# Best Kit Wheat Beer



## gussigan (9/1/07)

hey guys, starting my second brew this weekend... haven't had a chance to sample the first brew as it's doing its thang in the bottles.

but yeah i was looking to make a wheat beer this weekend and was thinking something like the beermakers bavarian wheat and was recommended to go with 3068 - weihenstephan weizen yeast and will use a liquid wheat malt extract. also have some crushed up caramunich from last time that i was maybe gonna put in (yes, i've been given a bunch of tips already hehe). but yeah was just curious on what others thought of that combo


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## Steve (9/1/07)

gussigan said:


> hey guys, starting my second brew this weekend... haven't had a chance to sample the first brew as it's doing its thang in the bottles.
> 
> but yeah i was looking to make a wheat beer this weekend and was thinking something like the beermakers bavarian wheat and was recommended to go with 3068 - weihenstephan weizen yeast and will use a liquid wheat malt extract. also have some crushed up caramunich from last time that i was maybe gonna put in (yes, i've been given a bunch of tips already hehe). but yeah was just curious on what others thought of that combo




g'day gussigan. The only wheat kit ive done is the ESB ones so cant help you with your choice sorry. Have a look at the reviews of these wheat kits:

http://www.hbkitreviews.com/search.php?search=wheat

plus.....there are many more reviews of nearly every kit there is.
Cheers
Steve


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## DrewCarey82 (9/1/07)

Morgans Golden Sheaf in the Australian range is excellent with a 1.7kg liquid wheat booster.

Yummy


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## bugwan (9/1/07)

I'm finishing off the last of an MSB Summer wheat kit, with 1kg of wheat DME.

I used a Wyeast 3056 Bavarian Wheat Yeast with some corriander and orange rind thrown into the fermenter after 3 days active fermentation.

I've heard the Weihenstephan Bavarian Wheat Yeast is better (personal taste of course!) Wyeast #3068...

Good luck with the brew! Good summer drinking...


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## gussigan (9/1/07)

cool, so looks like i'll probly stick with my initial plan. 

i noticed you used dry malt extract, are there many differences between that and the liquid? pros, cons etc.

yeah, looking forward to getting some wheat beer happening, will have to buy some to keep me occupied until it's ready i think


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## Paleman (9/1/07)

Gday gussigan.

Ive put myself down a Morgans Golden Sheaf http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=13410

Its been around 8-9 days in Primary, and nearly ready to rack.

Although i cant comment on this kit, as its my first ever attempt at a Wheat. Just to see if i like the style in a Home Brewed sense. I can see myself going some partials down the track. From the rapports of Wheat beers on this site, it sounds as if it might be a beer i like.

I too am going to buy a few different commercial brands in the near future, to get the ball rolling. Ive been given some good advice from Brauluver on this site as to some of the available Wheaties.........roll on the weekend, im lickin me lips !! :chug:


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## Weizguy (9/1/07)

gussigan said:


> hey guys, starting my second brew this weekend... haven't had a chance to sample the first brew as it's doing its thang in the bottles.
> 
> but yeah i was looking to make a wheat beer this weekend and was thinking something like the beermakers bavarian wheat and was recommended to go with 3068 - weihenstephan weizen yeast and will use a liquid wheat malt extract. also have some crushed up caramunich from last time that i was maybe gonna put in (yes, i've been given a bunch of tips already hehe). but yeah was just curious on what others thought of that combo


gussigan,

I checked my brew notes and I brewed that beer back in early 1997.
I added 500g liquid wheat malt extract and 500g dextrose, and the secret ingredient W3056.

It was very good beer in it's own right, and a close approximation of a commercial weizen. It was prob a bit thin, but definitely had the banana and cloves that we look for in a wheat beer.
The right yeast makes the difference, and W3068 is also the "right" yeast.

Carbonate with about 250g dextrose for the batch, and drink the beer young (under 2 months, anyway). I have been known to consume and appreciate this style of beer within 4 days of bottling (carbonation permitting).

