Honey Hefenweiser

[RiodeLobo]

Honey Hefenweiser 5-6 gal batch

Ingredients

1lb wheat
½ lb honey barley
1lb rice extract (for crispness)
4lb malt wheat
2lb malt barley
3lb honey
1 oz Willamette Hops
1 oz Hallertauer Hops
9 lbs Ice
5 gal Water (I use bottled or filtered)
35ml American Hefenweiser Yeast
1/3 cup honey and 1 cup water

To Do

1)Boil 3 gal water add 1 lb wheat and ½ lb barley. Let cool to 155F and hold for 45 min.
2) Add 1lb rice extract, 6lb malt, and 3lb honey. Stir and bring to boil for 10 min.
3)Add 1oz Willamette Hops and ½ oz Hallertauer Hops and boil for 10 min.
4)Turn off heat and add ½ oz Hallertauer Hops cover and let sit 5-10 min.
5)Strain out solids (it will cool much faster).
6)Place ice in fermentation container and pour liquid over ice.
7)Add 2 gal water and let cool to 85F. Pitch yeast .
8)Store until stops bubbling or 1 bubble/min, about 2 weeks.

Bottling/ (Optional)Secondary Fermentation.

Rack beer into bottling container ( (Optional) rack second time for more clarity). Let mature for about 4 weeks. Add secondary fermentation sugar (1/3 cup honey and 1cup water boiled for 5 min) and bottle.

This is my favorite honey wheat recipe.

I score it at 8/10, but I like a rich full flavored beer. I have not tested the alcohol content but it is a strong beer and I am sure it is fairly high. The maturation time is not necessary but the young beer has a strong honey flavor, and is fairly sweet. After a month plus the honey and sweetness blend and even out. It is best served cold in a cold beer mug.

To perfect your favorite level of maturity add secondary fermentation sugar and bottle after you rack and mature in the bottle. It can produce a lot of carbonation and I use lock top bottles, I would be careful with bottle caps, it could pop the tops.

I also have an Good Oak Stout (I think at least). If interested.

Dan Hayden

[RiodeLobo]

PS
If anyone plays with the recipe and finds improvements I would love to hear them. This is the best of the series of variations on this recipe and I am always looking to improve it.

Thanks,
Dan

[Ben Brewcat]

What's honey barley, and whose yeast strain is the hefenweiser? Not familiar with that one. On the grain bill, I don't think that even 6-row or other high-diastase malt would have enough enzymes to convert twice its weight in wheat, so you may not be getting much from it (that's a grain that needs to be mashed, and would likely need an additional beta-glucanase rest at those ratios).

I assume the wheat and barley malts are actually malt extracts. If it's coming out sweet and fuller in body, you may want to consider leaving out the rice extract (or you may not ). All it contributes is alcohol and is usually used to bring a light-bodied beer's alcohol level up to snuff, for example in an American style McPilsner.

And good on you for making a beer your way! That's what homebrewing is all about, making it just the way you dig it. It reminds me a little of my Alesner recipe; a homebrewer's ale version of a crisp Pils using honey. Probably the most popular recipe at the homebrew shop.

[Barry]

In fact, AFAIK, to be able to call yourself a craft brewery (at home, you can call yourself whatever you want), rice cannot be an ingredient. This was made clear to me when I visited Dogfish Head last fall.

"Some define craft beer as beer made without rice or corn, but outside of North America and Asia, rice and corn are rarely used in the making of traditional beer"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbrewery

[RiodeLobo]

You are absolutely correct it was a malt extract. Sorry for the mislabeling. As time is a issue i let others do the work and buy extracts. The yeast is a White Labs WLP320 American Hefeweizen Ale Yeast http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp320.html

I have tried the recipe without the rice extract,and preferred the brew with it, but has been some time since i have brewed this recipe i will leave it out next time and see. Thank you for the input.

"And good on you for making a beer your way! That's what homebrewing is all about, making it just the way you dig it."

I have never been one to stop tinkering with a recipe, cooking or brewing. Some time it works, but usually not. I would define "traditional" as what has worked for a long time for a lot of people. However I like finding what works for me and what i enjoy. I guess I personalize it to my taste. If anyone tries the recipe I sincerely hope they enjoy it.

Dan