2026 Quarter 3 Community Recipe

Josh Hughes

Josh Hughes

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Since Sophie wasn’t at home during the zoom Saturday we didn’t draw. I’m thinking tonight at 7 pm eastern. A quick draw and meet up. Only 3 left in the jar. I’m thinking Tonight draw 1 and in September draw the last 2.

Names left:
@Donoroto
@Craigerrr
@Megary

Josh Hughes is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: quarterly draw
Time: Jun 30, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Sounds like a plan, Go Sophie!
 
That's awesome!

The question to be answered in the next couple quarters will now be who is the biggest loser! @Megary or Moi!
 
I have to decide on the recipe, and then clean it up for the masses. Couple days.
 
I was going to be surprised if it wasn't a Hefe.
 
Screenshot_20260703_093352_Chrome.jpg
 
Unsurprisingly, I am putting forth my Hefeweitzen recipe for your enjoyment. I wish it tasted like Weihenstephaner – my target – but it's never been quite the same. I suspect their millennium of experience has something to do with it. Anyhow:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1023073/don-s-hefeweitzen

Some notes: (Also see those in the recipe)

Yeast is the key. If WLP300 is not available, Wyeast 3068 or Lallemand 3614 are good alternatives. I've tried others, none are as good as these, but I suspect any Hefeweitzen yeast is better than something else.

This recipe has a slightly higher SRM and ABV than a typical Hefe. I ignore the color, but prefer a 5.5% beer. If you want a more traditional ABV, use less malt: cut 1/2 to 1/4 pound from each except the melanoidin.

Melanoidin brings a biscuit (cookie) flavor to the batch, and underscores the sweetness. Use it if you can get it. Alternative is a double (or triple) decoction, which replaces the melanoidin: Take out some of the mixed malt and wort (use a 2 qt pot to scoop into a large pot), boil that for 15 minutes on the stove, then dump it back in. This is also how a Step Mash is done: From 105 to 122, then to 145, then to 158 is a triple decoction, each time using 1/4 of the malt and wort. For a double decoction, use 1/3 of the wort plus malt, a bit more for that first step (105 to 145) and a bit less for the second step.

If you cannot do a step mash or decoction: Go ahead and use a single infusion at 156-158. You will lose some of the flavor, but it'll be OK. But recipes are for experimentation, so maybe try something new?

I sparge (rinse, really) to get better efficiency. It doesn't have to be 170F water, but it needs to be treated with salts like the rest of the water. Whatever water you use, try to make it close to the target ion levels in the recipe. The values shown are for my water, which is fairly low in minerals. Don't use any clarifying agents (e.g. Whirlfloc)!

Ferment at 64F, unless you want lots of banana, then go warmer. Use a blowoff tube, as this can get going pretty good. Definitely let it warm to 72F when fermentation is 75% done (typically after 3 days for me, ymmv). A bit earlier is OK, later is not so good: The yeast needs a boost to finish properly. No cold crash, just refrigerate after the 3-5 days at 72F

Keg carbonate to around 4 volumes, fairly fizzy. If bottling, use only thick ('european') bottles as the thin 'american' bottles are likely to burst at those pressures.

To serve, rouse the yeast. It's supposed to be cloudy. You might find it a bit sweeter if you don't include the yeast, especially if it has been sitting more than a few weeks.

Questions? Let me know.
 
This will supplant my expected next brew. Looking forward to experimenting. I have an induction cookbook available in my brew room now, so I am planning to get experimental with the decoction process!
 
Looking forward to this. Couple of questions.

As someone who prefers the banana to the clove, any pointers? Not sure what yeast I’ll use just yet, but it will certainly be one of the three you mention.

I’ve made a few Hefe’s with 3068 and felt they were solid beers, though not exactly remarkable. My grain bill has always been Wheat and Pils, nothing else… so the addition of Melanoidin intrigues me. As a BIAB brewer, I can’t see myself doing anything other than a single step mash, but in other beers, I have had some success with boiling down a portion of the wort into a syrup as a way to increase malt flavor. Any thoughts on whether that might play?

Last question, any thoughts on open fermentation? I pseudo open ferment a few different styles by running my blowoff tube into a sink. Once fermentation quiets, I’ll close with an air lock.

Thanks for this.
 
Megary said:
Looking forward to this. Couple of questions.

As someone who prefers the banana to the clove, any pointers? Not sure what yeast I’ll use just yet, but it will certainly be one of the three you mention.

I’ve made a few Hefe’s with 3068 and felt they were solid beers, though not exactly remarkable. My grain bill has always been Wheat and Pils, nothing else… so the addition of Melanoidin intrigues me. As a BIAB brewer, I can’t see myself doing anything other than a single step mash, but in other beers, I have had some success with boiling down a portion of the wort into a syrup as a way to increase malt flavor. Any thoughts on whether that might play?