Beerz
Seth


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## gussigan (9/1/07)

giggedy, sounds good. so that's 250g of dextrose for the 23 litre batch?

haven't done the bulk priming before (given that it's only my second batch) but now that i'm getting an extra fermenter i'm going to rack it and then bulk prime

so, now for some more technical questions... should i be looking out for a specific gravity or just be checking to see the gravity doesn't change over the course of a couple of days? i'm still trying to get the hang of the hydrometer hehe

secondly, should i then rack it and let it sit for, what, another week or something? and with that, is it the same temp. range of 18-20 that i should aim for?

and finally, do i do the bulk priming just before bottling?

edit: and should i add in any extras like orange/coriander etc or just keep this one simple?


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## blackbock (9/1/07)

gussigan said:


> cool, so looks like i'll probly stick with my initial plan.
> 
> i noticed you used dry malt extract, are there many differences between that and the liquid? pros, cons etc.
> 
> yeah, looking forward to getting some wheat beer happening, will have to buy some to keep me occupied until it's ready i think



I have found the DME to be drier, and probably a little staler in taste in a wheaty. I really notice this because there is not much hops there, plus the Weizen yeast seems to really leave a powdery, dry taste compared to liquid. But until you try both you won't really know what I mean.


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## gussigan (9/1/07)

well i was gonna use LME, was just curious when bugwan said he used dme

would people recommend going 500g LME and 500g dextrose or using all LME?

and if i use LME do i have to use more of it?


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## Weizguy (9/1/07)

gussigan said:


> giggedy, sounds good. so that's 250g of dextrose for the 23 litre batch?
> 
> haven't done the bulk priming before (given that it's only my second batch) but now that i'm getting an extra fermenter i'm going to rack it and then bulk prime
> 
> ...


Yep, that's 250g for the entire batch. U won't want it any gassier than that, I reckon. 3 volumes of CO2 is heaps more gassy than most lagers and ales, but is good for a wheat beer.

I got 1.010 gravity after 6 (warm) days, but didn't rack. Warner, in his German Wheat Beer book, states that you will get better flavour if you rack into secondary at 4C for about a week, and that's what I have been doing since I read the book.

Bulk prime the beer after racking again prior to bottling. Rack into a clean fermentor, on to the bottling sugar (dissolved in 1/2 litre of boiled water). Stir gently, as you don't want to aerate at this stage. Stir a couple of times during bottling to keep the sugar distributed evenly.

For a weizen, I would not add orange or coriander. If you use a proper weizen yeast, the other spices will not go with the flavours produced by the weizen yeast. Save the spices for when you have a Wit yeast. You will be grateful to have waited.

For anything else, pm me, just in case I'm offline and this thread goes quiet.

I'm very happy to see a lot of newer forumers having a go at a weizen style. IMHO, they're easy to brew, quick to ferment, and easy to drink. That's the trifecta in my book! Testify!

Seth out


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## gussigan (9/1/07)

well yeah i'm having a go at it because it's probably my favourite style of beer 

so try and keep it in secondary at about 4 degrees, eh? hmmm that one could be easier said than done at this stage of the game, but i'll see if i can take over a fridge.

cheers for the offer of help, i might take you up on that when some more questions pop into my head. 

oh actually a quick one, in my original post i said i've got some caramunich leftover (200g to be precise) should i put that in my beer as well?


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## Mr Bond (9/1/07)

Les the Weizguy said:


> I'm very happy to see a lot of newer forumers having a go at a weizen style. IMHO, they're easy to brew, quick to ferment, and easy to drink. That's the trifecta in my book! Testify!
> 
> Seth out



I'll testify and 2nd that with a big :beerbang:


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## Weizguy (9/1/07)

If you don't have a fridge for secondary, don't panic. For many years, I bottled directly from primary.

It won't hurt the flavour much, it mostly affects the appearance. You can drink it in the dark, if the appearance offends you. :lol: 

For your first weizen, go easy and don't make too many additions. You can make changes for the second one, which will soon be necessary as the first batch (unless there's a problem) will seem to evaporate. :chug: 

Uncle Seth out


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## gussigan (9/1/07)

sweet. there is a fridge in this house that i *could* adapt to my needs, the only problem being it's not my fridge personally 

so you reckon go the simple without too many additions? sounds good to me. 

