Tangerine Wheat Beer

Courtesy of Bader Beer & Wine Supply Vancouver, Washington

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.052   FG = 1.014 IBU = 30   SRM = 7   ABV = 5%

The Mandarina Bavaria hop produces distinct fruity, citrusy flavors of tangerine and when combined with tangerine peel adds a fresh fruit aroma to this beer that gives it a wonderful summertime appeal. If you want to use fresh tangerine peels, try to get only the “zest” portion of the peel, and leave the white “pith” on the tangerine. This beer will finish slightly hazy with the generous use of flaked wheat. As a lower alcohol beer this is designed for quick summertime drinking, as it loses some of the tangerine characteristic after about 6 to 8 weeks. Lower bitterness levels also make it a great beer to enjoy with a variety of lighter foods.

Ingredients

6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Bavarian wheat liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) flaked wheat
0.75 lb. (340 g) crystal malt (20 °L)
6.5 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 6.5% alpha acids)
7 AAU HBC 438 hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 14% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Mandarina Bavaria hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 9% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) HBC 438 hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Mandarina Bavaria (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) dried tangerine peel (5 min.)
Imperial Yeast A01 (House Yeast) or Lallemand Nottingham or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by step

Steep crushed malted grain in a muslin bag in 3–4 gallons (11–15 L) of 150 °F (66 °C) water for 30 minutes. Remove the grain bag, allowing the liquid to drip back into the pot. Bring wort to a boil. Remove pot from burner and slowly add 1 cup of the liquid malt extract, stirring to dissolve. Return to a boil, adding hops and tangerine peel as indicated.

At the end of the boil turn off the heat, add the 0-minute hops and the remainder of your liquid malt extract. Strain the hot wort into a fermenter filled with 2 gallons (8 L) of cold water top off to the 5.5-gallon (21-L) mark. Add yeast when the temperature of your beer is less than 70 °F (21 °C), and begin fermenting. After 7 days check the specific gravity of your beer. Bottle or keg as desired as usual when the final gravity is reached.