Extract Hefeweizen

[vanceonbeach]

Did my first extract brew in April, a Hefeweizen, and cannot believe how much better it is compared to my old K&K brews

After all the great advice I've picked up on this site I really pushed the boat out - Weyermann extract, steeping grains, liquid yeast with a starter, careful temperature control and the result is just so much better. Don't think I can ever go back now!

Cheers for all the help everyone :icon_cheers:

 

[whitegoose]

Did my first extract brew in April, a Hefeweizen, and cannot believe how much better it is compared to my old K&K brews

After all the great advice I've picked up on this site I really pushed the boat out - Weyermann extract, steeping grains, liquid yeast with a starter, careful temperature control and the result is just so much better. Don't think I can ever go back now!

Cheers for all the help everyone :icon_cheers:

Please post your recipe!!

 

[hazz20]

Please post your recipe!!

I'm with whitegoose, would love a good hefe recipe

hazz

 

[Swinging Beef]

Easiest ever extract Hef recipe:

3kg coopers wheat extract
small box of Weetbix
25g tet, or saaz, or hal
Any liquid wheat yeast.

1. Step Weetbix in 10 litres or so of water at 66deg for thirty minutes. Remove.
2. Boil one can of extract in the water for 60 minutes, add hops at 60 minutes
3. Add the 2nd can with 15 minutes left in the boil
4. Chill
5. Pitch yeast warmish. Do not make a starter
6. Try to find thick bottles, and add a touch more priming sugar than you thought

 

[seemax]

steeping weetbix alone wont have much effect, you need a base malt for proper conversion
plus weetbix has salt
i would do 500g/500g pils malt... mash with 3L to approx 67C, strain into pot, boil for 30mins with some tettnang/saaz/any noble hop to 15-20IBU.
then maybe 2 x coopers wheat cans

as for yeast... if you can afford and be bothered wyeast belgian wit OR the old fave weihen 3068
if dry, i much prefer the WB-06 to the Danstar Munich

i did a Morgans Golden Sheaf a long time ago and had good results too... but thats just an ale yeast so you wont get the spice and phenolics

 

[RetsamHsam]

I agree, you need a base malt to convert the weetbix..

However it might contribute something flavour wise.

3068 is the only way to go in my books.

 

[Swinging Beef]

You dont need to convert it, you arent using it for sugars, just texture, aromas, and interesting maltiness.

Recipie is for Easiest Ever, not Best Ever.

 

[unterberg]

Dont use the Wheatbix for a Hefeweizen...

Use some Carawheat instead. I have made good experience with it in combination with Coopers Wheat LME and 3068.
16 IBU and 16 EBC

 

[elec]

Can you steep weetbix or just wheat with carapils , etc to do the conversion, or must it be with base malt only? If so can LMDE be added to the steep? This is a general question, not aimed at a Hefe.

Thanks

Regards

 

[unterberg]

Well weetbix and normal wheat malt need to be mashed and you need a base malt for an efficient mash as an enzyme supply.
But some malts like crystals and carawheat can be steeped and dont need a mash.
That means you could use e.g. 300g of carawheat and put in a few liters of around 70C hot water for half an hour.
Strain out the husks, top up to the boil volume and then add some malt to an SG of 1040.
Do your hop schedule and chuck the rest of the fermentables in 5min to the end of the boil.

 

[vanceonbeach]

Um, just to clarify, this thread was more about thanking everyone for their great advice and encouraging other K&K brewers to make the jump to extract because in my experience it's worth it.

Happy to share my recipe, but it's not the greatest beer, just the greatest ever brewed by me - which ain't saying much. If you really want a good Hefeweizen recipe ask an expert like Les the Weizguy.

20 L Batch

24hr cold steep
250 gms Weyermann CARAPILS
130 gms Weyermann CARAHELL
130 gms Weyermann CARAWHEAT

6.5 L boil of the grain wort
650 gms Wheat Dry Extract
16 gms NZ Hallertau 60 mins

Late addition
2 Kg Weyermann Bavarian Hefeweizen Extract
150 gms Wheat Dry Extract

Pitched a 2 L starter of Wyeast 3638 Bavarian Wheat

SG 1053
FG 1014

The SG was a touch too high for the style because I forgot about the 200 gms of extract in the starter. The colour was also a bit too dark because of all the grain, especially the CARAWHEAT which is quite dark.

