Near 100% Wheat

I decided I wanted to see what a wheat beer really tastes like--with the BIAB system, you don't have to worry too much about stuck sparges.  So, I went with a grain bill which was almost entirely wheat, other than colour malts (sadly, chocolate wheat wasn't available), to make something like a weizenbock.

That /was/ the plan.  Then I thought about making it into a wit beer, with only a 15minute boil.
  Then a friend sent some wild Washington bolete mushrooms to me--and a day later, someone on a homebrewing group mentioned making a bier de garde with black chanterelles.  And the new idea was born.


Rather than making it absolutely plain, I think I will make a(n) (extremely) dark, wheat based biere de garde--something more in the historical tradition than the modern; using grains from the farm (which would possibly be wheat...?  Just go with it).  The two hour, extended boil will help accentuate the maltiness, and using my garden yeast strain will further accentuate it while staying fairly clean (and letting me experiment further with the strain), plus it should leave the FG fairly high.  The mushrooms should give a nice earthiness to the finished beer.

I am also experimenting with step mashing in this one, following the similar plan to the Clarity & Body one on Counterbrew.


OG: 1.075 | FG: 1.017  |  22.4 IBU  |  Around 33 SRM

2lb wheat malt
5oz melanoiden malt
3oz chocolate malt
1 oz acid malt
2 oz white sugar (added at beginning of boil)
Styrian goldings hops: 15.8 IBU at first wort, 2.8 at 8 minutes
4oz button or crimini mushrooms, first wort.

Fermented with a blend of 2/3 49th State Brewing Saison yeast (likes warmer fermentations), and 1/3 Garden Wild yeast (mild flavoured, low attenuating brett, I think.  Or a slightly funky sacc strain...).

Bah!  Already having issues--this is what comes of following the Brewtarget mash calculator--it sucks horribly.  Don't use it!
Overhit my mash in by 7 degrees (see comment about the calculator), now frantically trying to chill it down to around 110 with a cold water bath (thankfully, since it's only a few pounds that is an option).  Because this is 95% plus wheat, the beta-glucanase rest is important.  Managed to bring it down to 110, and let rest for 20 minutes (temp 100 at the end). 30 minish
Heated an extremely thin decoction, plus water (total of 1 quart).  Used this in combination with direct heat to bring the temp up to 133. 15 minutes
Used Direct heat again to bring the temp up to 150 for beta-amylase.  30 minutes
Direct heat to bring the temp to 156--and waay overshot and hit 170. Chilled with cold water.  Can't seem to get this right, but I'm done with using direct heat--it's not working.  I go from 145 to 170 like that *snaps fingers*.  Then I turn my back and it's back down to 148.  Whatever.

Sparged water up to 2 gallons, pre-boil 1.022 at 160 degrees (1.048?), and boiled per schedule.

6-22-16; Pitch yeast slightly warm (around 80) and slowly allow to cool, crashing at full room temp (to allow the yeast to clean it up).  Bottle condition at around 2.5 volumes for 6 weeks.



9-10-16; FG is 1.003--I could probably bottle now.  Flavour is quite interesting and pleasant.  Racked it to a glass vessel in case I decide to wait a couple of month before bottling.

9-14-16; Bottled, with 0.7oz of white sugar. No yeast addition.  Marked FW '16




© John Frey, 2016. The Author of this work retains full copyright for this material.  The recipes and other contents therein may not be used for any commercial purposes.