Best Kit Wheat Beer

[gussigan]

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

 

[Steve]

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

 

[DrewCarey82]

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

Yummy

 

[bugwan]

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...

 

[gussigan]

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

 

[Paleman]

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:

 

[Weizguy]

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

 

[gussigan]

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?

 

[blackbock]

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.

 

[gussigan]

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?

 

[Weizguy]

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?

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

 

[gussigan]

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?

 

[Mr Bond]

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:

 

[Weizguy]

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

 

[gussigan]

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

 

[jamesc]

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

 

[Weizguy]

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.

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.

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)

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,

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

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)

 

[redgums500]

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

 

[gussigan]

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

 

[Steve]

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