About to brew first batch, do this sound good?

[jimmypop13]

I'm planning on brewing my first batch this Saturday and found a recipe I really want to try. I just wanted to make sure everything sounded okay.

American Wheat recipe:

Malt Base: 7.2 lbs Wheat Liquid Malt Extract
Specialty Grains: ½ lb Cara-vienna, ½ lb Munich
Hops: 1 oz Hallertau Hop Pellets(bittering), 1 oz Saaz Hop Pellets(flavor)
Yeast: Wyeast 1010 American Wheat
Other: 1oz coriander seeds, orange peel

Steep grains in muslin bag in 2 gallons water heated to 160 degrees for 20 minutes, remove and discard grain bag. Stir in malt extracts, return to heat and bring to a boil. Add bittering hops and boil 45 minutes. Add flavor hops, orange peel and coriander and boil 15 minutes longer. Put 3 gallons very cold water into fermenter then pour in hot wort. Cool below 80 degrees, then pitch yeast, attach cover and attach air lock. Ferment until final gravity remains constant 2-3 days apart, then bottle.


I have some questions about the coriander and orange peel though. What would using lemon or lime peel instead do to the taste and can you mix orange and lemon together or would that be a bad idea?
My other question is that this recipe says to add coriander and orange in the last 15 minutes of the boil but on a similar recipe I saw, it said to add coriander in the last 2 minutes of the boil and then add lemon zest to the second fermenter. How would that method change the taste over the first method?
Thanks guys
-Chris

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Honestly, I don't like this recipe. It's called an American wheat, but aside from the yeast, it looks like a belgian wit with german wheat mixed. The hops aren't even american.

It may turn out alright... I'm just not sure I'd brew it for myself.

Also, Munich malt needs to be mashed, so steeping it won't do much for the recipe.

You process looks fine though. Coriander added later in the boil will give off a better flavor/aroma in the final product. When and where you add it (boil or fermentor) are all personal preferences.

Lemon and lime can also be added, but I can't give you specifics on quantities. I've never used either of them.

 

[jimmypop13]

Thanks for the help. What would you change if you wanted to make an American wheat with coriander and citrus?
Also if I used 6 lbs wheat liquid extract and 1.2 lbs corn sugar instead of 7.2lbs wheat liquid extract, would that lighten up the taste way too much?
I'm wanting to brew something kinda like Shiner or UFO hefeweizen but a hair lighter.
Thanks

 

[rwinzing]

I would bring to boil prior to mixing in your malt exact. So steep your grains then bring to a boil take off the heat stir in your exact and bring back to a boil. It will help dissolve your exact quicker.

 

[jimmypop13]

I would bring to boil prior to mixing in your malt exact. So steep your grains then bring to a boil take off the heat stir in your exact and bring back to a boil. It will help dissolve your exact quicker.

I'll write that down. Thanks

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Thanks for the help. What would you change if you wanted to make an American wheat with coriander and citrus?
Also if I used 6 lbs wheat liquid extract and 1.2 lbs corn sugar instead of 7.2lbs wheat liquid extract, would that lighten up the taste way too much?
I'm wanting to brew something kinda like Shiner or UFO hefeweizen but a hair lighter.
Thanks

Honestly, you don't need any steeping grains to make a great wheat beer. A good quality 60/40 or 50/50 wheat extract would be a great base. Throw in some cascade, centennial, or simcoe hops (my favorite hops, but you could use others) and you've got a great american wheat.

 

[NorCalAngler]

Honestly, you don't need any steeping grains to make a great wheat beer. A good quality 60/40 or 50/50 wheat extract would be a great base. Throw in some cascade, centennial, or simcoe hops (my favorite hops, but you could use others) and you've got a great american wheat.

I'm about to make something very similar and the problem with not using any additional grain is the standard size of LME at 6lbs. 6lbs of wheat LME in a 5 gallon batch has an expected ABV of 4.1%, which is very light IMO.

 

[jimmypop13]

So many hop options, so little time!

I've got several combos I've been looking at:

1. Cascade, then Saaz
2. Centennial, then Saaz
3. Liberty, then Cascade
4. Cascade, then Liberty

 

[jimmypop13]

ha, I just noticed my bad grammar in the title, yikes!

Edit: I decided on cascade for bittering and liberty for aroma

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I'm about to make something very similar and the problem with not using any additional grain is the standard size of LME at 6lbs. 6lbs of wheat LME in a 5 gallon batch has an expected ABV of 4.1%, which is very light IMO.

I've always seen LME in 3.3lbs cans. Using 3 of them should give you the gravity you need.

 

[funkapottomous]

I've got nothing to add to this thread except for that fact that I'm in huntsville, too.

We should get together and brew one day. I have and "Old American Ale" (I've decided to call it that) in the primary right now, but was thinking of brewing something else soon.

 

[Toga]

Sounds yummy. I wonder how going all wheat would turn out

 

[jimmypop13]

Yeah man, that'd be pretty sweet, especially if you know what ur doing. My roommate and I are noobs. He made a beer from a can kit & is now making Mead & hard apple cider. I'm hoping to make my first batch either this weekend or next.

I bought sierra nevada pale ale last night to find out what cascade hops taste like. Well the hops were way too strong for my taste so I think ill just use a small amount of liberty hops. I want a light hop taste like most shiners I've had. I wonder what kind and how much they use.

 

[funkapottomous]

Yeah man, that'd be pretty sweet, especially if you know what ur doing. My roommate and I are noobs. He made a beer from a can kit & is now making Mead & hard apple cider. I'm hoping to make my first batch either this weekend or next.

I bought sierra nevada pale ale last night to find out what cascade hops taste like. Well the hops were way too strong for my taste so I think ill just use a small amount of liberty hops. I want a light hop taste like most shiners I've had. I wonder what kind and how much they use.

haha your rommate's name isn't bob is it?

 

[jimmypop13]

Nah, its Colton. Mines chris

 

[funkapottomous]

Nah, its Colton. Mines chris

okay, that would have been weird. A guy in my sociology class started some mead after I was talking about having brewed my own beer, and how to do it, and how to do meads and stuff.