Hefeweizen water/salt considerations

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poggor

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Hi all- i'm preparing a hefeweizen this weekend- have a good recipe in mind, however I have never used any salts in brewing nor done any water modifications. I am planning to do an acid rest in mash, is there anything else regarding water/salts that people would suggest?


g
 
Hefs are hard in that you can't just use the "Sulfate=Hops, Chloride=Malt" rule. With Canberra water (soft as) I use 3g of Chloride and 1.5g of Sulfate in a 20l batch. Mash and fermentation temp steps are so much more critical, but FWIW my Hefs have done pretty well in comps...
 
I add no salts to my water. Weizen is a hardy style and works with most water.

In the "German Wheat Beer" book by Warner he mentions that the breweries do not adjust the water. Works for me. Certainly worth a shot for your first hefe brew. How can all the wheat beer breweries in Germany be wrong?
 
The water in southern Bavaria has fairly low mineral content...aside from the high Ca and HCO3 content. Minerally water is not a component of typical Weizen taste, so little to no salt additions are recommended.
 
When i make my wheat beers i make no water mineral adjustments, as compared to ales and IPAs they are fully adjusted.

if you know your water profile can you post it here.

Mine is (ppm)

Calcium (Ca) - 40
Magnesium (Mg) - 4
Sodium (Na) - 33
Sulphate (So4) - 34
Chloride (Cl) - 15
Bicarbonate (Hco3) - 65
pH - 7.9
 
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