Harold-is-Weizen (half-batch 2022)

Method: All Grain
Style: Weissbier
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 2.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Pre Boil Size: 4 gallons
Post Boil Size: 2.5 gallons
Pre Boil Gravity: 1.034 (recipe based estimate)
Post Boil Gravity: 1.055 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 60% (brew house)
Calories: 181 calories (Per 12oz)
Carbs: 18.2 g (Per 12oz)
URL: https://byo.com/article/german-hefeweizen-style-profile/

Created: Tuesday September 6th 2022

Amount	Fermentable	Cost	PPG	°L	Bill %
3 lb	Weyermann - Pilsner3 lb Pilsner	$ 2.15 / lb $ 6.45	36	1.5	50%
3 lb	American - White Wheat3 lb White Wheat	$ 1.95 / lb $ 5.85	40	2.8	50%
6 lbs / $ 12.30

Amount

Fermentable

Cost

PPG

°L

Bill %

3 lb

Weyermann - Pilsner

$ 2.15 / lb
$ 6.45

1.5

50%

3 lb

American - White Wheat

$ 1.95 / lb
$ 5.85

2.8

50%

6 lbs / $ 12.30

Amount	Variety	Cost	Type	AA	Use	Time	IBU	Bill %
0.60 oz	Hallertau Mittelfruh0.6 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh Hops	$ 2.95 / oz $ 1.77	Pellet	4.2	Boil	60 min	22.08	100%
0.60 oz / $ 1.77

Amount

Variety

Cost

Type

Use

Time

IBU

Bill %

0.60 oz

Hallertau Mittelfruh

$ 2.95 / oz
$ 1.77

Pellet

4.2

Boil

60 min

22.08

100%

0.60 oz / $ 1.77

Amount	Variety	Cost	IBU	Bill %
0.60 oz	Hallertau Mittelfruh (Pellet)	$ 2.95 / oz $ 1.77	22.08	100%
0.60 oz / $ 1.77

Amount	Name	Cost	Type	Use	Time
4 ml	Lactic acid		Water Agt	Mash	0 min.

Amount

Name

Cost

Type

Use

Time

4 ml

Lactic acid

Water Agt

Mash

0 min.

Ca⁺²	Mg⁺²	Na⁺	Cl^-	SO₄^-2	HCO₃^-
0	0	0	0	0	0
Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator

Ca⁺²

Mg⁺²

Na⁺

Cl^-

SO₄^-2

HCO₃^-

Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator

Amount	Description	Type	Start Temp	Target Temp	Time
2.25 gal	Ferulic Acid Rest	Strike	162 °F	110 °F	20 min
	Saccarification Rest	Decoction	110 °F	152 °F	60 min
	Mash Out	Decoction	152 °F	168 °F	--
1.75 gal	Sparge	Fly Sparge	168 °F	168 °F	45 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb Starting Grain Temp: 75 °F

Amount

Description

Type

Start Temp

Target Temp

Time

2.25 gal

Ferulic Acid Rest

Strike

162 °F

110 °F

20 min

Saccarification Rest

Decoction

110 °F

152 °F

60 min

Mash Out

Decoction

152 °F

168 °F

1.75 gal

Sparge

Fly Sparge

168 °F

45 min

Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb
Starting Grain Temp: 75 °F

Water	Gallons	Quarts
Strike water volume at mash thickness of 1.5 qt/lb	2.25	9
Mash volume with grains	2.73	10.9
Grain absorption losses	-0.75	-3
Remaining sparge water volume (equipment estimates 3.52 g \| 14.1 qt)	2.75	11
Mash Lauter Tun losses	-0.25	-1
Pre boil volume (equipment estimates 4.77 g \| 19.1 qt)	4	16
Boil off losses	-2.25	-9
Hops absorption losses (first wort, boil, aroma)	-0.02	-0.1
Post boil Volume	2.5	10
Going into fermentor	2.5	10
Total:	5	20
Equipment Profile Used:	System Default

Water

Gallons

Quarts

Strike water volume at mash thickness of 1.5 qt/lb

2.25

Mash volume with grains

2.73

10.9

Grain absorption losses

-0.75

-3

Remaining sparge water volume (equipment estimates 3.52 g | 14.1 qt)

2.75

Mash Lauter Tun losses

-0.25

-1

Pre boil volume (equipment estimates 4.77 g | 19.1 qt)

Boil off losses

-2.25

-9

Hops absorption losses (first wort, boil, aroma)

