German hefeweizen recipe

OP, I’m not sure what you’re gettin at about “barley malt” and “pilsner malt”. Pilsner malt is barley malt, and many hefeweizens are brewed using pilsner malt.

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Marty, thanks for the input. I thought pilsner and barley where two deferant grains. See how much I have to learn.

No problem. Pilsner is merely a very lightly kilned two row (barley) malt that’s known for it’s delicate but distinctly malty flavor. And don’t worry, there’s plenty for all of us to learn in this hobby. I learn something new every day. :cheers:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40751&hilit=Weissbier+Project

Block off several hours of your night, grab a six-pack, pull up a desk chair, and enjoy! GREAT recipe and GREAT discussion!

Does anyone have a working link to the original recipe / thread for the Great Bavarian Weissbier Project? I was trying to take the following advice:

      > *viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40751&hilit=Weissbier+Project5*

Block off several hours of your night, grab a six-pack, pull up a desk chair, and enjoy! GREAT recipe and GREAT discussion!
but can no longer find the recipe. :frowning:

The Great Bavarian Weissbier Project of 2007.
Weizen/Weissbier Final (1st edition Feb 9th)
5 Gallon Batch (US)

Type: All Grain
Date: when you are ready
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: You
Boil Size: 5.72 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 65 min (60 with hops)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 50.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 82.0
Taste Notes: This is a collaborative attempt for homebrewers to mimic the Weizens of Munich. This recipe aims at the Bavarian Hefeweizen style style. By “Selair” and the posters on “The Great Bavarian Weissbier Project of 2007” thread on Northern Brewer Forum. Cudos to PaulK

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.90 lb Weyermann Pale Wheat Malt (2.1 SRM) Grain 55.1 %
4.00 lb Weyermann Pilsner Malt (2.1 SRM) Grain 44.9 %
0.61 oz Hallertauer [3.80%] (60 min) Hops 8.1 IBU
0.20 oz Hallertauer [3.80%] (15 min) Hops 1.3 IBU
Gypsum as required to get above 30ppm (Calcium Sulfate)
23.00 L Water
1 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (choose one of WLP300, Wy3638,WL380, Wy3068 as desired by style.) [Starter 1 qt]

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.056 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.4 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.5 %
Bitterness: 9.4 IBU Calories: 250 cal/pint
Est Color: 3.7 SRM Color: Color

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Decoction Total Grain Weight: 8.90 lb
Sparge Water: 3.66 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Step Add 3.13 gal of water at 117.7 F 111.0 F 20 min
Step Decoct 1.53 gal of mash and boil it 150.0 F 60 min
Step Heat to 168.0 F over 5 min 168.0 F 5 min

Mash Notes:Single Decoction. Attempt to draw decoction from the thickest portion of the mash.

Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2) Volumes of CO2: 3.9
Pressure/Weight: 33.5 PSI Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 48.0 F Age for: 21.0 days
Storage Temperature: 48.0 F

Notes

Adjust water to your own water supply. Adjust with gypsum to your batch as needed to get over 30ppm Calium in your water. (pre calculate using Beersmith water adjustment and Palmers How to Brew Mash pH chart and your water report) Sparge water will be appx pH 5.64 by calculations of gypsum adjusted water. Pitching pH of hopefully 5.3-5.5.h
After infusion, make sure the temp stabilizes at 111 Degrees for 25 min’s to bring mash pH down to hopefully around 5.3 and increase clovy flavors. Heat if Necessary. Decoction should be pulled and slowly (10 min’s) brought to 150 for 15 min’s then heated over 15 min’s to boil for 20. Mix back in slowly over 10 min’s and stabilize at 150. (Add 3/4 of the decoction and take temperature reading. If it looks like it will go over 150 in the mash with the full decoction added, let the remaining decoction cool a while before adding back. If it does not reach 150 with the full decoction back in the mash, use 1-2 min heating intervals to bring the temperature up to 150 but not over). Hold till iodine tests negative (40-60 min’s). Slowly (5 min’s) bring up to 168 and hold for 5 min’s. Do not let the sparge water get over 168 and do not let lauter runoff drop below 1.008 to avoid grain astringency. Boil for 5 minutes to allow for protein coagulation to start and then boild for 1 hour with 0.61oz 3.8AA Hallertaur and .20oz for 15 min’s at the 50 min mark from boil. Allow wort to stand after boiling (covered up) for 20 min’s, and then cool to 54 degrees. Before pitching, keep in sanitized closed system for 4 hours to allow cold break to settle then rack off from the cold break into open fermentation bucket and aerate significantly though sanitarily. At 54 degrees, pitch yeast at high krausen from a 1L yeast starter: (1.2L water before boil, 100g malt extract 1 Hallertaur hop pellet) and allow to rise to 63 (not above) degrees and hold for primary and secondary fermentation. Primary should be complete 72 hours after initial fermentation begins (If healthy viggerous fermentation occurs) Let stand for 7-10 days in primary and then rack into keg, cool tp 48 and add forced Co2 at 34psi@48egrees. Store at 45 for 3 weeks before drinking. Serve at 48 degrees. You should drink the beer young. Flavor goes off from optimum quickly.