right, so what i might do is write out what i'm getting and what i'm going to do so people can pick it apart if need be 

recipe:
1 can beer lovers bavarian wheat
500g liquid malt extract
500g dextrose
yeast - 3068 weihenstephan weizen

okay, now the method bit is the bit i want some clarification on, but i'm going to take a stab at it:
put 2 litres of water in a saucepan, add bavarian wheat can and malt and dextrose... bring to the boil for a while... then crash cool it
(last kit i did it said just put boiling water in and put in fermenter but i had issues with the temp being too high)
put contents in fermenter, add water, bring up to 23 litres
rehydrate yeast then put in fermenter
seal up

aight, then i come back in 6-ish days, looking for a gravity around 1010 but really just wanting it to remain the same for a couple of days, then i rack it into secondary, leave it for a week (as cool as possible, possibly even 4C)

after a week, make up sugar solution, 250g dextrose with 1/2 litre of boiling water, then mix in beer, then bottle and leave for a week plus

yeah, pick apart my recipe, method etc. i thought i'd take a stab in the dark with a couple of ideas 

with the sugar solution for carbing, do i want to cool that sugar solution before adding the beer?

edit: i'll try and keep it from pm-ing you too if possible because i've found the forums a really good way to learn, so i'll try and keep advice public


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## jamesc (9/1/07)

if you got a large pot the country brewer summer wheat wetpack is awsome, so good in fact all the germans at work have me churning out batches for them


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## Weizguy (10/1/07)

gussigan said:


> sweet. there is a fridge in this house that i *could* adapt to my needs, the only problem being it's not my fridge personally


Don't sweat it. It's really nice t be able to put some polish on a beer, but it ain't no biggie. You could still do well in a comp, with yeast clump floaties.



gussigan said:


> so you reckon go the simple without too many additions? sounds good to me.


In a word, "yes". In two words: "Hell, yes". Start basic and get a feel for the base beer. Once you know what a good weizen tastes like, U can add those other non-Biersteuergesetz add-ons.



gussigan said:


> right, so what i might do is write out what i'm getting and what i'm going to do so people can pick it apart if need be
> 
> recipe:
> 1 can beer lovers bavarian wheat
> ...


Dude, don't boil kits unless they recommend it. I'd just add to the fermentor and dissolve in near-boiling water. Add hot water and the tin first. Once dissolved, add the dry additions and stir until dissolved. Top up with cold water.
Then,


gussigan said:


> put contents in fermenter, add water, bring up to 23 litres
> rehydrate yeast then put in fermenter
> seal up
> 
> ...



Nah, chuck the hot sugar solution into the bottling bucket/vessel and rack the wort onto it. It won't stay hot for long, and it won't kill many yeast cells. (An analogy exists; with the underletting of the mash and the alleged destuction of enymes). Darren? replies?

Beerz to all, esp. weizen brewers.

Seth out 

* edited for web code= quotes (better now)


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## redgums500 (11/1/07)

this was somewhat of a 'breakfast beer' around here with the relo's over the xmas break.

1 tin Morgan's Summer Wheat
Safale K - 97 yeast
500g DME
500g Wheat spraymalt
12g Saaz 

Ferment @ 18/22 degrees and condition in the keg for 4 weeks. 

BEWDYFUL

Redgums


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## gussigan (11/1/07)

wicked, cheers, les. so on that don't boil kits thing, do i need to boil any LME or anything like that or does it all just go in with the near boiling water?

this time i'm gonna keep some bottles of water in the fridge so i can get the temp down nice and easy i think


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## Steve (11/1/07)

gussigan said:


> wicked, cheers, les. so on that don't boil kits thing, do i need to boil any LME or anything like that or does it all just go in with the near boiling water?
> 
> this time i'm gonna keep some bottles of water in the fridge so i can get the temp down nice and easy i think




guss - dont boil the kit - just dissolve it and the LME in 2-3 litres boiling water in the fermenter. Top up with cold water and add yeast. Easy as.
Cheers
Steve


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## gussigan (11/1/07)

sweet

well, i just returned home from the brew shop, there's been a couple of minor changes, my wheat recipe is going to be:
Cascade spicy ghost draught (the name makes it sound good hehe)
3056 bavarian wheat yeast (didn't have 3068)
1kg wheat LME (should i be using 1.2 because it's liquid?)


