Wheat Beer Nqr

[Mitternacht Brauer]

Can anyone tell me some reasons for a wheat beer that tastes watery with a hint of flour? It's my second AG and held promise out of the fermenter but two weeks in the keg and its not what I had expected .

I think that the watery bit is the result of not a hard enough boil ,Not enough evaperation .



Wheatish beer



Starter: Microwave 200ml of water for 5 minutes

2.5 Teaspoons of LDME

Cover with foil

Cool in fridge

Pitch yeast Safbrew WB.06

Stir for two days at ambient temperature



Brew day:

Grain bill: 3.2 kg of pilsner malt

2kg of wheat malt



Dough in at 10.30 am 14 L

90 min mash at 67 degrees



1pm starts sparge 28 L into kettle



8.30pm Flame on

9.10 pm Boiling

9.30 pm 1^st hop addition 14g Saaz

10.00 pm 2^nd hop addition 28g Saaz

10.20 pm Whirlfloc

10.25 pm 3^rd hop addition 14g Saaz

10.30 pm Flame out Volume 23 L

11.00 pm finish - Pitch tomorrow when cool



OG 1042 FG 1010 ~ 4.3 % Ach/vol

 

[Cortez The Killer]

What temp did you mash at?

Cheers

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

Very close to 67 degrees for 90 mins .

 

[Julez]

I've had a similar problem with my latest hefe weizen brew after doing everything by the book including ferulic acid and protein rests, etc. After two weeks in the bottles, it now has perfect carbonation, tight, creamy head and good head retention, looks great, smells great, tastes ordinary. Very watery as you describe, lost all its breadiness, despite having it in abundance in the fermenter.

Similar to you also, my OG was on the low side due to a mathematical error in predicting target gravity post-mash/pre-boil. Was going for 1.050 or 1.052 (can't remember now), but unded up 1.042. My recipe below.

How many BU were you aiming for and what was the OG you were aiming for too? I'm wondering whether a skewed BU:GU ratio might have something to do with this taste impression. In my case, I still suspect a low level infection, but very baffled...

Cheers

Hefe Weizen 1.042 OG, 65% pale wheat, 30% pils, 5% cara hell, Wyeast 3068, pitch at 12, ferment at 18. Stepped infusion with 20 mins @ 44, 20 mins @ 52, 60 mins @ 65 and 10 mins @ 75 Finished at 1.008

 

[Stuster]

You might well be right that it's partially the low gravity that's not getting you excited about this beer. What temp did you ferment at? And as Julez says, what IBUs did you get?

One thing that jumps out at me about your process is the starter. There's really no need to do a starter with dry yeast. Especially doing such a small starter is actually going to be counter-productive and leave you with almost no more yeast. The dry yeast companies also make sure that your yeast are in perfect shape to start fermenting and by doing a starter you're losing the benefit of what they do.

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

I was aiming low but just did the calculations and it looks like about 15-20 IBU's . Should I try dry hopping the keg ?

Stuster : It was just an excuse to try out a stir plate that I had made .

 

[bconnery]

+1 for the no starter with dried yeast.
I'd also consider reversing your grain bill.
You have 3.2 Pils, 2 wheat. I'd go the other way around.
By tradition a hefe should contain at least 50% wheat. I favour 60/40 myself.
You could also consider using Munich for some of your pils portion.

 

[Julez]

I was aiming low but just did the calculations and it looks like about 15-20 IBU's . Should I try dry hopping the keg ?

I don't think so - the style calls for low bitterness and no need for flavour/aroma hops. Just that if you were aiming for a higher OG like I was, but ended up with a lower than anticipated result, this would mean that the bitterness would be disproportionately high for the gravity result.

Normally you would go for a max of about 17BU based on a gravity of 1.050 or so for this style. A lot of people make their weizens even less bitter than this though, e.g. 12-15 would probably be more common.

Your bitterness may be a tad high for the gravity, but if you were only aiming for 15BU, it shoudn't be miles out.

 

[RetsamHsam]

I have two theories that totally contradict each other..

1. Beer is thin and watery due to 90 minute mash giving enzymes more time to break up long chain dextrins into simpler sugars that ferment out more readily.

2. Floury taste due to conversion of starches not being complete leaving starchy/floury taste behind.

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

Thanks for your help guys , I may have to try a more specific recipe next wheat I do .

 

[blackbock]

The 'floury' taste could actually be from malt flour, depends how clear your runoff was. It will probably disappear as the beer ages.

 

[Tim F]

Agree with the last comment. I've made some beers that tasted horrible at 2 weeks in the bottle, but at 4 weeks they came through and were beautiful. See if it gets better with aging?

 

[Weizguy]

You might well be right that it's partially the low gravity that's not getting you excited about this beer. What temp did you ferment at? And as Julez says, what IBUs did you get?

One thing that jumps out at me about your process is the starter. There's really no need to do a starter with dry yeast. Especially doing such a small starter is actually going to be counter-productive and leave you with almost no more yeast. The dry yeast companies also make sure that your yeast are in perfect shape to start fermenting and by doing a starter you're losing the benefit of what they do.

Stu, is that true for K-97 yeast?

I think that the recipe has too little wheat with respect to the pils.
Prob too much hopping, but suck it and see. Could be noice.
Breadiness is part of the flavour profile and it prob comes from the yeast in this case, as it should. Enjoy the profile. Surprised you could taste it under those hops, tho'.

Another batch of Schneider-style comin' up soon.

Beerz

 

[Stuster]

Stu, is that true for K-97 yeast?

Making a starter. Yeh, apparently. Something about the glycogen levels.....blah blah blah...... <_< (Where is Trough Lolly when you need him? )

 

[Screwtop]

Stu, is that true for K-97 yeast?

I think that the recipe has too little wheat with respect to the pils.
Prob too much hopping, but suck it and see. Could be noice.
Breadiness is part of the flavour profile and it prob comes from the yeast in this case, as it should. Enjoy the profile. Surprised you could taste it under those hops, tho'.

Another batch of Schneider-style comin' up soon.

Beerz

I'm with Les on a couple of points

1. Too little wheat use 60%
2. Bittering (60 min) hop only at around 16 IBU

Plus

Too low in OG and FG, I find wheats need a bit of body finishing at around 1.014 so up the OG or change your mash to give more body. A little sweetness changes the yeast profile (flavour) in wheats.

Wheats are best consumed young, although they will hold and change a little over time they do not improve with time as dramatically as some barley beers in particular higher gravity and more highly hopped ales. I have a couple of wheats that are over six months in the keg, a taste every now and again reveals that they are still in good nick and tasting ok, but better fresh.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[Weizguy]

Making a starter. Yeh, apparently. Something about the glycogen levels.....blah blah blah...... <_< (Where is Trough Lolly when you need him? )

I was referring to the poor performance of a certain batch of K-97.

I know that sterols are important in the production of cell walls, and glycogen reserves are an energy source for actively fermenting yeast.