Update:

April 23rd Recipe. Great Bavarian Weissbier Project of 2007
Weizen/Weissbier

Type: All Grain
Date: 4/23/2007
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Brewer: Matt Chapman (Selair)
Boil Size: 26.33 L Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Chapman Brew Equipment June 2006
Taste Rating(out of 50): 50.0! Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.3
Notes: This is a collaborative effort by/for homebrewers to mimic the Hefe’s of Munich. By “selair” and the posters on “The Great Bavarian Weissbier Project of 2007” thread on the Northern Brewer Homebrew Forum. And from Warner’s “German Wheat Beer.”

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.10 lb Weyermann Pale Wheat Malt (2.1 SRM) Grain 50.0 %
4.08 lb Weyermann Pilsner Malt (2.1 SRM) Grain 40.0 %
1.02 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 10.0 %
0.50 oz Pearle [7.20%] (60 min) Hops 10.7 IBU
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.00%] (15 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
23.00 L Victoria BC adjusted to Munich Ca Water
1 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP300) [Starter 2000 ml] Yeast-Wheat

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.0 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.0 %
Bitterness: 13.7 IBU Calories: 479 cal/l
Est Color: 4.3 SRM Color: Color

Mash Profile

Mash Name: 2 Step direct heat application. Total Grain Weight: 10.20 lb
Sparge Water: 17.40 L Grain Temperature: 68.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 170.0 F TunTemperature: 68.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Step Add 13.57 L of water at 116.6 F 111.0 F 20 min
Step Heat to 150.0 F over 10 min 150.0 F 60 min
Step Heat to 170.0 F over 2 min 170.0 F 10 min

Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2) Volumes of CO2: 3.6
Pressure/Weight: 29.8 PSI Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 48.0 F Age for: 21.0 days
Storage Temperature: 48.0 F

Notes

Mash: For Victoria BC water, add .29g gypsum per litre of water.
After infusion, make sure the temp stabilizes at 111* rest there for 20 min’s to bring mash pH down and increase clovey character of finished beer. Heat if necessary to maintain temp. Heat slowly to 150* and hold until iodine tests negative (40-60 min’s). Slowly (5 min’s) bring up to 170* and hold for 5 min’s. Do not let the sparge water get over 170* and do not let lauter runoff drop below 1.008 to avoid tannin extraction.

Boil:
Boil for 5 minutes to allow for protein coagulation to start and then boil for 1 hour with .5oz 7.22%AA Pearle and then with 15 mins remaining (at the 45 minute mark) add .35oz Tettnang at 4%AA. Do not add Irish moss or any other clarifying agents. Allow wort to stand after boiling (covered up) for 20 min’s, and then cool to 54*. Rack into open fermentation bucket and aerate significantly.

Ferment/Kegging.
At 54*, pitch yeast from a 2qt yeast starter and allow to rise to 63* (not above) and hold for primary fermentation. Primary should be complete 72 hours after initial fermentation begins (If healthy vigorous fermentation occurs) Let stand for 7-10 days in primary and then rack into keg/bottle. If kegging, cool to 48* and add forced Co2 at 30psi@48*. Store at 48* for 3 weeks before drinking. Serve at 48* as well. For optimum flavor, let condition for 3-4 weeks. You can drink young, but flavor matures slowly.

PaulK Recipe:

… 50-50 Pils/Wheat mashed 111 and 150. Perle bittering, tettnang late addition. The only different thing this time was using CL920 yeast.

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Ok, so I’m going to necro this thread because I have decided to make my first attempt at this recipe. I am going to use the one found HERE. My question is I’ve never attempted a decoction before. I batch sparge and I can handle the temperature steps with water additions no problem. Question is what would I gain by attempting a decoction? Is it worth making the attempt at it or should I just do a 20 min rest at 111, and a 60 min mash at 150? I figure this would be a good spring beer to go along with my Pseudo Sue clone and as I’ve never attempted a wheat before, I’d toss it out there for opinions. I’m planning to make a 1L starter for WLP300 a day or so before brewday. If I remember reading through some posts fermenting a bit on the lower end (64ish) is what I should be shooting for? Is that too much of a starter to use?

