Wheat Beer

[Tom Innes]

I have a Brewcraft Bavarian Wheat Beer kit (and a can of light malt to go with it instead of Sugar). Any suggestions as to how I can enhance this kit? One I have had already is to add the peel and juice of half a dozen lemons to the wort before pitching the yeast. Is this a good idea? Would I be better to add that once the initial ferment is over (less risk of infection once alcohol content is up a bit), or perhaps I should freeze or boil the lemon juice and peel first? Any tips on the lemons or any other improvements would be appreciated. Cheers.

[studio1]

you could always just put a slice of lemon in your glass when you pour it!

seriously though - I've not got much idea other than the usual orange peel / coriander seed.

[Tom Innes]

Cheers (yes, simple is often best!)

[Tom Innes]

Cool. I will see if I can get a decent yeast from YourShout. OK, maybe I will hold off on the lemon (though I might try some in the glass to see if I like it - even if it is not authentic. I am not too much of a purist on these things ;-)

Thanks

[Ally Mcg]

Yourshout in Linwood doesn't do WB-06. I got mine from DMH.

Having used WB-06 i wouldn't use it again - wasn't a patch on any other wheatbeers yeasts I've tried (thru drinking, not brewing) - it had a bubblegummy clove-y sweetness that was quite offputting

Before you get all enthused and run off and buy a liquid yeast I'd suggest not even bothering to try to brew a wheat using a kit. I did that with the one and only wheat I've done (and i enhanced the kit (a muntons one) with a mini mash of 50/50 wheat and pils and it was easily the worst thing I've brewed. Far too dark and too malty for a wheat.
Not even sure if the brewcraft kit has any wheat malt in it - my investigation into them indicated only Macs and Muntons had any wheat in there (or at least said there was wheat in the tin - i have my doubts)

I don't think I'd bother with a wheat again unless I was going to AG it.

Some of the other guys who use kits or partials might give you some more positive advice, but if i was you i'd use the wheat and pale kits to brew a nice Pale Ale for the start of spring. Chuck a few hops in for bitterness, and a few more for flavour and aroma and buy a pack of S-05 at Yourshout and you'd be away laughing.

If you do wind up brewing the wheat I'd be keen to hear how it turns out. Cheers

[Tom Innes]

Hmmm. I tried a ginger beer kit recently and it doesn't taste that good (though it may improve). Your comments make me suspect that using a kit for a wheat beer may be disappointing as well. Anyway, thanks for the tips. Think I will sit on the idea for a bit and see what other comments come in.

[Tom Innes]

Definitely want a decent brew out this- still, it seemed a good idea at the time!

[Christian]

The Brewcraft kit is made by Muntons. These are quite dark and not really suitable for a spiced Wit beer (more suitable for a Hefeweizen). I tried my first wheat beer with two Munton's wheat kits, WB-06 and some orange peel & coriander. The WB-06 gives lots of tart citrus - mixed with the orange it was too much and I ended up tipping lots of this batch. I have since used the lighter Blackrock kit, some dry wheat malt and WB-06 - this was a better brew but still not great. In the summer I'm going to try liquid wheat yeast and hopefully this will improve my results. WB-06 is OK but probably won't give you a nice, smooth wheat beer that you're probably hoping for.

That said, I did made quite a nice fruity beer (with no wheat malt) from a Munton' Lager, some Blackrock amber malt and WB-06.

[Tom Innes]

Thanks Christian. More food for thought!

[denimglen]

I wouldn't add any lemon. Or anything unless you're aiming for a belgian wit over a german weiss.

If you're aiming for something german you NEED the right yeast. I swear by WLP300/WY3068 for hefes. Fermentation temperature also plays a big part, 17C for the whole duration of fermentation is perfect for that yeast, creates a great balance of esters.

I would steer away from WB-06 to be honest, haven't heard one good thing about it and the beers I've tasted with it haven't been up to par to what they could have been with a liquid yeast.

I agree with Ally, it'll be hard to find a good wheat extract, I believe there's a few out there that don't even contain wheat. In saying that I think there's a Weyermann extract that is like 50:50 wheat:barley, I would trust these folk, they know what they're doing.

Wheat beers a little more fiddly than people make them out to be I reckon, but not the hardest style to brew either!

[vdog]

I once did a witbier using the same kit, plus a bag of the enhancer stuff, some coriander and orange peel. Did it as a comparison against the AG version we brewed at the same time - same yeast (WB-06), but even after a good long time in the bottle it was still barely drinkable. In comparison, the AG version was bloody good - not a bad imitation of Hoegaarden I thought.

I'd never use that kit again for anything (maybe as a starter?) - in the end it was just a waste of time and energy for something that was in all honesty godawful.

[Tom Innes]

How depressing, but thanks. I am thinking I will take it back and exchange it for something else.

[vdog]

I once did a witbier using the same kit, plus a bag of the enhancer stuff, some coriander and orange peel. Did it as a comparison against the AG version we brewed at the same time - same yeast (WB-06), same fermentation schedule, but even after a good long time in the bottle it was still barely drinkable. In comparison, the AG version was bloody good - not a bad imitation of Hoegaarden I thought.

I'd never use that kit again for anything (maybe as a starter?) - in the end it was just a waste of time and energy for something that was in all honesty godawful.