Showing posts with label berliner weisse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label berliner weisse. Show all posts

Monday, June 27, 2011

A quicker Berliner Weisse.

I am really enjoying the Berliner Weisse I brewed last winter. It is a great drinkable summer beer with a nice acidity, but I was wondering if I could make a similar end product with a shorter fermentation period.
4.5 lb german pils
3 lb white wheat
.25oz Hallertau pellet boil
.25oz Hallertau pellet finish.
OG- 1.028 @ 80.
5/31/10- Mash in at 122 for 20 min. Decoct to 144 for 15 min. Decoct to 149 for 30 min. Decoct to 162 for 20 min. Decoct to 172 for 10 min (mash out). Boiled for ten min, cooled to 100 degrees and pitched wyeast lactobacillis. Let this ferment warm for 3 days before adding wyeast German Weisse. Something either got in or was in and started to ferment before the addition of the yeast though. Still tasting good thus far. Will bottle soon.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Berliner Weisse.

This week I am brewing a Berliner Weisse. This is a German style that uses a mix of brewers yeast and lactobacillus to ferment, thus producing a tart product. It is low in alcohol, light in color, lightly hopped, and highly carbonated. This is something I have wanted to brew for a little, but Wyeast has just re-released their Berliner Weisse blend(3191), which also includes a strain of brettanomyces. I have read you can also brew it using a commercial lacto culture and yeast combo, adding the lacto a day before the yeast or so. My grain bill came from the mad fermentationist (I think), one of my favorite brewing blogs.
4.5 lbs German Pils
3 lbs white wheat
.25 oz Hallertau pellet @ mash hop.
.25 oz Hallertau pellet @ sparge hop.
Wyeast 3191- Berliner Weisse blend.
Calculated og- 1.038
7/21/10- Decoction mash as follows...
Mash in 122 20 min
decoct 144 15 min
decoct 149 30 min
decoct 162 20 min
decoct 172 10 min
collected 5 gals+ of wort, brought to a boil for 5 min, cooled and racked to fermenter. I had to go buy the yeast so it stood for a few hours before I added that. I offer a calculated original gravity as I added .5 gal of water after I had taken the og and found it too high, but had contaminated everything I used so couldn't take another sample.
I have to say this was probably my most pleasant brew day ever! Everything went very smoothly, exactly as planned. It was nice to not do a 90 min boil for a change. I felt like I had time to brew as I wanted but still do some other things. Next week this will go to the secondary, where it will stay until probably six months from now. Guess this one will be a drinker next summer.