Dunkelweisen Brew Day
In Garret Oliver’s The Brewmaster’s Table, Oliver raves about pairing hefeweisens with various German foods – pork in particular, but he also notes that weisens pair well with Mexican food, Indian food, Chinese food, breakfast, seafood, and lamb are all noted (pages 85 to 89). I’ve had one true dunkelweisen – at Hofbrauhaus in Newport, KY, many years ago. According to Untappd, I’ve had a few more – like Shiner Holiday Cheer – that doesn’t seem to fully fit the style (although I like the beer for other reasons). So I had been wanting to brew one.
The Recipe
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 gal | 60 min | 23.2 IBUs | 19.2 SRM | 1.058 | 1.013 | 5.8 % |
| Actuals | 1.046 | 1.013 | 4.3 % | |||
Style Details
| Name | Cat. | OG Range | FG Range | IBU | SRM | Carb | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkles Weissbier | 10 B | 1.044 - 1.056 | 1.01 - 1.014 | 10 - 18 | 14 - 23 | 2.9 - 4.1 | 4.3 - 5.6 % |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat - Red Malt (Briess) | 5 lbs | 44.44 |
| Caramel Malt - 120L (Briess) | 8 oz | 4.44 |
| Munich 10L (Briess) | 1.5 lbs | 13.33 |
| Swaen©Ale | 4 lbs | 35.56 |
| De-Bittered Black Malt (Dingemans) | 4 oz | 2.22 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum | 0.25 oz | 60 min | Boil | Pellet | 14 |
| Tettnang, U.S. | 4 oz | 15 min | Boil | Leaf | 2 |
Miscs
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactic Acid | 3.50 ml | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weihenstephan Weizen (3068) | Wyeast Labs | 75% | 64°F - 75°F |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 152°F | 60 min |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
The Brewday
Graiiiiiins!
Temperature – nailed it! Well, after stirring in an extra gallon of hotter water.
5.49 is a little high, but not too bad.
Fermentation
This fermented in my basement around 64-68F. My initial taste, around a week after fermentation, it had a subtle banana ester and the floral flavor of a Märzen. Not bad!
One thing to consider when using Wyeast 3068 (the Weinenstephan strain) is you MUST use a blowoff! I had a decent amount of headspace and it still required a blowoff tube.
Blip, bloop, bloop goes the blowoff tube.
Log
2017-12-17: Brew day. Mash efficiency: 71%, Brewhouse efficiency: 63.2%
2017-12-24: SG at 1.012
2017-12-27: SG at 1.010