Wheat Cans - What To Do?

[drfad]

Hi all,

SWMBO was nice enought to buy me cans of Coopers Wheat and wheat malt a couple of weeks ago (probably as penance for the shopping expedition!), and I'm wondering what to do with them.

Does putting both in the one brew overdo the wheat side of things?

Also, I've had a bit of a look around and it seems that Hallertau or Tettanger are the hops to use if any, but I've got some Saaz and Cascade I want to use up. Would these be ok to put in (probably more the Saaz than the Cascade)?

I've also got some light crystal but I imagine this wouldn't go at all.

Cheers

Fad

 

[earle]

The wheat kit and extract will only be about 60% wheat (remainder barley) so both together will not overdo it. I've been using this combo and a bit of extra crystal (caramunich I think) and hops with WB06 but after doing a couple of brews this way and it not turning out quite the way I want, the next brew will be wheat kit, wheat extract and WB06.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I actually think that cascade at an earlier boil would be a good balance for a little crystal.

Maybe some Pale malt 50/50 with the wheat, and crystal or cara-something to give some sweetness.

Early cascade, with late boil/dry hopped saaz, and use a wheat yeast to give the right banana/clove flavours and you'll have a nice beer.

Temp control is the key, especially with wheat beers and wheat yeast, otherwise it'll be really undrinkable. I'm still waiting on a 20% wheat based beer, and it's just coming good after almost 6 months.

Goomba

 

[Pennywise]

I wouldn't worry about adding hops at all to this one, generally a single 60 min addition will suffice, and the kits already got that so...
Plenty of recipes out there that use a wheat kit with a tin of wheat extract so you'll be fine there. A touch of Caramal Wheat, or if you feel like partial mashing even a kg of Munich 2 & some pale choc would make a nice dunkelweizen (with the right yeast). Main thing I'd look at is yeast, IMO for a great wheat beer, you'll need a liquid yeast, 3068 is my fave

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

mmmmm..... dunkelweizen - high on my priority list to do.

 

[kalbarluke]

I recently put down a Coopers wheat beer tin of goo with the tin of liquid wheat malt and added about 15g of saaz pellets. A really unremarkable beer. It didn't taste bad at all, it was certainly drinkable but very "stock standard".

 

[ekul]

Put some galaxy in late in the boil, and then french press hop some in the fermenter a few hours before you bottle. Galaxy and wheat go together like peas and carrots.

 

[Nick JD]

If you are wanting to make a German Wheat Beer (aka a hefeweizen or a kristallweizen or a dunkelweizen - hefe = yeast, kristal = clear, dunkel = dark) then you can make it from whatever the hell you want so long as you use the correct yeast.

This yeast, as mentioned is Wyeast 3068. There are others, but this is the one that will get you there.

You can leave all the wheat out of the recipe, and still get the most of the characteristic tastes of a wheat beer just through the yeast. Bitter it to 15 IBUs or thereabouts and you're laughing.

Without 3068 you will be wondering why it doesn't taste as good as a Schofferhofer - with 3068, it will.

 

[Adam Howard]

If you are wanting to make a German Wheat Beer (aka a hefeweizen or a kristallweizen or a dunkelweizen - hefe = yeast, kristal = clear, dunkel = dark) then you can make it from whatever the hell you want so long as you use the correct yeast.

This yeast, as mentioned is Wyeast 3068. There are others, but this is the one that will get you there.

You can leave all the wheat out of the recipe, and still get the most of the characteristic tastes of a wheat beer just through the yeast. Bitter it to 15 IBUs or thereabouts and you're laughing.

Without 3068 you will be wondering why it doesn't taste as good as a Schofferhofer - with 3068, it will.

I agree Nick. The easiest beer I make is a Hefe using a Morgans Golden Sheaf Wheat kit with a 1.5kg tin of the Morgans Wheat extract in 21 Litres with 3068. Takes about 10 mins to have it in the fermenter and then WOOF, 10 days later you have a pretty yummy weizen, easily as drinkable as a Weihenstephaner but not as heavy on the esters as a Schofferhofer....keen to hammer one over 20 degrees to get the massive banana of Schofferhofer, I usually keep it around 16-18 degrees and get a nice balance of phenolics and esters.

 

[Nick JD]

I agree Nick. The easiest beer I make is a Hefe using a Morgans Golden Sheaf Wheat kit with a 1.5kg tin of the Morgans Wheat extract in 21 Litres with 3068. Takes about 10 mins to have it in the fermenter and then WOOF, 10 days later you have a pretty yummy weizen, easily as drinkable as a Weihenstephaner but not as heavy on the esters as a Schofferhofer....keen to hammer one over 20 degrees to get the massive banana of Schofferhofer, I usually keep it around 16-18 degrees and get a nice balance of phenolics and esters.

Good point. Temperature control during wheat beer fermentation has a huge impact on flavour/aroma. Control the temperature; control the beer.