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## Steve (11/1/07)

gussigan said:


> sweet
> 
> well, i just returned home from the brew shop, there's been a couple of minor changes, my wheat recipe is going to be:
> Cascade spicy ghost draught (the name makes it sound good hehe)
> ...




you'll be right with the 1kg.


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## gussigan (12/1/07)

looks like i'm taking over a fridge so secondary fermentation at 4 degrees should be possible!


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## Steve (12/1/07)

gussigan said:


> looks like i'm taking over a fridge so secondary fermentation at 4 degrees should be possible!




guss - its to be brewed at ale temps (18-23) not lager temps:

3056 Bavarian Wheat Yeast. Blend of top-fermenting ale and wheat strains producing mildly estery and phenolic wheat beers. Flocculation - medium; apparent attenuation 73-77%. (64-74 F, 18-23 C)

Cheers
Steve


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## gussigan (12/1/07)

steve - just going off lez's post from earlier in the thread. gonna ferment at ale temps but secondary around 4



Les the Weizguy said:


> I got 1.010 gravity after 6 (warm) days, but didn't rack. Warner, in his German Wheat Beer book, states that you will get better flavour if you rack into secondary at 4C for about a week, and that's what I have been doing since I read the book.


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## Weizguy (12/1/07)

I just checked the reference (Warner), and the recommendation is to secondary ferment at 4-8 C for 3-5 weeks.

As has been mentioned before, you can bottle direct from primary, but bulk priming will stir up the yeast. However, for the quickest, most convenient result, you can rack the beer off the yeast cake (in primary) into a pre-bulk-primed bottling bucket and bottle immediately.

First time around, you might not notice the difference of the cold conditioning anyway. Just get the beer into your belly as soon as you can, and worry about the finesse for the later batches.
If you're happy to make beer that way, keep doing it. I was happy enough with the results for quite some time. It was only after I started to enter competitions that I decided that they didn't like too much yeast in the beer. I still don't mind a yeasty wheatie, but now I know that it tastes better if it looks more like a classic weizen.

For your first brews, I would not get caught caught up in any thing other than basic sanitation and ferment temp (and only then if using a liquid yeast). Walk, don't run, and be happy to improve along the way.

I started out with W3056 and it makes a nice weizen. I had heard that W3068 was a bugger to work with, so I waited until I had more brewing experience.

Remember, homebrewing should be fun! Testify! :beerbang: 

Apologies if I've included too much detail for novice brewers. Sometimes I just can't help myself.

Seth out


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## gussigan (12/1/07)

hehe trying to run instead of walk is the fun part though!

i reckon i might secondary it in 4-8 but probably just for a week


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## Brownie (13/1/07)

All,

Can I get some confirmation here please?

Should a wheat beer be brewed at Lager or Ale Temps?

If Ale temps, will Safale S-04 yeast be fine?

If Lager temps, will SafLager S-23 be fine?

Brownie.


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## Adamt (13/1/07)

European wheat beers are usually fermented with proper wheat yeasts that produce the right esters, however American wheats are brewed using a relatively clean ale yeast.

S-04 would be fine, as would US-05 (US-56) or Nottingham.


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## simpletotoro (14/1/07)

hi .... i tried this one a few weeks back ...supposibly a redback clone...drinking it now tastes bloody great i reackon ...esp since i was packing it from the hydrometre sample...but i'm no expert mind you it was my first brew...


maybe it'll help...

BREW No: 1



BEER TYPE: Redback clone Date/Time/Temperature: 24/12/06 4.30pm warm 



METHOD: Kit and kilo



INGREDIENTS: Tin: Morgans golden sheaf wheat beer x 1 (1.7kg)

Sugars: 600g dextrose, 200g malt, 200g corn syrup

Hops: Morgans finishing hops (Hallertau)

Yeast: Morgans ale yeast 6g (30/c)


SECONARDY FERMENTAION: Bulk PRIMED @ 140 g white sugar (homebrand)





SPECIFIC GRAVITY: Start = 1.054 (24/12/06) Finish = 1.012 (29/12/06)




