I’m planning on making my first German style wheat beer with 60% of the grain bill using malted wheat. Should I perform a protein rest because of the higher amount of protein or is it traditional to allow all that extra protein into the beer?
Thanks in advance
It’ll depend on your wheat malt. Do you have a lot analysis? If your soluble nitrogen ratio is lower than 37-38, or if the total protein is over 14%, a protein rest would be a good idea.
Most of the wheat malt that I’m aware of is well-modified and has a reasonable amount of protein, so a protein rest isn’t necessary.
Now, a ferulic acid rest may be in order, but the benefits of that are debated.
If you are making a Hefeweizen then I would definitely do a Ferulic Acid rest around 111-113. That clove really comes out!
For a Hefe I do a rest at 112 for 10 minutes and another at 131 for 10 minutes. If you are interested in the whole mash regiment I can give it. I also do a decoction step.
I do something similar.
111F-20 minutes
127F-10 minutes
----Pull Thick mash, bring to 158, hold for 20 minutes, boil for 20 minutes
----menawhile, as soon as you pull the thick mash, raise the temp of main mash to 147-hold
----Add decocted thick mash back to main mash to hit 158-hold 30 minutes
Mashout @ 170 for 10 min.
Regarding protein rests, if you do one regardless of your malt analysis it won’t hurt. Just keep the time shorter than 15 minutes, anything beyond that Ive noticed degredation in head retention. I also like to keep the temp between 127 and 131 in most cases unless Im using a bunch of flaked grains or adjuncts, in that case I go closer to 122.
That’s it! No need for me to post the rest of my mash schedule. We must have read the same book. 