Wheat Beer Two Ways

Wheat Beer Two Ways – American Wheat Beer & German Weissbier

(6 gallons/23 L, all-grain) 
OG = 1.051  FG = 1.011–1.014
IBU = 15  SRM = 4  ABV = 5.3%

You’ll be brewing one batch but need two fermenters as you’ll be pitching two different yeasts. The American wheat will use an American ale yeast like SafAle US-05, where the weissbier will require a German wheat strain like Mangrove Jack’s M20.

Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Pilsner malt 
7 lbs. (3.2 kg) light wheat malt
4 oz. (113 grams) rice hulls (optional, but recommended)
3.5 AAU Perle hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1 tsp. yeast nutrient (5 min.)
Clean American ale strain like SafAle US-05 yeast
Banana/clove weiss strain like Mangrove Jack’s M20 yeast
6 oz. corn sugar (3 oz. per fermenter, if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and dough-in, targeting a mash of around 1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain (3.1 L/kg) and a temperature of 153 °F (68 °C). Hold the mash at 153 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Sparge based on your system, but with enough water to yield a volume of 6 gallons (23 L) of post-boil wort, following a 30-minute boil.

Bring to a boil and add the hops and yeast nutrient as indicated. After the boil, add the Cascade hops and give the wort a long stir. Let settle for 10 minutes then chill the wort to 70 °F (21 °C) and transfer the wort evenly distributed between two sanitized 5-gallon (19-L) fermenters. 

Pitch a full package of yeast into each fermenter and ferment both at 70 °F (21 °C) until activity has ceased. The fermenters may finish at different gravities. If bottling, dissolve priming sugar in ¾ cup water and add evenly to both fermenters just prior to bottling for natural carbonation. If force carbonating in a keg, target 2.5 volumes CO₂.

Extract option:
The recipe can be brewed with just extract quite easily, completely skipping the mash. Replace the Pilsner and wheat malts with 7 lbs. (3.2 kg) of Bavarian wheat dried malt extract (DME). Add 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) of DME to a kettle filled with 3 gallons (11.5 L) of warm water. Bring to a boil adding hops and nutrient as per the schedule. Just before the end of the boil stir in an additional 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) of DME along with the Cascade hops. Stir to create a whirlpool and let settle for 10 minutes. Cool, and evenly divide wort into two separate 5-gallon (19-L) fermenters. Top up fermenters with water so both contain 3 gallons (11.5 L) wort. Continue to ferment and carbonate based on the all-grain instructions.

Notes:
You’ll notice the German weissbier style has little to no hop character, with almost all of the flavors being driven by the yeast esters and phenols, combined with some wheat malt character. You may get little to no hop aroma, which will be obstructed by the yeast.

With the American wheat style, you’ll notice more hop aroma, more distinctive grain-derived wheat flavors, possibly even a bit bready, and a much cleaner finish with few phenols and esters.

You can run similar tests and change other variables. Using one strain of yeast, pitch into two fermenters and ferment one at the high end of its fermentation range, and one at the low end. These types of experiments will improve your understanding of how yeast and fermentation environment variables affect beer flavors.