A wheat out of the fermenter - taste?

[Thure]

Hello there .

I have just brewed a wheat beer. Since it's been more than 10 years since I last brewed one and it's not a style I really drink, I have no recollection of how such a beer should feel straight out of the fermenter. I know it's suppose to be 'sparkly' and a bit thick on the mouth, but I assume this does apply to mine and here's why.
The beer is low alcohol and it went from 1.036 to 1.010 during the ferment. The flavour is "wheat-beerie" but I think the body is some what thin. Would this be an average perception for a low alc. wheat beer out of the fermenter pre-carbonation?

Recipe is as follows:
Style: Weizen/Weissbier
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 5,6 EBC SRM RANGE: 3,9-15,8 EBC
IBU: 20,6 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 8,0-15,0 IBUs
OG: 1,040 SG OG RANGE: 1,044-1,052 SG
FG: 1,007 SG FG RANGE: 1,010-1,014 SG
BU:GU: 0,520 Calories: 332,9 kcal/l Est ABV: 4,3 %
EE%: 72,00 % Batch: 23,00 l Boil: 28,92 l BT: 60 Mins

---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------


Total Grain Weight: 4,00 kg Total Hops: 38,00 g oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5,40 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2,00 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (3,9 EBC) Grain 1 50,0 %
2,00 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (3,9 EBC) Grain 2 50,0 %


Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Protein Rest Add 10,43 l of water at 54,0 C 50,0 C 30 min
Saccharification Heat to 64,4 C over 15 min 64,4 C 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 75,6 C over 10 min 75,6 C 10 min

---SPARGE PROCESS---
>>>>>>>>>>-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 22,2 C/22,2 C
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
Fly sparge with 23,44 l water at 75,6 C

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1,035 SG Est OG: 1,040 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8,00 g Citra [14,20 %] - Boil 60,0 min Hop 3 12,7 IBUs
10,00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [11,80 %] - Boil 10,0 m Hop 4 4,8 IBUs
1,22 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10,0 mins) Other 5 -
10,00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [11,80 %] - Boil 5,0 mi Hop 6 2,6 IBUs
10,00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [11,80 %] - Boil 1,0 mi Hop 7 0,6 IBUs


[Ozwald]

Seems alright on 'paper'. Perhaps the thin body is just your perception, especially if you're used to drinking slightly more robust styles. 1.036 to 1.010 sounds good. And a little surprising considering the 50 degree protein rest (I would've guessed it to drop a couple more points & also would've skipped that rest altogether). But that also could be contributing to a bit thinner body as well. All in all, I'm sure it will be a fine, drinkable beer. Perhaps not a 50 pointer, but good nonetheless.

[Thure]

Thanks for the reply and evaluation, Ozwald.
I'm using a cooler with a manifold, so I thought I might do the rest just to make sure that the mash doesn't go dough ball on me. It happened once before and that's why I haven't brewed this style afterwards.

I force carbonated it today to about 2.5 Bar so that should hopefully add something to the mouth feel of the beer.

I'm surprised though. The Mosaic hops doesn't give any flavours as such to the beer. I was hoping for a more 'tropical' wheat beer, but in stead it's just barely noticeable bitter.

[dmtaylor]

Strange... Mosaic and Citra are basically the two strongest hop flavors on the planet. If you can't taste them... I wonder if you got bad hops.

I think the protein rest might have ruined the body and head retention on this beer. Next time skip it. But good luck anyway.

[Ozwald]

Thanks for the reply and evaluation, Ozwald.
I'm using a cooler with a manifold, so I thought I might do the rest just to make sure that the mash doesn't go dough ball on me. It happened once before and that's why I haven't brewed this style afterwards.

I force carbonated it today to about 2.5 Bar so that should hopefully add something to the mouth feel of the beer.

I'm surprised though. The Mosaic hops doesn't give any flavours as such to the beer. I was hoping for a more 'tropical' wheat beer, but in stead it's just barely noticeable bitter.

I hope you meant 2.5 volumes of CO2 since 2.5 bar is 35+ psi That would make one hell of an effervescent beer. 2.5 bar? Because fuck you Belgians!

With a low gravity brew & the worry about getting your sparge stuck just throw in some rice hulls instead of the low rest. No sense in changing the profile of the final product just to accommodate your system.

Slightly strange with the hops. Can't say I have a ton of experience with those varieties, though. Perhaps try a hop bursting technique with them next time, especially since you're going for low total IBUs in the first place - skip the 60 minute addition altogether & just put in all the hops between 10 minutes & the end of the boil. You'll have to raise the amounts a bit to make up for the missing 60's, but I think you'll like the profile better.

[peas_and_corn]

Personally I'd replace the pilsener malt with two row, it'd give it a bit more body.

[teddytejero]

Citra hop is an aromatic hop and should not boil for 60'

add it 5' before end of boil

from a friendly f* Belgian

[Thure]

Ozwald: Well, we don't get rice hulls and if I should buy at MoreBeer or some of the other homebrew shops, they would cost me more than grain, so that's not an option for me.
I do mean 2.5 bar = 2.5 atmosphere. I usually carbonate my beer at 1.5 - 2 bar and I am told more times than not that my beer needs more carbonation to be within the bracket for a given style. That is the worst thing about being a vivid cask ale drinker. I don't like carbonation in my beer.


teddytejero, Yeah I know, but it was the only thing I had on hand and in the end I just needed the bittering so no fault in that.


Thanks for the reply guys! Really appreciate it.