Found a recipe online that seemed to be a little different from what I have seen as far as style for a Hefe (from what I looked up anyway). The IBU’s were a little high as well as the starting gravity. So I added it up and decided to tweak it a bit. Here’s what I got:
4.5 lbs Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner
4.5 lbs Rahr White Wheat
1 oz German Hallertau at 60 min
WLP300 Hefeweizen yeast
According to my freebie app (haven’t downloaded Beersmith yet), here is what it comes to:
1.048 OG
12.1 IBU
3.6 SRM
Estimated FG 1.012 and 4.7% ABV
Original recipe I am basing this off of called for a step infusion, but I am pretty sure I am just going to go with a single step at 152 degrees for 60 mins. Mash out at 170. 60 minute boil. I’m also going to ferment a little lower than the range, maybe about 63 degrees or so.
Overall, how does this look? I know there are tons of hefe recipes out there, but I am trying my hand at tweaking it a little. I think it’s pretty simple, but from what I’ve read a recipe for a hefe shouldn’t be very complicated.
I read an article about Hefeweizen style and basically the author said it should be simple. At least 50% wheat and the rest a good quality pilsner malt. Only one 60 min hop addition for bittering should be enough. The author’s typical was at or just around 10 IBU.
He also recommended a 90 minute boil. His reasoning was: The total wort boil time is 90 minutes, which helps reduce the S-Methyl Methiomine (SMM) present in the lightly kilned pilsner malt and results in less Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the finished beer.
That’s a bit over my head at this point, but maybe worth a shot.
I read an article about Hefeweizen style and basically the author said it should be simple. At least 50% wheat and the rest a good quality pilsner malt. Only one 60 min hop addition for bittering should be enough. The author’s typical was at or just around 10 IBU.
He also recommended a 90 minute boil. His reasoning was: The total wort boil time is 90 minutes, which helps reduce the S-Methyl Methiomine (SMM) present in the lightly kilned pilsner malt and results in less Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the finished beer.
That’s a bit over my head at this point, but maybe worth a shot.[/quote]
When was the book written? I have found myself just fine with a 60 min boil using pilsner malt.
That will make a great Hefe. I boil for 90, but just because it gives me a little bump in color and OG. It gets me closer to a Paulaner or Tucher but that’s personal preference only. I have also skipped the 90 min boil and just added about 2.5% light Munich and gotten pretty much the same thing. I also like a step mash for Hefes (acid, beta, alpha) but some will differ.
Everything looks good with the recipe, +1 to the 90 minute boil recommendation which came up repeatedly when I researched the style. Also used the Weihenstephaner liquid yeast which I have been very happy with. Fermented on the low side of the temperature range. A simple beer with simple ingredients but the magic is in the yeast.
I made a few changes to what I posted. I chose to add about a quarter of a pound of acidulated malt in the mash. I also decided to do a step mash. 20 mins at 122, 30 mins at 148, 30 mins at 158. Beersmith helped me out a lot with my calculations for water additions. It was my first time using it, and I think I’ll make a habit out of it! It also helped me keep notes during my brew session.
Hit my post-boil OG right on at 1.048. Fermentation started late Saturday night (I pitched at about 5:00 and was up super late).
I read that WLP300 has a tendency to go a little crazy. Good thing I used the blow off tube. I’m fermenting at 63 which is a little lower than the range but it still took off like a rocket. Very excited to see how this goes!
Thanks to everyone here for all the tips and notes!
I have a Hefe in a secondary right now, waiting for a keg to open up. I fermented it with blood oranges. This is my second time around doing this, and it was phenomenal the first time. Made again at the wife’s request.
Update. Bottled this on 2/25 and the final gravity is at 1.007. Smells great, and the color is very light. Taste from the hydrometer jar is very similar to hacker pschorr Weiss with a sweet taste. Will post in 2 weeks on final flavor.
It’s been kegged for a week. Carbonation is good and the head formation is pretty good. Head retention leaves a little to be desired. It will probably need a little more time to fully carb (I do the set it and forget it carb method in my keezer).
One thing I noticed is that it seems pretty light bodied. Good flavor, but the mouthfeel leaves a little to be desired. I spent quite a bit of time in Germany and this hefe seems a little off. Although I didn’t expect it to be as good as German breweries
Any ideas on what I can do next time to make it a little more medium bodied? I’ve been doing a little research on my process and how I can increase the body next time without going too overboard.
Next time, skip the protein rest at 122. Only use that if you have undermodified malt, which you have to search to find these days. That should fix the body problem.
You might want to consider adding a ferrulic acid rest at 111F instead. That will promote more clove flavor, but it’s optional. In fact, anything other than a single infusion in the 148-156 range is optional with today’s malts, and only should be used if there is a specific purpose you are trying to achieve with it.
Hockhurz mash is a neat technique, for those who are not familiar with it. It allows you to control the alpha/beta amylase activity ratio by controlling the time spent near the optimal range for each enzyme, instead of picking an intermediate temperature like you do with a single infusion mash. Which means your temperature control doesn’t have to be very accurate and you still get good results. Instead, you need a good stop watch.
I went back and forth between a step mash and just a single infusion. I really don’t recall what made me decide on the step mash. I think it was me overthinking it and reading too much about best practices from the past. Next time I’ll just do a single infusion. Makes it easier anyway
Templar that’s understandable. I remember when I started AG. Thought that I needed to do a protein rest. Now realize its detrimental. Got to be careful about the info you read as it can be quiet dated and/or debunked.