-0.02

-0.1

Post boil Volume

2.5

Going into fermentor

2.5

Total:

Equipment Profile Used:

System Default

Date	Days	Event	Gravity	Volume	Temp	Updated	Comment
9/10/2022 4:35 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 4:35 PM about 1 year ago	When the strike water reached 160, I took the small boil kettle off the fire and put the lid on. I’m giving it a few minutes for the temp to stabilize before mashing in.
9/10/2022 4:40 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other			155 °F	9/10/2022 5:32 PM about 1 year ago	Mashed in with 10.2 liters of strike water in the small boil kettle. Strike water 162. Resulting mash temperature was 155. Was very surprised. The calculators seem to have lead me all wrong… or more likely I mess some key measurement up. For one thing, the mash seems very thin.
9/10/2022 5:03 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 5:07 PM about 1 year ago	After about 20 min the temp in the kettle is down to 149. Am going to raise it back up to 155 via direct heat now.
9/10/2022 5:08 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 5:08 PM about 1 year ago	Successfully raised the mash temp to 155, via direct heat, stirring constantly. Took the kettle off the burner once to let the temp stabilize before proceeding.
9/10/2022 5:15 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 5:15 PM about 1 year ago	Since I have ph test strips on hand, I decided to try testing the mash ph. I figured having some rough idea is better than nothing. It looks like the mash ph is 4.6 or below. I believe that means the mash is way too acidic. I’m not sure if there is anything I can do to correct for this. I may try googling.
9/10/2022 5:26 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 5:26 PM about 1 year ago	Starting sparge water going. I figure it would be good to have it in the right ball park temperature wise.
9/10/2022 5:31 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 6:48 PM about 1 year ago	Checked the mash temp. It was back down at 149. Raised it back up to 156 via direct heat.
9/10/2022 5:46 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other	1.057			9/10/2022 5:46 PM about 1 year ago	Took a refractometer reading. The mash gravity appears to be 1.057. The strike water is a bit less than the post boil volume. So, that seems like it would be a good sign, so long as I can get all the sugars out. I’m going to go ahead and begin the decoction to raise the temp to mash out.
9/10/2022 5:58 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 5:58 PM about 1 year ago	Split mash into two portions. Put two quarts in the small stock pot for decoction. Put the rest in the cooler mash tun for the sparge. Took the temp in the tun, is down to 144.
9/10/2022 6:34 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 6:48 PM about 1 year ago	After the first decoction was added back in the temp in the tun is still down at 140. Am doing a second Decoction with 3 quarts of mash and an additional 2 quarts of water.
9/10/2022 6:49 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 6:49 PM about 1 year ago	Second decoction worked well. I got the temp up to 180 in the tun. Overshot by a bit but I think that’s okay. Am ready to begin the sparge now.
9/10/2022 7:31 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Mash Complete	1.037	4 Gallons		10/5/2022 7:46 PM about 1 year ago	Sparged until the volume was just a hair over 4 gallons. Took a hydrometer sample, is cooling in the fridge now. The temp of the wart was around 150 in the plastic bucket which is my only means of measuring volume.
9/10/2022 7:54 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Other				9/10/2022 7:54 PM about 1 year ago	I left the kettle on the fire to go clean up a bit. I was keeping an eye on in from the kitchen. All was fine. But then as I came out I just got to the patio as it began to boil over. I caught it pretty quick but there was some spillage.
9/10/2022 8:39 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Pre-Boil Gravity	1.037	4 Gallons	70 °F	9/10/2022 8:39 PM about 1 year ago
9/10/2022 10:04 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Boil Complete	1.061	8.5 Liters	70 °F	9/10/2022 10:04 PM about 1 year ago
9/10/2022 10:21 PM about 1 year ago	+0	Brew Day Complete	1.061	8.5 Liters	70 °F	9/10/2022 10:21 PM about 1 year ago
9/11/2022 12:04 AM about 1 year ago	+1	Other				9/11/2022 12:04 AM about 1 year ago	After resting for about an hour, I washed up. It seems like it took me maybe 30 - 45 min. Was not as bad as I expected. I really needed the break though. I didn’t have lunch either, just the bagel for breakfast. Am very tired now. Time for a shower.
