# Aussie Wheat Ale?



## Mr Bond (13/5/06)

I guess if you hav'nt worked it out yet I'm a bit of a wheat freak,its the main reason I went AG.

Any way I love to experiment as well and thought I'd twist up a wheat ale(sort of american style) but with an aussie yeast.

Grist is 55% pils (JW)
35% wheat(JW)
10% puffed wheat (Iwant it cloudy)

mashed @ 66c,batch sparged.

Organic Hallertau to 27 IBU
1 gram per litre Tettnang @ 10 min.

But for a twist I made up a litre starter of Coopers yeast recultured from a Pale Ale.
With this yeast I'm expecting some strong Banana characteristics given the wheat content of 45% in total.thats why i upped the IBU's a bit
Its currently @ day 4 in fermenter and bubblin away on 16/18c.

As with most wheatys I'm hoping that it will be nice fresh and young.

Anyone else tried this or care to comment on the likely outcome?

If anyone is interested or cares I'll update with tasting notes in around 3 weeks.

Dave


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## mika (13/5/06)

Brauluver said:


> If anyone is interested or cares I'll update with tasting notes in around 3 weeks.
> 
> [post="126125"][/post]​



Of course we care Dave  
Let us know what happens


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## Stuster (13/5/06)

Brauluver said:


> With this yeast I'm expecting some strong Banana characteristics given the wheat content of 45% in total.
> [post="126125"][/post]​



I wouldn't have though you'd get any banana characteristics without a hefeweizen yeast, whatever the wheat content. Are you sure? :unsure:


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## PostModern (13/5/06)

I was going to do something similar but with US-56, but the Coopers yeast is a great idea. Keep us posted on how it turns out. Very interested.


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## Mr Bond (13/5/06)

Stuster said:


> Brauluver said:
> 
> 
> > With this yeast I'm expecting some strong Banana characteristics given the wheat content of 45% in total.
> ...



Yep! This yeast is renowned for this characteristic if fermented warmish.
If youv'e got a spare hour or so have search back through the various threads on this strain.I can recall one about 12 months back where a few guys who had used it were complaining about its dominant bananas,which is why i chose it.


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## Kai (13/5/06)

I would also underpitch slightly.


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## Stuster (13/5/06)

Thanks for the info Brauluver. Looked it up. It would be an annoying taste to get if that was not what you were after. I'll also be waiting to see how this turns out. May be an alternative wheat beer style. Go, you taste pioneer you, go.


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## Mr Bond (13/5/06)

Stuster said:


> May be an alternative wheat beer style. Go, you taste pioneer you, go.
> [post="126139"][/post]​



Brauluver's Bastard Hefe, maybe?


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## sah (13/5/06)

Brauluver said:


> Yep! This yeast is renowned for this characteristic if fermented warmish.
> [post="126135"][/post]​



I'll attest to this. I've was victim to this characteristic and I didn't even brew warm. I made the starter warm and that was enough.

Scott


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## Mr Bond (13/5/06)

I once did an all amarillo APA(in the extract days) and pitched with coopers and it was a fruity brew indeed.

Same beer with us56 was superb,cleaner and more balanced.

But for the Wheaty I've always felt it might just be a good strain,hence the experiment.


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## Weizguy (14/5/06)

Go you wheaty iconoclast! Testify! :beerbang: 

That recipe sounds like a unique blend and should have a unique taste.

Have U sampled it yet, from the vessel? I wouldn't be able to help myself.

So, will you be callling the style something like Adelaide wheat ale?

I like Tettnang flavour in a wheat, but that amoount may be overpowering while the beer is young. But maybe you want it to blow ur head off... :lol: 

I'l be keeping an eye on this thread 4 updates.

Beerz
Seth


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## BruceL (14/5/06)

I did a kit based wheat ale recently. Used safale-56, steeped 25g Tettnang. Have just opened the first bottle, its only 2 weeks the Tettnang flavour is light (definitely not overpowering). Its a nice summer ale but not very wheat like, but I wasnt expecting it to be.

