Sweet beers

[krz]

My misses (German) likes only Dunkles HefeWeizen beer.
She likes it because its not bitter, she hates bitter, she really hates anything bitter.

So, Im thinking to make a "bier" that is not bitter at all, but not sickly sweet either.
Something with only a bit of hops, but predominantly malty.

Any recipes/hints?

(This is possibly a good pickup beer )

 

[razz]

In a word, Kölsch.

 

[MHB]

Are you an All Grain brewer, if so a Dunkel Hefe Weizen could be a good call.
Darker wheat beers tend to have a bit more body than an equivalent pale wheat would.
To get the clean yet malty character you really need to be step mashing, use a fair wack of Dark Wheat and only enough of a good noble German hop (Hallertau is the standard) bitter to about 16-18 IBU (what is called balancing bitterness).

If you are an AG brewer I'm pretty sure someone will be able to scrounge up a few recipe ideas.
Mark

 

[krz]

In a word, Kölsch.

She is from Munich, its blasphemy to drink anything "north".
Actually, my favourite beer is Kölsch.

 

[krz]

Are you an All Grain brewer, if so a Dunkel Hefe Weizen could be a good call.
Darker wheat beers tend to have a bit more body than an equivalent pale wheat would.
To get the clean yet malty character you really need to be step mashing, use a fair wack of Dark Wheat and only enough of a good noble German hop (Hallertau is the standard) bitter to about 16-18 IBU (what is called balancing bitterness).

If you are an AG brewer I'm pretty sure someone will be able to scrounge up a few recipe ideas.
Mark

Yes, I am All grain. But believe it or not, not to familiar with German hops, aka Hallertau/Saaz. Would appreciate a recommendation.

 

[razz]

She is from Munich, its blasphemy to drink anything "north".
Actually, my favourite beer is Kölsch.

Geez man, why didn’t you say she was from down south! Lol

 

[MHB]

There are four so called Nobel hops Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Tetnanger and Spalt. Sazz isn't, but would have been on the list if the border had been 100k the other way that year...
For a Hefe, I would go with Hallertau Mittlefruh, all are low alpha hops with delicate aromas but Mitt is the star.
Here is a lift from the modestly named "The Ultimate Almanac of World Beer Recipes" which should give you some good info and help with a plan.

Watch your crush!
I would mill or have the Wheat milled separately from the Barley. Whenever I'm doing a high wheat grain bill, I crack the wheat a couple of (or 3,4...) times. Start just touching the grain (~1.4-1.6mm) then close the mill a bit and run it again, and again till I get a fine kibble with little or no flour, then mix with the barley malt. My local HBS will do whatever you want in terms of crushing, but I'm spoilt.
Find really careful crushing gives high yields and reasonable lautering/recirculation speeds without needing stuff like Rice Hulls (which are an option).
Think about your yeast, I love W3068 in a Hefe, but ask herself if its more the clove/phenolic or bubblegum/banana style that she likes, personally W3638 would tempt me for a dunkel.
Mark

 

[krz]

There are four so called Nobel hops......
Mark

Thanks Mark for a very helpful post.
She is very impressed.
Interesting to mill the grain separate, Ive always just milled it all together.
Why is this an advantage?
Also, thanks for the extract from the book, didnt know it was produced/sponsored by Weyermann.

post update.
She wants Banana so its W3638 - cheers

 

[MHB]

Separate cracking lets you reduce the wheat to a kibble, wheat is generally smaller than barley but a lot harder so if you crack it fine in one pass it sort of explodes and you get a lot of fine flour, wheat lacking a husk means it can be a bitch to recirc/lauter.
By cracking the barley separately you can choose a crush that maximizes the husk fragments to improve filterability.
Sort of a case of trying to get the most beneficial aspects from both the wheat and the barley, with careful cracking I have put 100% wheat in a Braumeister without any filter aids like rice hulls, a 50/50, 60/40 Wheat/Barley grist is no problem.

If you want lots of Banana, add a little dextrose to the wort (just a couple of hundred grams), glucose (dextrose) is an essential precursor for the banana flavour (isoamyl acetate), there is very little in a wort (unless you do some really strange mashing) and adding some really up's the banana.
I think W3068 is a better banana producer, have a read up on the two strains, ferment temp and pitch rate allows a lot of scope for manipulating the finished beer, if ever there was a yeast that demonstrates the effects of pitch rate and temperature its 3068.
Mark

 

[gaijin]

I've been looking at how to add a balanced kick of banana for ages now. I had put the lack of banana (and other esters) in my hefes to 'treating the yeast too well'. Will try the dextrose next time to see if it works. Many thanks, Mark!

 

[rude]

You could try a Munich Dunkel which is a nice lager that's not hop driven

Also try Tettnanger hops which a really like

 

[Tim Smith]

A recent beer I have just made used this hop profile
Hops (86.3 g)
5.8 g (2 IBU) — Saaz 3.75% — Boil — 40 min

34.5 g (10 IBU) — Saaz 3.75% — Boil — 20 min

46 g (11 IBU) — Styrian Goldings 5.4% — Boil — 10 min



The Stryrian Goldings made it smooth and let the sweet malts shine.

 

[Tim Smith]

A recent beer I have just made used this hop profile
Hops (86.3 g)
5.8 g (2 IBU) — Saaz 3.75% — Boil — 40 min

34.5 g (10 IBU) — Saaz 3.75% — Boil — 20 min

46 g (11 IBU) — Styrian Goldings 5.4% — Boil — 10 min



The Stryrian Goldings made it smooth and let the sweet malts shine. 23ltr batch at fermenter

 

[Tim Smith]

A recent beer I have just made used this hop profile
Hops (86.3 g)
5.8 g (2 IBU) — Saaz 3.75% — Boil — 40 min

34.5 g (10 IBU) — Saaz 3.75% — Boil — 20 min

46 g (11 IBU) — Styrian Goldings 5.4% — Boil — 10 min



The Stryrian Goldings made it smooth and let the sweet malts shine. 23ltr batch at fermenter