Red Wheat Hefeweizen (with a story... probably boring, but a story all

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slcmorro

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Hi all,

For those interested, I just pitched yeast into this... (please feel free to give me some feedback on anything, as I've only done a handful of AG brews)

2.5kg Briess Red Wheat
1.25kg Munich II
1.25kg JW Pils
20gms of 5% AA Vanguard (never used this before, but even with my head cold thing I've got going on, it smells pretty damn good) @ 60
WB06 dry, not rehydrated.

Started heating the strike water in a 19L pot on the stove at 1010, mashed in at 1045 with 15L @ 67c (strike temp 75c). Mash temp after 60 mins was 65c, so overall a pretty good hold in my books. Just using a 28L esky, with 1m square of swiss voile.

Fast forward to 1150, and I'm doing a single sparge of 18L @ 72c also heated on the inside stove in my 19L Big W special. Took probably 5mins to drain the mash (lifting and squeezing also) out of the small outlet built into the esky, and then I put the grains back in and slowly poured about 15L over the grain, and repeated the process. While this was going, the keggle was on the burner (4ring), with the burner going flat out. Another 5mins later, and the sparge was done (used the remaining 3L to rinse off the sides of the esky etc, and poured that in too. I also made a note of cleaning the voile, that is, a hanging on the clothesline and a blast with the hose, since my last sheet was forgotten about and left to grow pretty mould colours all over it.

We're now at 1230, and it took probably 20 mins to get up to the boil, which is unusual in the limited experience I've had with my setup, but I put this down to it being a little windy and the fact that I have the standard regulator that came with it, attached to the burner. Once a rolling boil is acheived, I'm off inside to make some salami and cheese toasties for lunch. Turned the burner down to just the 2 outside rings, and it maintains a good boil throughout.

1310 comes around, and I turn the 3rd ring on the burner, in preparation to dunk the immersion chiller in the keggle. Chiller goes into the keggle at 1315, and the boil is stopped at 1330. Hoses connected to the chiller, tap running flat out and steam coming out of the long grass in my backyard. I think to myself 'I should probably mow the lawn', and then refocus my attention to the chiller.

Swirl swirl swirl etc, and 20 mins later and I'm at 30c. That'll do, I think to myself and the hoses are disconnected (tap turned off too), and the keggle is lugged inside the shed, to prepare for siphoning into the fermenter. Whilst carrying the keggle, the missus calls and asks how I'm feeling. I feign a little more coughing than normal and hope that it accounts for me being out of breath. I finally get rid of the missus on the phone (she probably helped my cause, and let the wort cool another couple of degrees to probably 28ish while I was saying 'Yep', 'Uh-huh', 'Nice' etc)

A quick whirlpool with the crappy old Coopers plastic spoon I've got, and I set up the fermenter on the concrete floor and the keggle on a milk crate perched on top of a chair. Phone rings again... it's Mum. 20 min conversation ensues about how she hates the NBN, and how it's raining where she is. I'm draining the keggle while saying 'Yep', 'Uh-huh', 'Nice' etc, and the next thing you know, the fermenter has 23L in it (probably around 25c by this time) and the keggle is empty except for some hop matter and other gunk.

Yeast pitched and into the fermentation fridge at 17C to sit for a week or so. Drag the keggle to the galleytrap, give it a fill a swish and a quick hand wash, and tip the sucker out. The time is now 1400.

OG - 1051, bang on.
Batch Size - 23L, bang on.
Estimated Efficiency - 74%
Should yield a 5.01% beer if it finishes at Est FG 1013.

I then run inside, check on the cricket scores, lament Australia's performance yet again, and post on here.
 
Haha, sounds good.
How does that Red Wheat taste? How is it different to the other Wheats?
 
It's really not that different mate, to be honest. I haven't used a great variety of wheats before, so I can't say I'm well scholared but it tastes pretty smooth even though it's still young. I kegged it yesterday and tried a little tonight, so you're telepathic I swear!
 
Just remember... it doesn't give the beer a red hue, like the name suggests. It's just a name for the type of wheat it is I believe.
 
A brew story well told! Cheers. Yes, red wheat is a winter wheat, higher in protein than spring wheat (sometimes called white wheat). No color difference to the wort, as you said.
 

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