Bruce


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## Mr Bond (14/5/06)

Weizguy said:



> Go you wheaty iconoclast! Testify! :beerbang:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for the tiltle I'll wear it with pride

Not yet,at racking maybe :lol: (definitely)

Thats good enough reason for me to keep the updates comin!


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## Mr Bond (18/5/06)

Racked this beer last night and had a taste from secondary this arvo.

Aroma is wheatlike with a spicy hop tone(Tetts).
Fruity tones without the clovey character.

Taste is still yeasty with a faint wheat backbone,slightly tangy/lemony. 
A definite coopers pale type malt profile(and colour) with a tettnangery finish.

I'm expecting it to dry thin out a bit from here and be a quenchy/zesty type brew.

Updates @ bottling and beyond to come.

"White Tail Pale Ale" is the chosen name.

Hoping that the results of this inspire the wheat freaks here to expand /experiment on this.
I'm already thinking about the same grist and yeast but using POR for bittering with challenger for flava.

Dave


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## Linz (18/5/06)

What ?!?!

No PoR???

And you call it Australian ??  :lol:


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## Mr Bond (18/5/06)

Linz said:


> What ?!?!
> 
> No PoR???
> 
> ...



Yeah I thought the coopers reculture and the JW grist was a bit tenuous without the POR ,but some times you just gotta stretch the boundaries h34r: 

messin with the wheat,Brauluver


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## Mr Bond (25/5/06)

Bottled the *"WHITE TAIL"*2day.

Smells like a typical coopers ale with some banana characteristics on the nose.
Hops are evident,but overpowered by malt at this stage.
Taste is so close to a pale ale(coopers) in the malt profile that I'm wondering if I've pulled off a clone at this early stage.Probably more of an indication of the basic grist combined with this yeast strain methinks.

The yeast performed normally for the first 4 days @ 17/19c, in that it went off and produced heaps of esters in the green apple scent,but when it slowed down it pumped out a sulphury/swampy smell for another 3/4 days.8 days in a cube and it smells fine with all the sulphur gone and a fruity banana hint left.

Bitterness seemed to be in balance with the malt base at this stage.

I will update in around 3/4 weeks when I crack one open to try. :beerbang: 

PS(oh yeah ,and its as cloudy as a wit so far ,which has me grinnin  from ear to ear)

Dave


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## Mr Bond (7/7/06)

Well its had 6 weeks in the bottle to condition,so here we go.

Pours cloudy with a good tight head(wadda ya expect with all that wheat)

Colour is pale gold ,pretty much same as a Coopers PA.

Aroma, Banana and sweet malt dominated with a faint wheaty twang.no real hops in evidence :blink: .I guess this yeast strain mutes em,in favour of malt.

Taste, Medium malty mouth feel up front(semi sweet)lager taste with a dryish wheat finish after swallowing.end bitterness balances out the initial sweetness up front.slight hop spiciness comes through after swallowing.

Body/Mouthfeel,medium.Carbonation medium.

Conclusion. This is an easy drinking fruity type ale that seems to my taste buds to fall some where in between coopers PA and Sparkling in the malt profile(a product of the yeast no doubt)with a subtle wheaty twist
The bitterness is balanced but it lacks the peppery character I was after(Need s POR as a bittering hop with hallertau/tetts later maybe).Not overtly a wheat beer,but definetely a wheat inspired pale ale.

If anyone else is up for the challenge it might be worth trying the same grain bill with a US56 for a presumably drier finish with a little more hop character.I might throw the same grist @ a T58 culture with POR as bittering plus some tetts for flava this spring.( to many other styles lined up b4 then)

Comments ,ideas,thoughts,feedback.Welcomed/expected.
Anyone who is inspired to have a crack @ this style and report back with outcomes/results will be smiled upon by the "Beer Gods" (trust me)

Dave.