:beers:
Rad

Hey Rad,
My thoughts are single infusion (152*), slight underpitch(eg 1 smack pack, no starter per 5 gallons), and consider a small amount, like 3% of grainbill, of melanoidin malt.
Regarding decoction which I have never done I think it is something you should do if you want the experience otherwise probably unnecessary. I’ve made a lot of hefe and I think the above recipe you’re talking about is quite good however.
The reason I added the melanoidin malt is in fact to mimic a decoction. I admire the folks who do the decoctions however my brew days are already long enough😀

Decoction IS how brewing got to the way we brew now… Malt and its make up has changed since decoction and the need for those steps have been left for only the brave at heart! I don’t think my palate could tell the difference betwixt either way of mashing… I suggest you carry through and tell us of your “old world” brew day… You may really enjoy taking this adventure. Sneezles61

Ok, so update on brewday. I opted to go with the melanoidin malt option rather than decoction, which, based on how the rest of the brewday went, was probably a good choice. :flushed:

I’ve never milled wheat before but my mill fought me tooth and nail through the milling process. I did not adjust my gap although I think I remember reading wheat needs to be milled differently. Managed to power through it and get things going. Then I got my strike water up to temp and mashed in. Thermometer on kettle read 125, poured water in cooler, dumped in grain. . .should have settled around 110-115ish. When I put my thermapen in the mash it was reading 132! I was like WTF!? How did it jump 10 degrees above measured temperature of the strike water? So I ran upstairs and grabbed 2 qts of cold tap water and poured that in, mixed it up, settled out at 118. Figured that was close enough so let it sit while I heated up the water for the step. When I was filling the kettle, I realized that my 2.5 gallons of strike water wasn’t enough to touch the temp probe in my kettle, so my 125 was the air temp above the water. . .that explains the jump in temp, I likely mashed in with water that was 20 degrees too high. :fearful:

So, pressing on, I heated up 2.5 gals of water to boiling to jump my temp up to 150, only got to 148. Close enough, move on to 1 hour mash. Measured temp at the end of the hour and was down to 140. I never lose that much temp over the course of an hour mash. Then realized propane tank was light so thankfully, my generous wife was willing to go run me a propane tank swap. (After she had so kindly pointed out this morning before church that I may need propane, “nah, I’m good”, whoops, listen to the wife in the future :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:) Got everything settled, sparged, wound up with 75% efficiency on the nose, pretty happy. Continued through boil, chill, had friends over for dinner, so took gravity reading after kids to bed before adding yeast. Missed OG by 10 full points at 1.051. :fearful: I’m gonna go with I wound up with more than 5.25 gallons post boil and I didn’t stir before taking my sample, but, this was not the best first experience with brewing a wheat beer. Hopefully give it two weeks, it will ferment out and taste great. Guess we’ll see.

:beers:
Rad

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I think that sometimes those challenges helps to make you a better brewer… Figuring out how to correct a mistake on the fly! Sneezles61

So, reporting back on my use of melanoidin malt, 3% of grainbill, remainder being wheat malt and pils, and 1 fresh smack pack as an intentional underpitch…wow. My usual 50/50 hefe which was fine until now, is now obsolete. Hard to believe that small change could make such a difference. Increased body, maltiness, and overall much closer to the Bavarian standard I was looking for. I was thinking about using Carahell in a future iteration but now…

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So, the melanoidin malt is the sole suspect? Sneezles61

Yeah, it was the only real change. I had already stopped repitching 3068 after reading(and confirming) that repitches suck(flabby, lazy and thin). I first saw that in a post from Gordon Strong.

I’ve not read much of his stuff… So from repitching all yeasts or are some less of a repitch candidate? Sneezles61

Really just the hefe/3068 situation that I am aware of, and I’m guessing its just at the homebrew level(the big Bavarian boys probably reuse yeast I would wager…) and again I’m just spitballing YMMV :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Interesting. I’ve noticed flavor forward yeast tend to get cleaner on repitch but I’ve always attributed that to over pitch. I’ve been trying to under pitch my slurry of Ardennes. Seems to be holding up. Would also be interested in a link to that article if anyone can find it.

I’m looking. Found this(Denny opines similarly at end of thread)

I can’t find the forum post where Gordon Strong dishes on Hefeweizen and not repitching hefe yeast…may have been on homebrew talk, HBD or BA…I’m getting bleary eyed from reading repetitive posts :sleeping:
Apparently the WWW has its limitations…sorry @brew_cat

I’ll take your word for it. Hopefully I’ll brew a here this spring