Redback Clone Recipe Advice

[reveler]

Trying to knock up a redback clone. My previous wheat beers, using W3068 and Morgan Kit with a tin of Coopers Wheat have been a little more heavy, Hence trying the dextrose in this one.

thought of the following.....

Ingredients
Coopers Wheat Malt Tin
250g Crystal Malt
750g Dextrose
40g PoR
30g NZ Saaz
WB-06

Method
steep malt at 70 degrees for 30 minutes, remove bag.
Add Malt tin. Start boil
PoR @30
15g Saaz @5
15g Saaz @flameout
pour into fermenter, mix in dextrose. Top up with cold water to 23L.
Sprinkle in yeast and put into temp controlled fridge at 18 deg.


Any comments? helpful hints

 

[Weizguy]

G'day Rev,

Sounds like you have the right hops, as per the Matilda Bay website.

You'd need about 18 IBU with the POR and the Saaz for late hopping, as you suggest. there may be a little too much late hop, but you won't know until you try, and that will depend on the size of your boiler and boil volume.

I'd use 2 tins of the wheat malt, or some wheat DME to top up the gravity instead of dextrose.

Looks to me like the colour and alcohol/flavour should be about right.

It may be a little dry and phenolic with the WB-06 and dextrose. Just try it and see, and let us all know how you go.

Les (the other Wheat beer fanatic)

 

[Adamt]

I think a proper Weizen yeast is not right for this beer. The few redbacks I have had (that weren't old and awful) have been clove/banana free. Just a standard US-05 or dare I say... Nottingham, would work.

Also would like to echo the advice for swapping the dextrose for wheat malt. However, I'm not sure why you would need the crystal.

Cheers

 

[Inge]

I think a proper Weizen yeast is not right for this beer. The few redbacks I have had (that weren't old and awful) have been clove/banana free. Just a standard US-05 or dare I say... Nottingham, would work.
Cheers

I was of the same opinion until Friday afternoon when I had draught Redback for the first time; it's subdued but there is surely a little banana in there. Nothing in the same league as a weizen, mind, but present. I never noticed this in bottled Redback, presumably due to age or poor handling.

I'd give wyeast 3068 or 3638 a shot, fermented cool to keep ester levels down.

Should be nice

Also, drop the crystal for sure! You'll have no problems with head retention with all the wheat, and it'll bugger up the colour if you add even a little.

 

[Weizguy]

I was of the same opinion until Friday afternoon when I had draught Redback for the first time; it's subdued but there is surely a little banana in there. Nothing in the same league as a weizen, mind, but present. I never noticed this in bottled Redback, presumably due to age or poor handling.

I'd give wyeast 3068 or 3638 a shot, fermented cool to keep ester levels down.

Should be nice

Also, drop the crystal for sure! You'll have no problems with head retention with all the wheat, and it'll bugger up the colour if you add even a little.

+1, to the comment about fermentation temperature.

I recently made a batch of DME weizen, styled after the Redback. I created a lot of esters (bubblegum and banana), which pleased my brew-buddy, even if it was out -of-style.
I used W3068, and would brew at the lower end of the temp range to subdue the esters, next time I brew this style.

Matilda Bay believe this to be a true weizen, so you should use a weizen yeast.

Les out

 

[reveler]

thanks for the advice guys..

I'll drop the crystal and dextrose and just use two tins of coopers wheat malt extract.