Gordon Strong’s American Wheat
American Wheat
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.013 IBU = 21 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.3%
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) German wheat malt
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) North American 2-row malt
1 lb. (454 g) Munich malt
8 oz. (227 g) caravienne malt or caramel (20 °L) malt
2.25 AAU Czech Saaz hops (first wort hop) (0.75 oz./21 g at 3.0% alpha acid)
2.6 AAU Hallertauer hops (20 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 3.5% alpha acid)
2.6 AAU Hallertauer hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 3.5% alpha acid)
1 oz. (28 g) Czech Saaz hops (5 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) or Mangrove Jack’s M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup (150 g) corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride to the mash. Mash in all malts at 131 °F (55 °C) and rest for 10 minutes. Pull a thick decoction (about 1⁄3 of the mash volume, thick part only) and heat it through the following steps: 149 °F (65 °C) rest for 15 minutes, 158 °F (70 °C) rest for 15 minutes, boil for 15 minutes. Use direct heat or infusion with boiling water to raise temperatures. Meanwhile, after pulling the decoction above, raise the temperature in the main mash to 149 °F (65 °C) and hold while the decoction steps are in process. Remix the boiled decoction into the main mash to hit a mash temperature of 158 °F (70 °C) and hold for 20 minutes. Mash out at 168 °F (76 °C) for 10 minutes, recirculating wort during this time. Fly sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting 6.5 gallons (25L) of wort.
Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe. First wort hops are added directly to the boil kettle before lautering and sparging. Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Rack the beer, add the dry hops for 3 days at room temperature. Rack and package the beer, or rack and clarify the beer if desired with finings before packaging (prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate).
American Wheat
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.013 IBU = 21 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.3%
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) weizen liquid malt extract
1 lb. (454 g) Munich liquid malt extract
2.25 AAU Czech Saaz hops (first wort hop) (0.75 oz./21 g at 3.0% alpha acid)
2.6 AAU Hallertauer hops (20 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 3.5% alpha acid)
2.6 AAU Hallertauer hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 3.5% alpha acid)
1 oz. (28 g) Czech Saaz hops (5 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) or Mangrove Jack’s M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup (150 g) corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Heat 6.5 gallons (25 L) of water in the brew kettle to 158 °F (70 °C). Turn off the heat. Add the malt extracts and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Add the first wort hops, and bring wort to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes adding hops according to recipe. Follow the fermentation schedule in all-grain recipe.