9/24/2022 7:30 PM about 1 year ago	+14	Fermentation Complete	1.015	8 Liters		9/24/2022 7:42 PM about 1 year ago	The sample warmed up to 69 by the time I got a reading on it, but the rest of the beer in the bottling bucket is at 66. I think the fermentation chamber, as expected, had it around 65 degrees average.
9/24/2022 8:55 PM about 1 year ago	+14	Packaged		270 Ounces		9/24/2022 11:17 PM about 1 year ago	I kept the roughly 8 oz sample from the hydrometer reading for taste testing. I tasted it both warm and chilled. The first impression was that this beer clearly has a clove character. However, so far I cannot detect much in the way of banana or bubble gum. It seems to clearly have a distinctive tartness on the finish. It is a golden color and is quite opaque. It’s an attractive beer. It clearly has body based on the mouthfeel, so I’m curious how it will come across with carbonation. Incidentally, I wanted to get down: I used the brewers friend calculator for priming sugar. I primed with 1.8oz of table sugar targeting 2.5 volumes of CO2.
10/5/2022 7:55 PM about 1 year ago	+25	Other				10/5/2022 7:55 PM about 1 year ago	I tasted the one bottle that was half full last night. The color was darker than I expected and there was little to no carbonation perceptible. Tastes about the same as on bottling day as far as I can recall. I'm a little concerned about the lack of carbonation. I wonder if it can be explained by the fact that the bottle was only half full. That's what I'm hoping at this point anyways. Now that I recall, there was a sound of pressure escaping when up opened it. Otherwise it could be: - the yeast is not eating up the sugars due to I would think the cool temperature and low activity, or - not enough priming sugar (which I doubt)
10/11/2022 12:17 AM about 1 year ago	+31	Tasting Note				10/11/2022 4:54 AM about 1 year ago	Appearance Dark golden, and fully opaque with dense haze. Reminds me somewhat of a hazy IPA in look. The hazy color almost looks creamy. Very light carbonation, leading to a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Feel It has a smooth mouth feel with a slight lingering clinginess. A little bit watery but not too much. It may have a slight astringency on the finish but it comes across mostly as a dryness. Taste It has a mellow and complex taste. A slight spicy impression mixes with a slight fruity impression but neither are prominent enough to be characterized as “clove” or “banana”. The middle of the taste is smooth with a slightly sweet fruity impression. Perhaps like peach juice. Occasionally a bready note is discernible but it’s like it’s peaking out from within the more prominent yeast flavors. Overall I’m quite pleased with it. As with many of the hefes I’ve brewed, whether this is the case or not, it ends up have a pleasantly healthy or wholesome sort of taste. It’s a very pleasant, friendly beer. Improvement Ideas I would like it to have a full, billowy, long lasting, creamy head. I would like it to be distinctly and prominently carbonated. This beer has good flavor but it feels barely carbonated. In addition, I feel like it could do with more body. It’s not bad, but it has a bit of a watery texture. That critique is more of a slight thing. I think if the head were better that would result in better body as well. Also, idea for a name: Kingsfoil Bavarian Weissbier, or perhaps Athelas Bavarian Weissbier
10/12/2022 9:33 PM about 1 year ago	+32	Other				10/12/2022 9:33 PM about 1 year ago	I shared some with Smurf and he suggested that it seems like it still tastes a bit sweet, which would be consistent with the low carbonation. Thus, I’ve brought the batch up from the storage area to the fermentation closet. It is much warmer up here, so I’m hoping the heat will help the yeast finish the job and carbonate the beer the rest of the way.
10/23/2022 3:18 AM about 1 year ago	+43	Tasting Note				10/23/2022 3:19 AM about 1 year ago	I have let it carbonate for a couple weeks at room temperature and then let one sit in the fridge for about a week. Now I will do a tasting comparison with the can of Weihenstephan’s Hefe Weissbier. Mine ~~~ Appearance: mine is simultaneously creamier and a bit more murky looking. Mine is more of a straw color where as W’s is bright golden. Mine is much less carbonated. Taste: bready, fruity, with a pleasant malty background. A touch of spice but not very much. By comparison to W’s, it does taste a bit more muddied. There is more of an active yeasty creamy taste. Mouthfeel: Medium body, a bit thin. Weihenstephan’s ~~~ Appearance: bright golden with a bit more head, but still goes away pretty quickly. Surprisingly much more clear than I would expect. Taste: Surpisingly, sort of flat herbal taste seems prominent, almost medicinal. Slight fruitiness in the background. On a second taste there is some breadlines up front. Mouthfeel: Creamy, crisp. Very pleasant and bright.

