JJ's Drunk-el-Wiezen

Beer Recipes
1

I want to start off saying I know this is out of BJCP Guidelines, but not so far that it makes it UN-shareable or unreasonably out of style to compare to something else.  End result is a very smooth and drinkable full bodied beer, with a full banana bread smell and flavor.

JJ’s Drunk-el-Weizen - Dunkelweizen
Batch Size - 5.25 Gal
Mash Vol - 4.5 Gal
Total Grain - 8.65 lbs
Total Hops - 1.75 oz
Carbonation - 3.6 vols
IBU ~ 11.6
SRM ~ 15.5

Grains
1.9 lbs Ger. Wheat
1.0 lbs Honey Malt
0.5 lbs Flaked Wheat
.5 lbs Special B Malt

BIAB - Full Body Single Infusion
154F 30 mins
152F 45 mins
168F 10 mins

Boil 60 mins
4 lbs Briess Wheat DME 60 mins
0.75 oz Hallertaur [4.6%] 60 mins
.75 lbs Corn Sugar [Dextrose] 60 mins
1 tsp Wyeast Nutrient 10 mins
0.5 oz El Dorado [14.9%] 8 mins
0.5 oz El Dorado [14.9%] 4 mins

Fermentation
WLP351 Bavarian Wheat Ale - No Starter
7.9Gal Primary for 15 Days

Fermentation Temps -
20 hrs @ 72F (NOT ambient temp)
Remaining 14 Days 65F

Pre-Boil G - 1.050
OG - 1.058
FG - 1.007
ABV - 6.7%
Attenuation - 87%

2

A few thoughts:

You’re pushing the partial mash to reach full conversion. You’re a little under 50% on malt with enzymes. You will probably be ok there but it’s cutting it close.

I’m not sure I understand the mash schedule. Are you planning for a reduction in temperature over time or are you intentionally dropping the temperature?

What role do you expect the special B to play? That seems like a large portion of the grain bill for special B and unless you’re chasing that raisin/plum flavor I’m not sure why it’s there.

I also do not understand the dextrose at all. Normally hefeweizen-style beers want a bigger body so thinning it out with dextrose really doesn’t make sense to me.

The late hops aren’t typical to the style and I’m not sure El Dorado fits with this beer. El Dorado has a sweet fruit flavor akin to cherry life savers. I think it’s a distraction from your goal of getting a banana bread flavor.

What’s the objective with dropping the temperature after 20 hours? Typically people start low and raise the temperature with hefeweizen strains rather than the other way around.

3

I’d probably enjoy the raisin/plum flavor in a dunkelweizen.

The honey malt — way too much. You have about 10% honey malt, I’d get that down to around 2-4%. A little goes a LONG way in the beers I’ve made with it.

4

i wouldn’t appreciate special b in my dunkelweizen at all. to me, its indicative and representative of Belgian styles and wouldn’t fit my expectations.

I’m a purist on this style- 62% wheat (dark, light and 2oz midnight wheat for color) 38% dark munich.

5

+1. In my experience 5% honey malt is about max however I have only used it lighter beers. I could see maybe using a bit more instead of crystal malt if you were going for something big, malty, and sweet.

6

For my grain bill, ferm temps, hops, and overall “experiment” was made up of a loved beer style with a general twist of flavors I love.

My “Partial” mash temps were noted, not intended.  I forgot to account for the temperature gauge being off by 2F at 30 minutes in,  but it was one of those things that I included for the s***s n giggles of it all.

So my hops, were not right.  I misjudged the power of El Dorado.  So it is a wonderful hop.  Hands down not a part of this style.  But I really wasn’t aware of how the late additions could really power through this malty madness.  I will try Mandarina Bavaria next time with the Hallertau. With that being said.  I am happy with this beer.  It tastes good. Really good.

SO malts - Special B, Honey, and Dextrose

Special B 2.98% - I love plum and raisin and think it not only tastes good, it goes with the style to me anyway.  So when I think of banana bread, I can see where raisin and plums fit, can’t you?  So the higher abv brought out an almost rum-raisin, banana bread.  And that is what I taste in Ayinger Ur-Weisse.  Which is my standard bar to make a Dunkelweizen.  If I am crazy then call me crazy, and I will remain crazy but happy, lol.

Honey Malt 11.90% - Same family as Melanoidin Malt and German Brumalt.  They are modified to bring a honey-bread flavor.  So my idea, Honey-Wheat.  Now when I make quick bread recipes (banana bread) I use honey for a portion of the sugars needed in the recipe.  The honey flavor gives a much better smooth chewiness to the bread.  I was going for that in the beer.  Thinking the floral honey flavor would mellow the rich wheat.

Dextrose 8.93% - Cheap way to boost ABV, plus it finishes the beer crisp.  I love it… I really do.

My fermentation temps were intentional. I started at ambient temp 68F Fermenting at natural temps for me to record.  So I just let the yeast go and do its thing without manipulating it for the first 20 hours to the minute.  It developed the spicy clove and boosted the conversion.  So I let the CO2 S and phenol flavors develop early to settle out over a longer period.  If there is 1 thing I think turned out perfect and would not change it was this process.

So my finished product and review from others have been a wheaty sweet over ripe banana aroma.  Flavor has been said it was rum-raisin banana bread with a dry crisp hop finish.

I get the stone fruit flavor with the el dorado hop, not anything like Cherry-life saver.  I get plum, dried apricot aroma and flavor.  The body/mouth feel has a 40-50 second.  So I would call that medium-high body.  Head lasts throughout the beer, Over 60 seconds.  Great wet lacing on the glass.  It is a fluffy mouse like head, that you can’t blow off.  Ester plum, banana, figs. Phenol - clove nutmeg.  Bitterness is moderate. Honey sweet smooth malty texture and flavor that lingers on your tongue.

So it is maybe farther out of style than I had originally planned.  The color is 14-14.5 at best, so it is light for a dunkelweizen but too dark for hefeweizen.  But hazy, wheat awesomeness.  Like I originally said, I don’t think it is so far out there that I can’t call it anything else.

7

not crazy…homebrewing is the pursuit of what makes you happy!
to each their own, so go for it anyway you want!

8

Yes! I have a beer on tap that doesn’t seem to fit into any category and is a complete mutt. In cases such as this, I try not to worry about it and just give it a name like “Ryeteous Super Ale”. The problem is when people ask what type of beer it is. Do they really want to know it is kind of a 6.2% ABV wheat beer with a bunch of flaked rye that has been hop bursted and fermented with English yeast?

9

That would drive the purists nuts  :wink:

To the op, I didn’t know you already made the beer. Glad to hear it turned out good!