The mouthfeel and head retention are so much better than the watery K&K brews I have been making. It's got good banana flavour like a HW should but I don't detect any clove or bubblegum. When I make it again I'll use less grain probably 300gms max, a bit more hops, and possibly a more highly attenuative yeast like 3068.

 

[manticle]

Um, just to clarify, this thread was more about thanking everyone for their great advice and encouraging other K&K brewers to make the jump to extract because in my experience it's worth it.

All recipe critique aside (and I'm not qualified to give it anyway) I'm completely there with you. I started doing extract and extract specialty a few months ago (now onto partial/minimash) and the difference is amazing. No I'm not making the best ever competition beer either but I'm making beers I'm proud of, am happy to give away and with a bit of tweaking and consistency would stand up favourably to many commercial types. Good stuff. Loads of fun and much reward.

 

[bum]

I'm making beers...am happy to give away

I'm already making beers I'm happy to give away - I'd rather be making beers that hurt to give away!

(just joking, mate, I know what you mean and am looking at moving into all extract in one of the next few brews)

 

[manticle]

I'm already making beers I'm happy to give away - I'd rather be making beers that hurt to give away!

Ah yes. I made some of those.

Perhaps what we need to do is tell all and sundry we are making beer. Rave about it. Make them curious. Make them want it.

Buy a new fermenter, dedicated to a task that few would be proud of but nonetheless important.

Label it appropriately "Ken Kesey"

Buy farmland draught cans. Buy Kilos of homebrand white sugar. Buy a portable heater. Ferment at 28 degrees. Bottle in old solo bottles that you washed but forgot to rinse.

Now all your friends can try your beer.

In the meantime fill every other fermenter with super special tasty home made yum stuff. No more giveaways.

 

[discoloop]

24hr cold steep
250 gms Weyermann CARAPILS
130 gms Weyermann CARAHELL
130 gms Weyermann CARAWHEAT

Hey Vas

I'm interested in why you selected a cold steep over a warm one. Supposed smoother brew? Can you pick it up in the finished product?

 

[vanceonbeach]

I'm interested in why you selected a cold steep over a warm one. Supposed smoother brew? Can you pick it up in the finished product?

In all honesty it was for the sake of convenience and no other more worthy reason like taste or flavour.

I get the yeast starter going 48 hrs in advance, a quick job that evening. Next night weigh out the grain and chuck it in some cold water to steep. Then on brew night it's just a case of getting the boil going and doing the hop additions.

I've got two kids under 2 years, wife, dog and fairly demanding job so finding the time to brew is a bit tricky. The more prep I can do in advance the better

 

[cdbrown]

Here's my latest recipe which is now tasting fantastic from the tap

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 21.00 L
Boil Size: 5.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.061 SG
Estimated Color: 13.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 20.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2500.00 gm Wheat Dry Extract (15.8 EBC) Dry Extract 71.43 %
500.00 gm Wheat Dry Extract (15.8 EBC) Dry Extract 14.29 %
10.00 gm Tettnang [4.00 %] (90 min) Hops 5.3 IBU
10.00 gm Pearle [6.00 %] (90 min) Hops 7.9 IBU
10.00 gm Tettnang [4.00 %] (45 min) Hops 4.5 IBU
10.00 gm Tettnang [4.00 %] (15 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
500.00 gm Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 EBC) Sugar 14.29 %
1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) [Yeast-Wheat

Also added 12g crushed coriander, the peel of 2 oranges and the flesh of 1 orange to the boil for 15mins.
After a week in the keg it tasted a little bitter and perhaps peppery (think this was the coriander powder). But week 2 all that has gone and it's a top drop. Reason for the 2 wheat additions is only used the 500g in 5L for hop utilisation, the rest was added towards the end of the boil.

Next weizen will be a partial