Thursday, January 20, 2011

Bayrischer Dunkelweizen

This is one of the last beers that Jay and I brewed together.  As you can guess, it is a Dunkleweizen.  Everywhere we take it to let people try it, it seems to get a warm welcome.  It is an extremely simple recipe, so it should make good for a first beer evaluation on this blog.

0.5 lb German CaraMunich I
0.25 lb German Carafa II
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt
6 lb Wheat DME
1 oz Vanguard hops
WYeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen
O.G.: 1.057
T.G.: 1.014
Alcohol: 5.6%
Bitterness:
Color:   20 SRM

Steep crushed malts in 2 gallons of water until about 170 F.  Remove from water and begin to boil.  Add DME.  Once the hot break has ended add hops and continue to boil for 60 minutes.  Add water to the fermentation vessel to make 5 gallons.  Once it has been cooled, pitch yeast.

This is the first time Marygrace and I really tried to taste a beer and we weren't exactly sure what we should be looking for, so we referred to a beer flavor wheel and tried to go through it flavor by flavor.

The color was typical for a dukelweizen, dark and cloudy with a rich full head on the beer.  As far as aromas go, we found that the beer was fruity (banana), slightly alcoholic, and slightly nutty.  When it was tasted, it as rather warming, light, sweet, mouth coating, and very slightly astringent.  We didn't look at the flavor profile of what a dunkelweizen until after we tasted, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I was most concerned about the astringent flavor (tarty/citrusy), however it is an acceptable and sometimes present.

Overall I was extremely pleased with the way this beer came out.  Perhaps this year I will try brewing this again but with a partial mash.

Primary: None
Secondary: American Pale Ale
Carbonating: Rye-rish Red Ale

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