Blonde vs. Blonde Wheat

[oliver]

i guess i'll post this here.. I was struggling over a couple of months to decide on making a honey blonde ale with or without a significant wheat addition. So i said, i'll make both. Yesterday i brewed the Blonde Sans Wheat, and i'm currently boiling the Wheated Blonde. These will be ready at the same time and i can side by side taste test.

SO, here's my two recipes, any feedback as to what the community prefers in a blonde??

Both are 3 gallon boil, 2.25 gallon batches.

Blonde Ale (no wheat)
4.0 lb American - Pale 2-Row
0.5 lb Canadian - Honey Malt
0.5 lb Flaked Wheat
4 oz Honey - (10 min)

Blonde Ale (with wheat)
2.5 lb American - Pale 2-Row
1.5 lb American - White Wheat
0.5 lb Canadian - Honey Malt
0.5 lb Flaked Wheat
4 oz Honey - (10 min)

Both with Mosaic hops, .25 oz at 15, 5, and 0, and both with US-05

 

[jmcnamara]

Really couldn't tell you, but I always enjoy a good side by side experiment. I'll be waiting for the results

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Ive done that before and of course the flaked and grain wheat taste more pronounced together than just the flaked "but" it depends on how long its aged, in the beginning its very noticeable but after 30 days not so much

 

[Nosybear]

In both cases the wheat should increase head retention and result in a more solid head on the beer. For my own taste, I'd lose the honey malt but I like my beers dry. The experiment should be interesting - keep us posted!

 

[oliver]

In both cases the wheat should increase head retention and result in a more solid head on the beer. For my own taste, I'd lose the honey malt but I like my beers dry. The experiment should be interesting - keep us posted!

it's for a girl who requested something sweet. i'm guessing the Wheat will be the sweeter of the two, we'll see. Lately I've also been really happy with flaked wheat for head retention, feels better than other retention grains for some reason.

The odd thing between the two of has already surfaced during the two brew days. My gravities are backwards as to what the calculator was reading out.

Sans Wheat calculator reads 1.054 .... Actual OG was 1.059
with Wheat calculator reads 1.059 .... Actual OG was 1.054
:shock:

 

[oliver]

long day ahead, and the Wheat beer has been racked to a secondary, finished at 1.012. should be about 5.5%, smells incredible, now to rack the SansWheat.

 

[oliver]

DURRR, kicking myself right now, QUICK, help.

Yesterday i racked both these beers into the secondary, and somehow it didn't cross my mind to dry hop them.

SO, it's only been 1 day in the secondary, if i wash my hands with sanitizer, and sanitize a funnel and a little hop bowl, could i open up the fermenter and drop some mosaics in there???

 

[jmcnamara]

I'd say go for it. There's already alcohol in there, and it sounds like you'll be careful about it

 

[oliver]

woo, the she was opposing me on this one. One of the beers is split into 2 carboys though... so, a compromise was made, 3 variations now!

 

[Nosybear]

SWAMBO wins every time.... But I'd agree on the dry hopping, don't worry about the day. Go ahead and dry hop.

 

[oliver]

woke up this morning and let some gas out of the chamber, found this heavenly layer in there.

 

[oliver]

Results are here.

Blonde Wheat Dry Hopped is the clear winner. Good nose, wheat gives a good body, sweet honey flavors coming through.

Non dry hop wheat just doesn't give off a good aroma at all in the same brew.

Non wheat was under carbonated. I think we used carbonation tablets, and they haven't worked too well. The flavor is quite sweet in this one, but in a S-05 yeasty kind of way. The honey really shines through more than the wheat beers for sure. Also doesn't have a great nose.