Eureka, its time for yet another recipe from the past. Today’s recipe is my very first wheat beer recipe. The original recipe is from a homebrew supplier (SIOS) and is called Weischwieweizen. Weischwieweizen is a Swissgerman expression and means something like “You know what wheat”. I tweaked the recipe a bit and came up with the following recipe.
| Recipe: | Weischwieweizen | |
| Numbers: | Volume [L] | 22 (5.8 gal) |
| Original gravity | 14°P | |
| Terminal gravity | 3.5- 4.2°P (see below) | |
| Color | Around 3 EBC | |
| IBU | 13 IBU | |
| ABV | >4.9 % | |
| Grains: | Pilsner malt (4 EBC) | 2.1 kg |
| Wheat malt (4 EBC) | 2.6 kg | |
| Acidified malt (4.5 EBC) | 0.1 kg (added after first rest) |
|
| Hops: | Hallertauer (8% AA) | 6 g and boil for 60 min |
| Hallertauer (8% AA) | 6 g and boil for 30 min | |
| Yeast: | Wyeast’s | #3068 Weihenstephan, #3056 Bavarian Wheat |
| Water: | Burgdorf | Mash: 12 L (3.2 gal), sparge: 19 L (5.0 gal) @78°C (172°F) |
| Rest: | Mash in @48°C (118°F), 20 min @45°C (113°F), add acidified malt and rest for 20 min @53°C (127°F), 30 min @63°C (145°F), 40 min @73°C (163°F), 10 min @ 78°C (172°F) | |
| Boil: | Total 75 min | |
| Fermentation: | Primary | 6 days @20°C (68°F) in plastic fermenter |
| Secondary | None | |
| Maturation: | Carbonation (CO2 vol) | 3 |
| Maturation time | 3 weeks | |
07/03/10: Another brew day begins. I crushed all the grains and mashed in at 48°C (118°F) except for the acidified malt. The first rest at 45°C is called a Ferulasäure rest (ferulic acid) and typical for wheat beers to get the typical clove aroma later on. I already covered the basics about this rest in a previous post of mine but include the information once again: Ferulasäure, in English ferulic acid, is the precursor for 4-vinyl guaiacol which has a clove aromatic aroma. The conversion from ferulic acid to 4-vinyl guaiacol is then made by the yeast cells during fermentation. One way to improve the clove aroma of a wheat beer is to include a Ferulasäure rest to increase the amount of ferulic acid in the wort. And this rest is done at 45°C (113°F). Another important thing for the Ferulasäure rest is the mash pH. The release of the ferulic acid from the grains decreases at lower pH values. To prevent a lower pH level for this rest, the acidified malt is therefore added after the Ferulasäure rest.
The next rest at 53°C (137°F) is a protein rest to improve the head formation. Although modern malts do not need a protein rest anymore, I chose to do one because of the tradition. The rests at 63°C (145°F) and 73°C (163°F) are both saccharification rest.
Iodine test was negative after the last rest at 73°C and I proceeded with the sparging process. I had some troubles with a stuck mash but managed to collect the wort in the end. Then boiled the wort for 75 min with the addition of the Hallertauer hops.
After cooling the wort down to pitching temperature (20°C, 68°F), I split the wort in half and pitched a package of Wyeast’s #3068 Weihenstephan in one fermenter and #3056 Bavarian Wheat Blend in the other fermenter.
07/09/10: Six days after pitching, the yeasts already hit the terminal gravity. The #3068 Weihenstephan finished at 3.5°P, the #3056 Bavarian Blend at 4.2°P. I bottled the beers with an addition of fresh wort to a carbonation level of 3 vol. I then left the bottles carbonate for seven days at approximately 20°C (68°F) and left them for three weeks in my refrigerator at 4°C (39°F).
Tasting: Unfortunately, I can’t remember when I did the tasting. Nevertheless, below are the tasting results of the two beers. They looked very similar as shown in the picture on the left. Lets dive into the results.
Tasting the #3068 Weihenstephan wheat:
Aroma: Lots of banana, light sweet note. Could be from the Pilsner malt. Some floral notes (geranium).
Appearance: Dull (poured yeast sediment into the glass as well), very persistent white head, orange to yellow color and a lot of bubbles. Looks like a wheat beer…
Flavor: Once again, lots of banana and a malty-sweet flavor. No bitterness or hoppy notes detectable.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, lively carbonation, short and sweet aftertaste. Very, very refreshing.
Overall Impression: Amazing! Tastes like a typical wheat beer. I would not make any changes in the recipe.
Tasting the #3056 Bavarian Wheat blend wheat:
Aroma: Strong sweet and fruity aroma. Could detect some strawberry and banana notes. No floral notes.
Appearance: Dull (poured yeast sediment into the glass as well), very persistent white head, orange to yellow color and a lot of bubbles.
Flavor: Fruity notes (strawberry), no banana. No bitterness or hoppy notes detectable.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, lively carbonation, short and malty-sweet aftertaste. Very refreshing as well.
Overall Impression: Again a very well made wheat beer. I prefer the #3068 Weihenstephan version because I do not really like the strawberry notes in the beer.
This recipe works very well for me. I brewed this recipe at least four times and it turned out very well each time. For further wheat yeast tastings, see the wheat beer experiment. Stay tuned for further recipes, experiments and tastings.
Eureka Brewing 