COMMENTS: total yield is just under 64 * 345 ml bottles (22 L)
Bottled on 29/12/06
May have added yeast at to high a temp.seemed to ferment ok though
Air lock grommet hard .no bubbling through airlock at allother 
reasons perhapsreplace airlock grommet for next brew.



cheers simpletotoro


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## reveler (7/4/07)

gussigan said:


> hey guys, starting my second brew this weekend... haven't had a chance to sample the first brew as it's doing its thang in the bottles.
> 
> but yeah i was looking to make a wheat beer this weekend and was thinking something like the beermakers bavarian wheat and was recommended to go with 3068 - weihenstephan weizen yeast and will use a liquid wheat malt extract. also have some crushed up caramunich from last time that i was maybe gonna put in (yes, i've been given a bunch of tips already hehe). but yeah was just curious on what others thought of that combo



How did you go with this?? looking at doing something similar.

After a Wheat beer with a banana flavour.


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## Slurpdog (7/4/07)

Yeh I've got a recipe here ready to go but I've since read that the yeast I've chosen (K-97) is nothing like a traditional wheat yeast even though it says so on the packet.
Feeling pretty ripped about that one!!!!!!
I'll still bang it together though with heaps of coriander and orange additions.
Probably put it together tomorrow.


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## danman (7/4/07)

hey all,ive just bottled my first wheat brew


Coopers wheat beer,
750g dried wheat malt extract,
500g light malt extract,
250g dried corn syrup,
W3068 yeast,
400g honey,
used 250g dried wheat malt extract with the yeast to make a starter 3 days before i made the wort, resulting in a total of 1kg dried malt extract. maybe too high but got a bit carried away. og was 1080 with all that sugar! made wort to 21L,no rack straight into bottles. let you know how it went :beerbang:


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## Slurpdog (7/4/07)

danman said:


> hey all,ive just bottled my first wheat brew
> Coopers wheat beer,
> 750g dried wheat malt extract,
> 500g light malt extract,
> ...



Whoooa! Be interested in the FG of this thing. You might end up with a real ball tearer there!! :beerbang:


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## danman (7/4/07)

Slurpdog said:


> Whoooa! Be interested in the FG of this thing. You might end up with a real ball tearer there!! :beerbang:







just tried a bottle after only 5 days into secondary ferment and my god i think im in paradise :chug: 

Slurpdog,the FG stayed constant for 2 days at 1016,so after some carbo drops the longnecks were filled.
by my rough calculations i should have around 9%ABV

i would recommend this recipe to anyone who likes to play around with wheat beer,it is already very smooth on the pallet with a touch of honey.

was expecting to taste more of the dried wheat malt extract but this is my first wheat beer so my tastebuds arent finely tuned enough

post back here in a week or so if there's any left :super:


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## Slurpdog (8/4/07)

Looking forward to it D'man.
Now all I've got to do is track down a shop that has this yeast in stock.


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## Linz (8/4/07)

Slurpdog said:


> Looking forward to it D'man.
> Now all I've got to do is track down a shop that has this yeast in stock.




You could also just ask your local Homebrew club members if they have a starter of it sitting in their fridge....


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## Slurpdog (8/4/07)

Linz said:


> You could also just ask your local Homebrew club members if they have a starter of it sitting in their fridge....



PM sent Linz.
You meet the nicest people on this site!!!!


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## danman (8/4/07)

i made a culture of this yeast slurpdog if u want to drive to canberra


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## Slurpdog (8/4/07)

Thanks for the offer Dan but I'll only need to go as far as Glen Alpine near Campbelltown.


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## danman (11/4/07)

whilst typing this reply im on mythird longneck and can only say this recipe has fully converted me to the way of the wheat  . shouted my local homebrewshop owner a bottle this arvy after work and he was happy with my first witbier,and i droveaway with a sm9ile of content knowing that id impressed a peer :beerbang: 


drink up my brothers,for the wheat can only flow into empty bottles :beer:


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## Weizguy (12/4/07)

Testify!

Bro Seth


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## reveler (26/4/07)

Hey Guys,

I'm trying to make a wheat beer with a banana aroma/flavour

I have 
1x Morgans Golden Sheaf
1x Wyeast 3068

I am just curious as too what fermentables and hops I should throw in to make this a cracker of a beer.

Cheers
Damien


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