I will definitely use a blowoff tube, pretty much have to now, Ive noticed all the Wyeast liquids seem to be very vigorous. Thanks again

[markaberrant]

Originally posted by fatboy570
Thanks for the replies. I may use a touch of light specialty grains, could I use 1/2 oz Tettnanger and 1/2 oz Hallertau, or does it make a difference? I will definitely use a blowoff tube, pretty much have to now, Ive noticed all the Wyeast liquids seem to be very vigorous. Thanks again

Tettnang and Hallertau will be fine. I personally wouldn't bother with specialty grains in a hefe; they aren't needed and it's going to be dark enough using extract. I made an extract batch last year with a 1/2 lb of carawheat; it was very good, but didn't fall into any specific style.

Here's the all-grain recipe I brewed up on Sunday, it smells wonderful:

6 gal batch

6.6 lb wheat malt
4.4 lb pilsner malt
.25 lb rice hulls
1.25oz tettnang (4.1%) @ 60 minutes
Wyeast 3068

OG 1.050 (72% efficiency)
IBUs 18
SRM 3.6

[fatboy570]

Thanks, mark. Ill use your basic recipe and make a small change or two. My uncle really liked the Kolsch I made last year, the only complaint was the bottles "inexplicably developed a hole at the top" and all the beer leaked out. Hated to tell him, all Im responsible for is making beer, not bottle quality