WRMF Wheat Ale

My first "make it up yourself" homebrew. The quantities are off because I adjusted the gravities to the actual after-the-fact numbers.For actual recipe amounts, just round up to the next whole number (except for Hops...round up to 1/2 oz.)

Brewer:	Paul K		Email:	paulandlois@hotmail.com
Beer:	WRMF Wheat Ale		Style:	American Wheat
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	5 gallons
Color:	9 HCU (~7 SRM)		Bitterness:	11 IBU
OG:	1.051		FG:	1.010
Alcohol:	5.3% v/v (4.2% w/w)
Water:	I live in a medium hard-water area. The tap water is filtered using a 3 micron particulate + charcoal filter.
Grain:	7.0 oz. Wheat malt 3.5 oz. American victory 3.5 oz. American crystal 10L 3.5 oz. Flaked rye 3.5 oz. Flaked wheat
Steep:	This was actually a mini-mash. Flaked rye and wheat were toasted in an oven on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350°F, then placed in a paperbag on the counter overnight. All Grains were added to cold water (2 quarts) using a cheese-cloth bag, then temperature was raised slowly until 152°F was reached. Pre-check with iodine showed the presence of starch. Held at 152°F for 45 minutes. Bag was agitated every 5 minutes.Final iodine check was negative for starch.
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.128	2 gallons
	0.65 lb. Dark malt extract 5.24 lb. Wheat extract 7.0 oz. Honey
	Mini-Mash bag was removed, placed in strainer over wort, and washed with 2 quarts 180°F water. Pot was removed from heat, all extracts and honey were added (note: "Dark Malt" was actually a 12oz jar of "Aunt Patty's Barley Malt Syrup", available at health food stores. Honey was raw wildflower bulk, also from health food store). Hops were added at 55 (1oz fuggles); 30 (1/2oz Tettanger); 15 (1/2oz Tettanger). Wort was quick chilled in an ice bath to 70°F, strained into plastic fermentor; water was added to 5 gallon mark.
Hops:	0.85 oz. Fuggles (4.75% AA, 60 min.) 0.42 oz. Tettnanger (4.5% AA, 30 min.) 0.42 oz. Tettnanger (4.5% AA, 15 min.)
Yeast:	Used one packet of Doric Ale yeast, rehydrated in one cup of boiled water using 2tbsp of cooled wort for 30 minutes at 70°F.
Log:	1. Placed in dark under-stairs closet at a constant 72°F. 2. Active bubbling, 1-2/5 seconds, at 14 hours. 3. Bubbling 1/1-2 seconds at 38 hours. 4. Slowing to 1-2/20-30 seconds at 62 hours. 5. Slow to 1-2/60 seconds at 86 hours. 6. >1/ 2 minutes @ 110 hours. 7. Racked to glass carboy for 7 days. 8. Bottled at 7 days. Color very close to predicted, maybe a hair more amber.
Carbonation:	Added 7/8 cup of corn sugar, boiled in 2 pints of water for 15 minutes, once cooled to 70°F, to bottling bucket and siphoned over.
Tasting:	Give me 10 days, then I'll post a follow-up. I hope I can edit once posted. Stuff tasted like a nutty wheat beer at bottling. Beer cleared well, has a small bit of chill haze, which one expects from a Wheat Ale. Tastes GOOD, even green (8 days old), should mature well. Ale is malty, nutty-wheat, mild hoppy aroma (more than commercial Hefewiezen), low but noticable bitterness, and a bit more alcohol than expected. Just a hair darker than a hefe, more like a Pale Ale. Maybe a bit over carbonated.

Recipe posted 03/10/02.