Date

Days

Event

Gravity

Volume

Temp

Updated

Comment

9/10/2022 4:35 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 4:35 PM
about 1 year ago

When the strike water reached 160, I took the small boil kettle off the fire and put the lid on. I’m giving it a few minutes for the temp to stabilize before mashing in.

9/10/2022 4:40 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

155 °F

9/10/2022 5:32 PM
about 1 year ago

Mashed in with 10.2 liters of strike water in the small boil kettle. Strike water 162. Resulting mash temperature was 155. Was very surprised. The calculators seem to have lead me all wrong… or more likely I mess some key measurement up. For one thing, the mash seems very thin.

9/10/2022 5:03 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 5:07 PM
about 1 year ago

After about 20 min the temp in the kettle is down to 149. Am going to raise it back up to 155 via direct heat now.

9/10/2022 5:08 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 5:08 PM
about 1 year ago

Successfully raised the mash temp to 155, via direct heat, stirring constantly. Took the kettle off the burner once to let the temp stabilize before proceeding.

9/10/2022 5:15 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 5:15 PM
about 1 year ago

Since I have ph test strips on hand, I decided to try testing the mash ph. I figured having some rough idea is better than nothing. It looks like the mash ph is 4.6 or below. I believe that means the mash is way too acidic. I’m not sure if there is anything I can do to correct for this. I may try googling.

9/10/2022 5:26 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 5:26 PM
about 1 year ago

Starting sparge water going. I figure it would be good to have it in the right ball park temperature wise.

9/10/2022 5:31 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 6:48 PM
about 1 year ago

Checked the mash temp. It was back down at 149. Raised it back up to 156 via direct heat.

9/10/2022 5:46 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

1.057

9/10/2022 5:46 PM
about 1 year ago

Took a refractometer reading. The mash gravity appears to be 1.057. The strike water is a bit less than the post boil volume. So, that seems like it would be a good sign, so long as I can get all the sugars out. I’m going to go ahead and begin the decoction to raise the temp to mash out.

9/10/2022 5:58 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 5:58 PM
about 1 year ago

Split mash into two portions. Put two quarts in the small stock pot for decoction. Put the rest in the cooler mash tun for the sparge. Took the temp in the tun, is down to 144.

9/10/2022 6:34 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 6:48 PM
about 1 year ago

After the first decoction was added back in the temp in the tun is still down at 140. Am doing a second Decoction with 3 quarts of mash and an additional 2 quarts of water.

9/10/2022 6:49 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 6:49 PM
about 1 year ago

Second decoction worked well. I got the temp up to 180 in the tun. Overshot by a bit but I think that’s okay. Am ready to begin the sparge now.

9/10/2022 7:31 PM
about 1 year ago

Mash Complete

1.037

4 Gallons

10/5/2022 7:46 PM
about 1 year ago

Sparged until the volume was just a hair over 4 gallons. Took a hydrometer sample, is cooling in the fridge now. The temp of the wart was around 150 in the plastic bucket which is my only means of measuring volume.

9/10/2022 7:54 PM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/10/2022 7:54 PM
about 1 year ago

I left the kettle on the fire to go clean up a bit. I was keeping an eye on in from the kitchen. All was fine. But then as I came out I just got to the patio as it began to boil over. I caught it pretty quick but there was some spillage.

9/10/2022 8:39 PM
about 1 year ago

Pre-Boil Gravity

1.037

4 Gallons

70 °F

9/10/2022 8:39 PM
about 1 year ago

9/10/2022 10:04 PM
about 1 year ago

Boil Complete

1.061

8.5 Liters

70 °F

9/10/2022 10:04 PM
about 1 year ago

9/10/2022 10:21 PM
about 1 year ago

Brew Day Complete

1.061

8.5 Liters

70 °F

9/10/2022 10:21 PM
about 1 year ago

9/11/2022 12:04 AM
about 1 year ago

Other

9/11/2022 12:04 AM
about 1 year ago

After resting for about an hour, I washed up. It seems like it took me maybe 30 - 45 min. Was not as bad as I expected. I really needed the break though. I didn’t have lunch either, just the bagel for breakfast. Am very tired now. Time for a shower.

9/24/2022 7:30 PM
about 1 year ago

+14

Fermentation Complete

1.015

8 Liters

9/24/2022 7:42 PM
about 1 year ago

The sample warmed up to 69 by the time I got a reading on it, but the rest of the beer in the bottling bucket is at 66. I think the fermentation chamber, as expected, had it around 65 degrees average.

