pFriem Family Brewers’ Hefeweizen clone, All-Grain

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.050  FG = 1.012
IBU = 11  SRM = 6  ABV = 5%

Ingredients

2.25 lbs. (1 kg) Gambrinus Pilsner malt
2.25 lbs. (1 kg) Weyermann Pilsner malt
3.75 lbs. (1.7 kg) wheat malt
1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg) dark wheat malt (7 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Weyermann Carared® malt (20 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) rice hulls
2.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
1.25 AAU Tettnang hops (10 min.) (0.25 oz./7g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 3638 (Bavarian Weizen) or White Labs WLP531 (Bavarian Weizen) or SafAle WB-06 yeast
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This recipe calls for a step mash. Mill the grains, then mix (along with rice hulls) with 3.2 gallons (12.1 L) of 120 °F (49 °C) strike water, for an initial mash temp of 110 °F (43 °C); hold for 15 minutes. Ramp mash up to 142 °F (61 °C); hold for 30 minutes. Ramp to 155 °F (68 °C); hold for 30 minutes. Mash out at 168 °F (76 °C). If you prefer a single infusion mash, then mix with 3.2 gallons (12.1 L) of 162 °F (73 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, and lauter. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15.3 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort.

Boil for 70 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list and a kettle clarifier if desired. After the boil and whirlpool, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 63 °F (17 °C). Pitch yeast. Ferment at 64 °F (18 °C), either until the completion of primary fermentation or until gravity reaches 1.020, then apply bung/spund if possible, but only with a proper spunding valve. If fermenting until the beer completes fermentation, reduce temperature to 32 °F (0 °C), then bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.7 volumes.

pFriem Family Brewers’ Hefeweizen clone, Extract with Grains

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.050  FG = 1.012
IBU = 11  SRM = 6  ABV = 5%

Ingredients

4 lbs (1.8 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
3 lbs (1.3 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Weyermann Carared® malt (20 °L)
2.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
1.25 AAU Tettnang hops (10 min.) (0.25 oz./7g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 3638 (Bavarian Weizen) or White Labs WLP531 (Bavarian Weizen) or SafAle WB-06 yeast
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Bring 5 gallons (18.9 L) of water to approximately 165 °F (74 °C) and hold there, steeping the specialty malts in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let drain fully. Add liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Boil for 70 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list and a kettle clarifier if desired.

After the boil and whirlpool, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 63 °F (17 °C). Pitch yeast. Ferment at 64 °F (18 °C), either until the completion of primary fermentation or until gravity reaches 1.020, then bung/spund. If fermenting until the beer completes fermentation, reduce temperature to 32 °F (0 °C), then bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.7 volumes.

Tips for Success: Deliberately underpitching is a pretty radical step, and I don’t usually recommend it. However, you should definitely be safe with simply dropping the aeration/oxygen step, pre-pitch (and what the heck, if you want to be faithful to the original, go ahead and cut your yeast pitch by about 10 percent). Otherwise, simply be sure to use good, fresh malts and consider a step mash for this beer even if you don’t do so for any others – it will greatly aid in phenol production. Finally, one note if you’re going to give spunding a try: It’ll be the easiest bottle conditioning you’ll ever do, but be very sure of your math, or you could end up with bottle bombs! Thanks again to Josh and Bryan for their timely and expert help on this beer.