strange-steve
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Just a little heads up that it's about time to start thinking about brewing for the December HBF Competition which is wheat beer month.
If you've never brewed a wheat, now is the time. Everyone should give this style a bash, it's a simple beer to make, it has a very quick turn around time and a freshly made hefeweizen is a beautiful thing.
If you're not too familiar with brewing this style I've included my top tips below
1. Yeast selection is key. German style wheats are very yeast driven so make sure the yeast is treated right.
2. If you have a fermentation fridge, control the temperature closely. Weizen yeasts are heavily affected by small temperature differences which means your desired flavor can be easily tailored. Lower temperatures give clove, higher temperatures give banana. Check your particular yeast strain for the recommended temperature range.
3. Keep it simple. The best weizen recipes are very simple. Half wheat malt and half pilsner malt with a single bittering addition. Done.
4. Lauter slowly to avoid a stuck mash. A few hundred grams of rice hulls added to the mash will help, as will a mash out step.
5. If you treat your water use calcium chloride to enhance the malt flavours.
6. Keep the mash temperature low. This style should be light and refreshing.
7. Fresher is better. This is a quick to make style and can go grain to glass in 2 weeks. Conditioning time is not required so as soon as it's carbonated it's ready to drink. This isn't an aging beer, it won't get better with extended conditioning so drink it fresh.
There we go, one of the simplest beers to make and great if you need beer in a hurry. Below are the style guidelines for December:
Wheat Beer
(Includes Weissbier, Dunkel Weissbier, American Wheat Beer, Witbier. Does not include other styles with lower percentages of wheat, Saisons or Wild/Lambic/Sour brews including Berliner Weisse)
Wheat beers should have an OG of between 1.040 and 1.055 (exceptions exist such as Weizenbock which is generally 1.060-1.090) and 5-30 IBUs. American What Beers may have higher IBUs. Wheat Beers typically exhibit flavour/aroma created by yeast and fermentation processes. Malt intensity can be enhanced via decoctions or other methods. Hops are usually noble and in the background (American Wheats aside). Some degree of fruit or spice tones is acceptable, as is tartness, sourness and sharpness, dependent upon the style. Wheat beers should be dry with higher levels of carbonation.
If you've never brewed a wheat, now is the time. Everyone should give this style a bash, it's a simple beer to make, it has a very quick turn around time and a freshly made hefeweizen is a beautiful thing.
If you're not too familiar with brewing this style I've included my top tips below
1. Yeast selection is key. German style wheats are very yeast driven so make sure the yeast is treated right.
2. If you have a fermentation fridge, control the temperature closely. Weizen yeasts are heavily affected by small temperature differences which means your desired flavor can be easily tailored. Lower temperatures give clove, higher temperatures give banana. Check your particular yeast strain for the recommended temperature range.
3. Keep it simple. The best weizen recipes are very simple. Half wheat malt and half pilsner malt with a single bittering addition. Done.
4. Lauter slowly to avoid a stuck mash. A few hundred grams of rice hulls added to the mash will help, as will a mash out step.
5. If you treat your water use calcium chloride to enhance the malt flavours.
6. Keep the mash temperature low. This style should be light and refreshing.
7. Fresher is better. This is a quick to make style and can go grain to glass in 2 weeks. Conditioning time is not required so as soon as it's carbonated it's ready to drink. This isn't an aging beer, it won't get better with extended conditioning so drink it fresh.
There we go, one of the simplest beers to make and great if you need beer in a hurry. Below are the style guidelines for December:
Wheat Beer
(Includes Weissbier, Dunkel Weissbier, American Wheat Beer, Witbier. Does not include other styles with lower percentages of wheat, Saisons or Wild/Lambic/Sour brews including Berliner Weisse)
Wheat beers should have an OG of between 1.040 and 1.055 (exceptions exist such as Weizenbock which is generally 1.060-1.090) and 5-30 IBUs. American What Beers may have higher IBUs. Wheat Beers typically exhibit flavour/aroma created by yeast and fermentation processes. Malt intensity can be enhanced via decoctions or other methods. Hops are usually noble and in the background (American Wheats aside). Some degree of fruit or spice tones is acceptable, as is tartness, sourness and sharpness, dependent upon the style. Wheat beers should be dry with higher levels of carbonation.