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## Weizguy (7/7/06)

Based on the yeast type and despite the wheat malt, I'd have expected the fruity, dry ale taste to come through. As with American wheats, the style is refreshing, yet not wheat dominated.

This may be a better beer for warm weather drinking, especially with the flavour hops.

If U want peppery flavour, T58 is said to give that, and the POR certainly will help. I'd be inclined to try this with POR for bittering and a POR/Tett (or Hallertau) combo for the last 1-2 minutes.

I still didn't get the answer (to the biiiig question) from your post. Did U enjoy it?

Sounds like a nice beer for the annual Xmas case. Maybe I'll do one for NSW? Hmmmmm!

Well done, and keep 'em coming.

Seth out


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## PostModern (8/7/06)

I would have guessed that at 16-18C the yeast would have been a more phenolic, like weizen strains. However, the Coopers yeast is obviously different to German strains at that temp. 

I'll brew your same malt bill and hopping schedule but fermented with one of 1056/US56/001 or a Koelsch strain in about 2 months and report back. Would you be interested in swapping bottles, one of this batch for a future bottle of my batch, Brauluver?


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## Mr Bond (8/7/06)

Weizguy said:


> I still didn't get the answer (to the biiiig question) from your post. Did U enjoy it?
> 
> Sounds like a nice beer for the annual Xmas case. Maybe I'll do one for NSW? Hmmmmm!
> 
> ...



Yes i did enjoy it Seth.Its a great refreshing end of a workday beer.




> I'll brew your same malt bill and hopping schedule but fermented with one of 1056/US56/001 or a Koelsch strain in about 2 months and report back. Would you be interested in swapping bottles, one of this batch for a future bottle of my batch, Brauluver?
> 
> 
> > POMO,thats cool to hear tack your results on this thread and PM me a heads up when u do.
> ...


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## Weizguy (10/7/06)

:huh: Is a 600 ml pet as big as a rabbit or as small as a gerbil (Richard Gere???)?

I've said before, that you can't trust a man who doesn't brew for his own taste; even if it's just to broaden his horizon (hmm, who said Berliner weisse and Gose?)

Beerz
Seth out


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## Mr Bond (28/8/06)

WOW! Tasted this beer again on the weekend as a 12 week note keeping exercise.

Poured with a cloudy wheat/protein haze and same colour as a coopers PA.
Many of the strong bananery esters have dissipated to a nice malty fruity coopers type nose.
Hop nose is softer and less spicy than a PA but still very nice in a balanced way.

Taste wise this beer has a malt profile that is 95% coopers PA(its gotta be the yeast) with just a little more sweetness in the end.
I reckon if i bittered with POR and added 1/2 a gram per litre @ 10 mins of same( with same grain bill) I'd have a dead ringer for PA.Thats the white tail MK 2 planned then!

The second pour from the longneck included some sediment,and that tipped it over the edge into typical coopers flava territory.Its amazing how much of an influence a yeast strain can have on a beer.

Best part is I've still got 11 tallies of it stored away


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## Weizguy (28/8/06)

Brauluver,

Remiiinds me of when I mixed up the Coopers yeast with the Weizen yeast. The wheat beer came out like a Coopers-y American wheat, and the pale ale came out like a weird pale ale fermented with a weizen yeast - too bitter to be a weizen and too hoppy as well.

The Coopers yeast is dominant and takes the beer into pale ale territory as the beer ages. After about 8 years (yep, it was that hard to drink), it tasted a little like a Coopers Vintage. Can U hang onto yours 4 that long?

Beerz
Seth (yeast farmer tonite) out


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## Mr Bond (21/9/06)

Just an update for anyone who is interested or followed this thread! (3 of us at least)

This beer was entered in the SABSOSA comp as an aussie pale ale and pulled a 3rd with a mediocre 38.3. 
Not a high enough score to warrant a national entry(for me) ,but still enough to keep me following this tack(grist) and yeast combo for another shot next year.


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