Last question, any thoughts on open fermentation? I pseudo open ferment a few different styles by running my blowoff tube into a sink. Once fermentation quiets, I’ll close with an air lock.

Thanks for this.
Click to expand...
Banana will always predominate. Clove is always in the background at best. More banana? Ferment at 66.

3068 and the dry yeast deliver somewhat muted results. But wlp300 is around $20 a bag, nearly matching the cost of the grain. Others make hefe yeasts, and they are unique: any other yeast will not taste as much like a hefe.

Biab does not preclude a decoction: if you can see the wort and malt, you can scoop some out into a big pot. But the melanoidin replaces the decoction’s effects: don’t decoct if using melanoidin!

Boiling it down to syrup is not decoction. This style will suffer from that.

Open fermentation is a thing, but since the precise yeast strain is the key, I recommend as closed a fermentation as you can manage. Open fermentations depend of the ‘desired’ yeast being in the environment already (Google ‘yeast ring’).

The end of a blowoff tube should be submerged in liquid. It doesn’t have to be star-san, but that’s what I use. But set the liquid level such that any reverse flow will draw air and not liquid into the fermenter: the volume of that tube needs to be larger than the volume of liquid covering the end.
 
Donoroto said:
Unsurprisingly, I am putting forth my Hefeweitzen recipe for your enjoyment. I wish it tasted like Weihenstephaner – my target – but it's never been quite the same. I suspect their millennium of experience has something to do with it. Anyhow:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1023073/don-s-hefeweitzen

Some notes: (Also see those in the recipe)

Yeast is the key. If WLP300 is not available, Wyeast 3068 or Lallemand 3614 are good alternatives. I've tried others, none are as good as these, but I suspect any Hefeweitzen yeast is better than something else.

This recipe has a slightly higher SRM and ABV than a typical Hefe. I ignore the color, but prefer a 5.5% beer. If you want a more traditional ABV, use less malt: cut 1/2 to 1/4 pound from each except the melanoidin.

Melanoidin brings a biscuit (cookie) flavor to the batch, and underscores the sweetness. Use it if you can get it. Alternative is a double (or triple) decoction, which replaces the melanoidin: Take out some of the mixed malt and wort (use a 2 qt pot to scoop into a large pot), boil that for 15 minutes on the stove, then dump it back in. This is also how a Step Mash is done: From 105 to 122, then to 145, then to 158 is a triple decoction, each time using 1/4 of the malt and wort. For a double decoction, use 1/3 of the wort plus malt, a bit more for that first step (105 to 145) and a bit less for the second step.

If you cannot do a step mash or decoction: Go ahead and use a single infusion at 156-158. You will lose some of the flavor, but it'll be OK. But recipes are for experimentation, so maybe try something new?

I sparge (rinse, really) to get better efficiency. It doesn't have to be 170F water, but it needs to be treated with salts like the rest of the water. Whatever water you use, try to make it close to the target ion levels in the recipe. The values shown are for my water, which is fairly low in minerals. Don't use any clarifying agents (e.g. Whirlfloc)!

Ferment at 64F, unless you want lots of banana, then go warmer. Use a blowoff tube, as this can get going pretty good. Definitely let it warm to 72F when fermentation is 75% done (typically after 3 days for me, ymmv). A bit earlier is OK, later is not so good: The yeast needs a boost to finish properly. No cold crash, just refrigerate after the 3-5 days at 72F

Keg carbonate to around 4 volumes, fairly fizzy. If bottling, use only thick ('european') bottles as the thin 'american' bottles are likely to burst at those pressures.

To serve, rouse the yeast. It's supposed to be cloudy. You might find it a bit sweeter if you don't include the yeast, especially if it has been sitting more than a few weeks.

Questions? Let me know.
Click to expand...
Don,
I did 300 on the cool side, and I actually got it very clovey, so it will be very interesting what others come up with. I'm making one next Saturday with 300, but I am going dark, so we shall see what happens. I might go banana on this one.
 
No, BIAB certainly doesn’t mean I cannot decoct, my laziness does. :D I’ll take your word for it that Melanoidin replaces the need for it anyway. Check.
My reasoning for open fermentation is to reduce the pressure buildup on the yeast which *might* allow for more yeast flavors to develop. I have no idea if this is true but it’s what I’ve read. I ferment all of my Farmhouse/Saisons with just the blowoff run into the sink. No liquid is necessary. It’s more of a pseudo open fermentation. If my fermenter had more headspace, I would just cover it with a piece of foil for a few days. Not sure either way makes a difference since they are technically not closed. Once fermentation begins to slow, that’s when I’ll close up with an airlock.
 
Would Fermentis WB-06 be a good yeast choice?
 
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