Weizen Hammer

This beer falls into 1999 BJCP style 17d. It is intended to be an Aventinus clone.

Recipe: Weizenbock
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: June 13, 2004
Transfer to secondary: June 22, 2004
Kegging: July 13, 2004
Bottling:

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale (pitchable vial)

Grain bill

	Potential sg/lb/gal	Points per gal
.4 lbs Belgian Caramunich 60L malt .1 lbs Black malt 9.9 lbs Wheat LME .5 lbs Dark Candi Sugar	1.034 1.025 1.037 1.046	13.6 2.5 366.3 23.0
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	405.4 (389.3 + 16.1 (389.3 + 16.1	/ 5 gal = 81.1 >>> 1.081 * 70%) / 6 gal = 66.8 >>> 1.067 * 70%) / 5 gal = 80.1 >>> 1.080

Hops

1 oz German Tettnanger pellet hops - bittering - 5.8% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.067 = 19.8%	*IBU = 1 5.8 * 19.8 * 0.75 / 5 = 17.2**
1/2 oz German Hallertauer Mittlefrueh pellet hops - flavor - 5.2% avg alpha Utilization: 15 minutes @ 1.067 = 9.9%	*IBU = 0.5 5.2 * 9.9 * 0.75 / 5 = 3.9**
1/2 oz German Hallertauer Tradition pellet hops - aroma - 5.2% avg alpha Utilization: 1 minute @ 1.067 = 0.7%	*IBU = 0.5 5.2 * 0.7 * 0.75 / 5 = 0.3**
	Total IBU = 21

Other

1/2 teaspoon Irish Moss
20 minutes 2 teaspoons gypsum
beginning of mash

Style check using recipe calculator at BeerTools.com

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

About 12 hrs before brew, boiled 2 oz of pale malt extract in 20 oz of water in flask for 10 minutes.i Cooled in ice water bath in bowl. Pitched vial of yeast and shook to aerate. Fitted stopper and airlock and placed at 73 f.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Added gypsum to 5 gallons of water and heated to 154 f. Removed heat and added mesh sack of grain. Resumed heating at 25 minutes and removed sack at 30 minutes. Added 3 cans of wheat extract and the candi sugar.

Boil:

Boiled through first break, then added bittering hops. Boiled for 45 more minutes then added flavoring hops and Irish Moss. Boiled for 14 more minutes then added aroma hops. Boiled for 1 more minute then turned off heat and placed pot on basement floor. Sanitized cooling coil in iodophor solution. Cooled to ~75 f with coil and siphoned to fermenter. Added 1/2 gallon water. Aerated by rocking carboy on folded towel and pitched yeast. Fitted with blow-off tube and put on fermenting bench with temperature controller set to 73 f.

Fermentation:

Observations of primary stage (7 PM start):

12 hours: 1/4 inch foam, one group of bubbles (glubble) every 2 seconds
26 hours: carboy filled with foam, rapid glubbles between chunks of ejected foam
1 1/2 days: carboy filled with foam, rapid glubbles between chunks of ejected foam
cleaned blow-off tube and cane, bubble flask full of yeasty liquid so cleaned and refilled
temperature set to 70 f
2 1/2 days: foam subsiding a bit, 1 bubble per second
3 1/2 days: ~2 inches of foam, 1 bubble every 2 seconds
5 days: ~1 inch of foam, 1 bubble every 2 seconds
8 days: 1/8 inch of foam, 1 bubble every 3 seconds
8 1/2 days: 1/8 inch of foam
switched to 3 piece airlock in preparation for transfer to secondary
1 bubble every 7 seconds

Transferred to 5 gallon carboy and fitted stopper and airlock.

9 days: 1/2 inch foam, 1 bubble every 15 seconds
removed temperature control, temperature stabilized at 68 f

Kegging:

Siphoned into 5 gallon soda keg and put under 30 lbs/sq in CO2 in fridge. Took FG reading of 1.020 which puts the alcohol content at about 7.7% ABV.

Bottling:

Filled 24 bottles from keg using counterflow bottle filler. Captured overflow foam in 2 liter bottles.

See Weizen Hammer labels here.

Results:

Many folks really liked it at the July UKG meeting.
Entered the wheat club-only competition at the July meeting (1 of 9)but didn't place.
Testimonials here