Bell’s Brewery’s Oberon clone

Bell’s Brewery’s Oberon clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.056  FG = 1.012
IBU = 30  SRM = 5  ABV = 5.8%

Oberon is a wheat ale fermented with Bell’s Brewery’s signature house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mildly fruity aromas, often causing many to assume there is an addition of fruit or spices. The addition of wheat malt lends a smooth mouthfeel, making it a classic summer beer. Oberon is one of Bell’s best-selling beers, even though it’s only available from March-August each year.

Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) 2-row malt
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) white wheat malt
8 oz. (0.23 kg) Munich malt
8 oz. (0.23 kg) Carapils® malt
3.5 AAU Hersbrucker hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3.4% alpha acids)
3.5 AAU Hersbrucker hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3.4% alpha acids)
2 oz. (56 g) Saaz hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Heat 17.3 qts. (16.4 L) of strike water to 165 °F (74 °C). Mix with grains, the mash should stabilize at about 152 °F (67 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes, then raise temperature to mash out at about 168 °F (76 °C) either by infusion of boiling water, decoction, or other means. Vorlauf until wort runs clear then begin the sparge process. Collect approximately 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) and bring to a boil. Total boil time is 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated.

After boil is complete, turn off the heat, add the final hop addition, then give a long stir to create a whirlpool. Let wort settle for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to 68–74 °F (20–23 °C). There should be about 5.5 gallons (21 L) of wort in your fermenter. Top fermenter up with cold water if you are short. Aerate wort and add yeast. Place your fermenter in a temperature-stable place that is in the 68–74 °F (20–23 °C) range. Bottle or keg after fermentation is complete.

Bell’s Brewery’s Oberon clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.056  FG = 1.012
IBU = 30  SRM = 5  ABV = 5.8%

Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
1 lbs. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Munich malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Carapils® malt
3.5 AAU Hersbrucker hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3.4% alpha acids)
3.5 AAU Hersbrucker hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3.4% alpha acids)
2 oz. (56 g) Saaz hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Place crushed grains in a muslin bag and steep them in 1 gallon (4 L) of water at 160 °F (71 °C) for 20 minutes in your brew pot. Remove the grains and fill up your kettle to 3.5 gallons  (13 L) of water. Bring to a boil and then remove kettle from heat and add malt extracts. Stir until dissolved and return kettle to heat and boil for 60 minutes. Add hops as indicated.

When the boil is complete, chill the wort to 68–74 °F (20–23 °C). Fill your sanitized fermenter with 2 gallons (8 L) of cold water and transfer chilled wort to fermenter. Top fermenter up to 5.5 gallons (21 L) with cold water. Aerate wort and add yeast. Place your fermenter in a temperature-stable place that is in the 68–74 °F (20–23 °C) range. Bottle or keg after fermentation is complete.

Tips for success:

The recommended yeast strains in this recipe will get homebrewers close to the taste of Oberon, but because Bell’s house yeast is proprietary, the only way to use the same strain is to culture it from a fresh Bell’s beer. On their website, Bell’s offers these directions for culturing yeast:

• Refrigerate your bottle or can of beer for one week. Make sure you have a nice slurry on the bottom. Two to three bottles or cans will yield better results.

• Open bottle or can and sanitize the lip with a flame. NOTE: You may also want to spray sanitizer on and around the cap before opening.

• Gently pour the beer into a glass, leaving the sediment (yeast) in the bottle or can.

• Swirl the sediment/yeast in the bottle and re-flame the lip.

• Pour sediment into a sanitized container.

• Grow your yeast using a stepped starter – start with 75ML (about 1⁄3 of a cup) of wort, then let ferment for two to three days. Then add an additional 750ML of wort and let ferment an additional two to three days.