Vienna / Wheat Recipe Check

[mattyh77]

Want to do my first wheat beer for the wife using grains I already have. Was thinking the following:
2.5kg Vienna
2.5kg Wheat
Hops: Either Tettnang or Magnum?? at 60 min to get to about 15-20 IBU
WLP 300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast

60 or 90 min mash? @64
60 or 90 min boil?

23L into fermenter. Ferment at 24 deg? (get the banana and clove flavours)
est OG 1.051, FG 1.008

 

[manticle]

All good except for the high ferment temp.

To push clove, look at a ferulic acid rest prior to main mash. You'll probably get a fair bit of isoamyl acetate (banana) at 24 but likely some other unwanteds as well.

I prefer to start low and let it creep up after a couple of days to maybe 22.

Don't pitch loads (don't deliberately underpitch either).
Allow plenty of headspace.

Tett, rather than Magnum.

 

[Randai]

I made the 50% wheat and 50% pilsner recently and overshot gravity by a huge amount and ended up with a higher abv wheat beer around 6.5%. It was okay, but I think having wheat beer with higher ABV wasn't that pleasant, so if you are going for around 5.5+% I'd maybe up the bitter slightly so its not so sweet, but that is my personal preference.
I did an hour boil and an hour mash. at around 65 C.
So I think the vienna will be nice and actually plan on doing it myself soon so let me know how it goes.
Also ferment lower imho, I got an okay amount of banana at 17 C, so maybe you'd get loads amount at such a high temperature.

 

[Jack of all biers]

Should be good. The weizen isn't a hoppy beer so use either hops (or both with a bit of tett thrown in at 15 min if you want a slight flavour to come through). Edit- Maybe 15-20 gm off the top of my head.

At 64C I'd go 90 min mash and throw a hand full of rice hulls for assisting sparge runoff (unless you biab).

60 boil is sufficient. I tend to 90 min boil, but there's no necessity especially with heffeweizen.

I've not used that yeast, but guess it's similar to the wyeast weizen range. I'd be fermenting at a lower temp. I usually stick with 19-20. 18 for more banana and 22 more clove (yeast depending). I find 19-20 gives a good balance, but it's a personal preference thing. 24C is a little high IMO.

Don't forget to give plenty of head space in your fermentor, as weizen yeast loves to escape. About 1/3 fermentor head space usually. At 24C it will quickly foam up, so another reason to lower the temp.

 

[mattyh77]

Thanks for the replies. Will ferment at 19 then.
Guy at LHBS said higher ferment for some reason.

 

[mattyh77]

Well that Brew day didn't turn out as expected. My worst one so far.
Firstly when I started mashing in, the top half of the centre tube in the Robobrew fell off and into the mash. Had to lift the mash tunnel up to fish it out.
After the 60 min mash, gravity wast 1.046. Got a stuck sparge (no rice hulls) so had to stir the grain bed to get the water through. Had to also top up with about 6 litres of water. After sparge and top up, gravity was 1.029, wtf?? 60 min boil and gravity was 1.036, expected was 1.051.
Lesson learned, use rice hulls with wheat.
About to pitch today after no chill in the cube.

 

[Randai]

Well that Brew day didn't turn out as expected. My worst one so far.
Firstly when I started mashing in, the top half of the centre tube in the Robobrew fell off and into the mash. Had to lift the mash tunnel up to fish it out.
After the 60 min mash, gravity wast 1.046. Got a stuck sparge (no rice hulls) so had to stir the grain bed to get the water through. Had to also top up with about 6 litres of water. After sparge and top up, gravity was 1.029, wtf?? 60 min boil and gravity was 1.036, expected was 1.051.
Lesson learned, use rice hulls with wheat.
About to pitch today after no chill in the cube.

That sucks man, but yeah, oats, rye or wheat usually require rice hulls unless you are BIABing from what I've heard.

 

[Matplat]

Stuck sparges suck major balls... I reckon your issues probably have more to do with grain crush that anything else...

 

[mattyh77]

So should wheat be crushed at a different mill setting to other grains?
Haven't had this prob before with my mill. Used same settings as other brews that didn't get stuck.

 

[Randai]

So should wheat be crushed at a different mill setting to other grains?
Haven't had this prob before with my mill. Used same settings as other brews that didn't get stuck.

I've found I need a finer mill gap setting, which is how I overshot my efficiency by 10% due to milling all the grain finer. I have had less efficiency when milling at the standard mill gap setting.

 

[warra48]

Some very useful tips for you here:

http://braumagazin.de/article/brewing-bavarian-weissbier-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know/