Tried to make wheat ale. Basic recipe in How To Brew. Pale row malt with flaked wheat, liberty hops, wyeast wheat. Bubbled nicely in the fermenter for several days. Carbonation is perfect. Smells good. Initial taste is decent, clean, and then… a freaking cliff-like drop in flavor. Bud light. What in the hell did I do wrong?
-Sarah
well it was a rather basic grain bill with little hops. i believe it was supposed to be fairly light in flavor. technically nothing is wrong with bud light. it’s just light. and a domestic lager. if you really don’t like it, I bet friends will. Nothing like a light beer on a hot summer day. sorry i cant be more help
can you describe this flavor a little more? is it a little skunky perhaps? or does it just generally taste like a domestic lager? did you cold condition/lager the beer?
If it tastes like Bud light then you didn’t make a good beer :lol:
But if it’s just a light beer, then enjoy it! Sounds like a good beer on a hot day. And your BMC friends will love it.
Wheat beers are basically tasteless. Most of the flavor comes from the yeast. You said Wyeast wheat, but which one? The best one IMO is the hefeweizen yeast 3068 or 3944.
+1 3068 weihenstephaner is my go-to Bavarian hefe yeast. 3333 and 3638 also are unique wheat strains. However, I’m assuming you went with the American style like 1010 American Wheat? Some even use US-05.
It smells like liberty and malted wheat, and the first taste isn’t bad at all. Definitely not skunky in any way. It’s lagerishly clean. But it doesn’t linger whatsoever. It’s got an almost watery finish, a la bud light. I am thinking I underhopped at the start of the boil? The aroma is good, just not enough flavor throughout.
Appreciate all the thoughts so far.
+1. I haven’t brewed a wheat beer in a long long time for this very reason.
Sounds like it’s a little weak for you. Add more Liberty (more late and less early) to get more hop character…flavor and bitterness.
And probably mash a little warmer…156ish for more sweet body.
If you’re really adventurous…add 13ml/gal lactic acid to the keg or bottling bucket…gives you a Berliner Weiss type tartness…
but just the hop additions and mash temp will help the overall flavor of the beer…
+1. I haven’t brewed a wheat beer in a long long time for this very reason.[/quote]
You’re not using the right yeast or controlling temps. Wheat yeasts are extremely versatile. Brew a wheat, split it into 2 fermentors. Use 3068 and ferment one at 60F and another at 70F+. Then tell me they’re “tasteless”.
Which is why they are good as a base for fruit or spiced beer.
Which is why they are good as a base for fruit or spiced beer.[/quote]
Well, I actually said that most of the flavor comes from the yeast, which I think is true. It’s perfect for a nice clovish-banana estery yeast. And I agree that it’s also a great base for flavors and spices. But when you combine it with nothing but a yeast like American Wheat…boring.
My guess is that the OP was making an American wheat, not a hefeweizen. If that’s the case, the result was just about what it should be. Widmer “hefe” is the prototypical Am. wheat. Around here, we say it’s for people who want to look cool drinking craft beer, but secretly prefer Bud. 
Generally I would avoid this style for the reasons enumerated above. I however saw some discussion in a book the other day which mentioned Gumballhead from 3 Floyds and it looked like it might be fun to make and actually have some flavor. Essentially, it looks like any other American Wheat beer but it’s hop bursted. Has anybody tried something like this? I would really rather avoid the experience of the original poster. Oh by the way, the reason I am even screwing with this at all is because I am trying to make something for an upcoming club only competition (and I already made an American Blonde ale and yeah, it’s pretty pedestrian).
i’ve made a schlitz before, but that was what i was going for. nothing wrong with a good summer beer.
And, damn, was that a good beer!
Oh yes. I have a beer called Buck Dancer’s Choice that was inspired by the Gumball Head Wheat. We can get that around here in the local grocery stores. Yes, it is damn good. My recipe was a little different than the one they had in that “Wheat” book. If you can get your hands on the Amarillo, brew it! The first time I had that beer was 2007 Dark Lord Day, and I was taken aback. I thought it was an IPA at first. Halfway through the glass, it turns into a wheat beer. Hard to explain. But delicious. I am a fan of their main 4 beers: Alpha King, Pride & Joy, Gumball Head and Robert the Bruce. They make good beers, some are just more mouth-popping than others. That Zombie Dust IPA they have is good if you can get it. An all-Citra IPA that a friend of mine swears they’re using Amarillo in now.
