American Weizenbock

[AnOldUR]

Trying to decide what to brew this weekend. I enjoy American Wheat Beers, but was looking for a different take. Low on 2-row, but I have some Munich malt, so searched for recipes with Munich and Wheat. This led me to Weizenbock and then the idea of an Americanized version. The breadyness and malt character of a Weizenbock (and the strength) combined with American Hops and a clean fermenting yeast sounds interesting to me.

Do to a Weizenbock what American Wheat does to a German Hefeweizen.

A Google search of HBT sent me to this old npray thread and confirmed that it was not an original idea, but still one worth trying.
Here’s my take. Any comments? Will it work?

50% Weyermann Malted Wheat
45% 10L Weyermann Munich Malt
5% Flaked Oats
Darkened to an amber color with a small amount of Midnight Wheat
Two step mash @ 140 and 152 degrees
(considering single decoction to make this step)
OG ~1.075
Bitterness ratio of 1:1 with American "C" Hops
Pacman yeast fermented @ 62 degrees


Not sure about the combination of Wheat and Munich in a beer without the esters from a Weizen ale yeasts.

 

[CadillacAndy]

I've done American wheats with larger portions of Munich and/or melanoidin/biscuit malts. I usually use Amarillo hops with my American Wheat, and between that and the rich maltiness it turns in to a orange marmalade kind of thing. I'd probably cut the Munich back a little bit and use some Pilsner or 2-row in it's place. I really like the concept though.

 

[Yooper]

That looks great! I probably would go all the way and do a decoction since you're leaning towards a very malty rich beer there. I might be inclined to use some pilsner malt instead of some of the Munich, as that could be fairly heavy but overall I think it looks good.

 

[Patirck]

I'm not sure why you would want the flaked oats in this - all that wheat should make for lots of head. The oats might make the mouthfeel too slippery when combined with the sweetness of all that munich. I am a huge fan german weizenbock - Aventinus is the beer that really got me into home brewing. I would also mention that you don't need to worry about color as much as you might think. There is nothing wrong with a pale weizenbock. I know midnight wheat won't add much in terms of flavor so it is really what you want the beer to look like. You may want to consider adding a pound or so of melanoiden if you don't do a decoction mash.

 

[AnOldUR]

Thanks for the input. You convinced me to go with the decoction. Not sure why I wrote flaked oats. What I have is Golden Naked Oats, but the same thing could hold true about the mouthfeel. Put it in there because of the "sweet berry-nut flavor" they use to describe it. Hoped it would pair well with the already fruity nature of the American hops. Late hopping with Amarillo might be good too.

Pilsner would have been my choice for a wheat beer, but I'm out of a lot of base grains. The order I placed won't be in for a week or so. I already have a full sack of wheat, so the Pilsner/Wheat can wait until later. I do have Munich, so finding a way to use that and the wheat together and brew this weekend is what led to the American Weizenbock idea.


On the topic of Wheat beers. I just kegged an American Wheat with mostly Nelson Sauvin hops, a little late Citra and Summit to bitter. Wood aged a few gallons of it on home toasted maple. Wasn't sure what to expect, but the flavors all come together nicely. There's a notable maple syrup finish that cuts through the bitterness. I like it!

 

[npray]

That recipe i made came out very good and i plan to make a 5.5 gallon batch of it real soon.

 

[neilpcraven]

My local brewpub has one. I much prefer the classic stype wiezenbock than one with american citrussy hops. To me it doesn't blend well or add anything; it just tastes like a wiezenbock that someone threw some (too many for my tastes) C hops in.

 

[AnOldUR]

My local brewpub has one. I much prefer the classic stype wiezenbock than one with american citrussy hops.

Do they use a clean American yeast or a traditional Weizen ale yeasts?

 

[neilpcraven]

Do they use a clean American yeast or a traditional Weizen ale yeasts?

Dunno

 

[AnOldUR]

Well, didn't get to brew that weekend, but finally took the time yesterday. My new grains had come in, but decided to try this recipe anyway. Made an experiment out of it in more ways than just the recipe. Testing a new hop screen, so had 8 ounces of pellet and 4 ounces of whole hops loose in the kettle. Mostly late, so bitterness shouldn't be over the top, but it will be interesting.

 

[AnOldUR]

Entered this in the Buzz Off 20 competition held last weekend. Because of the odd hop, malt, yeast combination, I planned to enter it in the Specialty Beer category. Gave a sample to a friend who's not BJCP, but I trust. He called it an American Amber Ale. Knowing it was 50% wheat, I didn't think that would fly, but entered it in both categories anyway.

Scored a 25.5 as a Specialty Beer, but 38 as an American Amber (didn't win anything though.)
Shows you what I know.