9/24/2022 8:55 PM
about 1 year ago

+14

Packaged

270 Ounces

9/24/2022 11:17 PM
about 1 year ago

I kept the roughly 8 oz sample from the hydrometer reading for taste testing. I tasted it both warm and chilled. The first impression was that this beer clearly has a clove character. However, so far I cannot detect much in the way of banana or bubble gum. It seems to clearly have a distinctive tartness on the finish. It is a golden color and is quite opaque. It’s an attractive beer. It clearly has body based on the mouthfeel, so I’m curious how it will come across with carbonation.

Incidentally, I wanted to get down: I used the brewers friend calculator for priming sugar. I primed with 1.8oz of table sugar targeting 2.5 volumes of CO2.

10/5/2022 7:55 PM
about 1 year ago

+25

Other

10/5/2022 7:55 PM
about 1 year ago

I tasted the one bottle that was half full last night. The color was darker than I expected and there was little to no carbonation perceptible. Tastes about the same as on bottling day as far as I can recall. I'm a little concerned about the lack of carbonation. I wonder if it can be explained by the fact that the bottle was only half full. That's what I'm hoping at this point anyways. Now that I recall, there was a sound of pressure escaping when up opened it.

Otherwise it could be:
- the yeast is not eating up the sugars due to I would think the cool temperature and low activity, or
- not enough priming sugar (which I doubt)

10/11/2022 12:17 AM
about 1 year ago

+31

Tasting Note

10/11/2022 4:54 AM
about 1 year ago

Appearance

Dark golden, and fully opaque with dense haze. Reminds me somewhat of a hazy IPA in look. The hazy color almost looks creamy. Very light carbonation, leading to a thin white head that dissipates quickly.

Feel

It has a smooth mouth feel with a slight lingering clinginess. A little bit watery but not too much. It may have a slight astringency on the finish but it comes across mostly as a dryness.

Taste

It has a mellow and complex taste. A slight spicy impression mixes with a slight fruity impression but neither are prominent enough to be characterized as “clove” or “banana”. The middle of the taste is smooth with a slightly sweet fruity impression. Perhaps like peach juice. Occasionally a bready note is discernible but it’s like it’s peaking out from within the more prominent yeast flavors.

Overall

I’m quite pleased with it. As with many of the hefes I’ve brewed, whether this is the case or not, it ends up have a pleasantly healthy or wholesome sort of taste. It’s a very pleasant, friendly beer.

Improvement Ideas

I would like it to have a full, billowy, long lasting, creamy head. I would like it to be distinctly and prominently carbonated. This beer has good flavor but it feels barely carbonated. In addition, I feel like it could do with more body. It’s not bad, but it has a bit of a watery texture. That critique is more of a slight thing. I think if the head were better that would result in better body as well.

Also, idea for a name: Kingsfoil Bavarian Weissbier, or perhaps Athelas Bavarian Weissbier

10/12/2022 9:33 PM
about 1 year ago

+32

Other

10/12/2022 9:33 PM
about 1 year ago

I shared some with Smurf and he suggested that it seems like it still tastes a bit sweet, which would be consistent with the low carbonation. Thus, I’ve brought the batch up from the storage area to the fermentation closet. It is much warmer up here, so I’m hoping the heat will help the yeast finish the job and carbonate the beer the rest of the way.

10/23/2022 3:18 AM
about 1 year ago

+43

Tasting Note

10/23/2022 3:19 AM
about 1 year ago

I have let it carbonate for a couple weeks at room temperature and then let one sit in the fridge for about a week.

Now I will do a tasting comparison with the can of Weihenstephan’s Hefe Weissbier.

Mine
~~~

Appearance: mine is simultaneously creamier and a bit more murky looking. Mine is more of a straw color where as W’s is bright golden. Mine is much less carbonated.

Taste: bready, fruity, with a pleasant malty background. A touch of spice but not very much. By comparison to W’s, it does taste a bit more muddied. There is more of an active yeasty creamy taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, a bit thin.

Weihenstephan’s
~~~

Appearance: bright golden with a bit more head, but still goes away pretty quickly. Surprisingly much more clear than I would expect.

Taste: Surpisingly, sort of flat herbal taste seems prominent, almost medicinal. Slight fruitiness in the background. On a second taste there is some breadlines up front.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, crisp. Very pleasant and bright.

Brewer's Friend

Harold-is-Weizen (half-batch 2022)