Wheat Beer Questions

[davedoran]

Hi all,

Just have a couple of questions regarding wheat beers and hoping someone can help.
Got the ingredients from a well known supplier online and contains
1 x Can of Wheat Beer (Blackrock Whispering Wheat Can)
1 x 1.5kg can of LME (Bavarian Wheat Unhopped)
1 packet of Coriander Seeds (65g)
1 Packet of Safbrew Wheat Yeast (Safbrew WB - 06 10g)

Ok so my questions are

1. I have a stock pot but its only 11L Capacity. Would it cause any considerable off tastes if I achieved hotbreak with a smaller volume of water (8L ?) and contents mixed above. My initial thoughts would be that this would just be a more concentrated wort which could then be diluted in the fermenter but I could be wrong there.
2. Recipe contains no hops. Should I add some more during the boil.
3. Is this yeast good. I do have the option of using a liquid Wyeast 3056 Bavarian Wheat. Anyone with any experience in which of this works out better.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave

 

[Pokey]

Hi all,

Just have a couple of questions regarding wheat beers and hoping someone can help.
Got the ingredients from a well known supplier online and contains
1 x Can of Wheat Beer (Blackrock Whispering Wheat Can)
1 x 1.5kg can of LME (Bavarian Wheat Unhopped)
1 packet of Coriander Seeds (65g)
1 Packet of Safbrew Wheat Yeast (Safbrew WB - 06 10g)

Ok so my questions are

• I have a stock pot but its only 11L Capacity. Would it cause any considerable off tastes if I achieved hotbreak with a smaller volume of water (8L ?) and contents mixed above. My initial thoughts would be that this would just be a more concentrated wort which could then be diluted in the fermenter but I could be wrong there.
• Recipe contains no hops. Should I add some more during the boil.
• Is this yeast good. I do have the option of using a liquid Wyeast 3056 Bavarian Wheat. Anyone with any experience in which of this works out better.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave

The first can looks like a hopped malt so you shouldn't need to add hops.
I have no experience with liquid malt but I don't think you need to boil the extract un less you are adding hops, the hot break should have occurred when it was manufactured.

 

[davedoran]

Great thanks Pokey.

 

[RelaxedBrewer]

Do not boil the hopped extract (Blackrock Whispering Wheat Can). Boiling it will change the bittering/flavor/aroma levels of the hops already in it.

You probably do not need to add hops, however you could depending on the type of beer you want to make.

As far as yeast goes, what type of beer are you trying to make? If you are after something like a weizen then the 3056 will be much better. I find the liquid wheat beer yeasts are much better than the dry for the European style wheat beers.

 

[davedoran]

Ok thanks.

Was just aiming for a Bavarian style wheat beer.
Another question I forgot to put in.
After fermenting at say 18 deg would the beer benefit from cold conditioning for a few weeks at say 5deg?

 

[RelaxedBrewer]

I do not cold condition my wheat beers. Weizens are typically cloudy from the yeast and cold conditioning them will drop a lot of that yeast out.

Also do not add the coriander if you want a traditional Bavarian style weizen.

 

[Flash_DG]

Ok thanks.

Was just aiming for a Bavarian style wheat beer.
Another question I forgot to put in.
After fermenting at say 18 deg would the beer benefit from cold conditioning for a few weeks at say 5deg?

No

 

[Weizguy]

Ok thanks.

Was just aiming for a Bavarian style wheat beer.
Another question I forgot to put in.
After fermenting at say 18 deg would the beer benefit from cold conditioning for a few weeks at say 5deg?

No

Denied! I have a book written by Eric Warner about wheat beer and cold conditioning IS part of the process.
Although it's hardly ever done here. Maybe because we don't know what a good weizen should taste like?

BTW, definitely do NOT add the coriander to a weizen. If you use the coriander, and want to be brewing a Belgian Witbier, you should use a Witbier yeast (t-58 or W3944).

W3056 is a good blend for Weizen character

 

[davedoran]

Ok thanks.

Looks like I have the option of changing to Witbier. If I do go with this would you recommend cold conditioning this one?

Appreciate the help.

 

[Weizguy]

Ok thanks.

Looks like I have the option of changing to Witbier. If I do go with this would you recommend cold conditioning this one?

Appreciate the help.

Witbier will be a bit dark for the style, and you'll need some bitter orange peel too.
As far as I know, witbier is not cold conditioned. I never have.

 

[davedoran]

Ok. Thanks. Will give that one a go.