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Edelweiß
My next brew is going to be one of those recipes that I’ve wanted to try since the moment I read about it - Edelweiß (Edelweiss), from Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Beer Making Book:
http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beermakingbook
Here is the enticing description that is found in the book:
After reading something like that, I figured that I had better try this recipe at least once in my lifetime. It’s the beginning of summer now, rather than spring, but I am guessing that will not be a problem. This is a beer that is best enjoyed when young, so I am sure that it will be refreshing on a sunny summer day.
The unique thing about this beer is that it is bottled three days after pitching the yeast, with no added priming sugar. The last of the fermentation and resulting carbonation take place using the remaining residual sugars in the wort, a process that supposedly contributes to the special characteristics of this wheat ale. When I asked Brooklyn Brew Shop asked about the timing, they said that as close to 72 hours as possible (from pitching yeast to bottling) provides the best results with carbonation for this recipe. It doesn't have to be exact, but that is the best time-table. We’ll see how it turns out.
The grain bill is pretty simple and straightforward, filled with German malts; Pale Wheat, Pilsner, Munich and Melanoidin are all that is needed for this recipe.
The hops for this recipe are probably a bit off the traditional path - it uses Centennial hops for bittering and flavour, then Amarillo hops for aroma. For this first attempt, I will stick with the hops that are prescribed by the recipe; however, when I make this in the future, I will be looking to take this beer back across the Atlantic. I’m guessing that noble hops such as Tettnanger or possibly Hallertau would be most appropriate, but will see what I can find out before making any hard decisions.
As far as yeast is concerned, I had two choices available to me - Mangrove Jack’s M20 Bavarian Wheat and DanStar’s Munich. I had at first decided to go with the M20; however, when I contacted Brooklyn Brew Shop about this decision, they said that while M20 is a decent enough yeast that should produce a tasty beer, they recommend White Labs Hefeweizen Ale Yeast for the best results. Because of this, I might hold off on brewing long enough to order the recommended yeast; By the sounds of it, I will still have plenty of time to receive the yeast, brew, bottle etc. I'll give it some thought, and post updates as they happen.
For those who are into stats, I plugged this recipe into Brewers Friend and came up with this, using “German Wheat Beer/Weissbeer” as the yardstick by which to measure it.
OG - 1.057 (0.02 over style)
FG - 1.015 (0.01 over style)
ABV - 5.44% (conforms to style)
IBU - 14.28 (conforms to style)
SRM - 5.50 (conforms to style)
I’m no expert, but this looks pretty darn close to "style" to me; the very slight variations might have something to do with the mash guidelines that I entered, which are often just a guess on my part.
Here is the label that I came up with for this brewing session -
I had considered a few classic Alpine scenes, but this one struck close to home, and I decided to go with it. I like the image of a young robin - a harbinger of spring here in Montana - anxiously waiting for spring (which is often late in Montana) as an Edelweiß flower emerges from the snow.
If anyone is interested in trying this recipe, feel free to shoot me a PM and I can email it to you; I am reluctant to post it on the open forum, as it is not “my” recipe. I would also recommend picking up this book, as well as the second book from BBS - Make Some Beer:
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Some-Bee...ct_top?ie=UTF8
Both of these books have a lot of good information for the beginning homebrewer, with plenty of room to grow; additionally, I find the recipes to be quite inspiring, with interesting creativity and enthusiastic descriptions. I’ve been happy with all of the ones that I’ve tried so far.
As always, please feel free to chime in, follow along or otherwise participate in the discussion.
More as it happens, etc. &c….
Ron
My next brew is going to be one of those recipes that I’ve wanted to try since the moment I read about it - Edelweiß (Edelweiss), from Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Beer Making Book:
http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beermakingbook
Here is the enticing description that is found in the book:
This is our take on Edelweiss, the somewhat obscure German style of hefeweizen, a cloudy wheat beer. It gets bottled early, just a few days after adding the yeast, and without any extra honey or syrup. The beer finishes fermenting in the bottle and gathers a light carbonation. The result is a floral, yeasty beer that ends up on the sweeter side of the wheat beer spectrum - more bubblegum and banana than spicy clove. This beer is soft and gentle, making it ideal for springtime.
The unique thing about this beer is that it is bottled three days after pitching the yeast, with no added priming sugar. The last of the fermentation and resulting carbonation take place using the remaining residual sugars in the wort, a process that supposedly contributes to the special characteristics of this wheat ale. When I asked Brooklyn Brew Shop asked about the timing, they said that as close to 72 hours as possible (from pitching yeast to bottling) provides the best results with carbonation for this recipe. It doesn't have to be exact, but that is the best time-table. We’ll see how it turns out.
The grain bill is pretty simple and straightforward, filled with German malts; Pale Wheat, Pilsner, Munich and Melanoidin are all that is needed for this recipe.
The hops for this recipe are probably a bit off the traditional path - it uses Centennial hops for bittering and flavour, then Amarillo hops for aroma. For this first attempt, I will stick with the hops that are prescribed by the recipe; however, when I make this in the future, I will be looking to take this beer back across the Atlantic. I’m guessing that noble hops such as Tettnanger or possibly Hallertau would be most appropriate, but will see what I can find out before making any hard decisions.
As far as yeast is concerned, I had two choices available to me - Mangrove Jack’s M20 Bavarian Wheat and DanStar’s Munich. I had at first decided to go with the M20; however, when I contacted Brooklyn Brew Shop about this decision, they said that while M20 is a decent enough yeast that should produce a tasty beer, they recommend White Labs Hefeweizen Ale Yeast for the best results. Because of this, I might hold off on brewing long enough to order the recommended yeast; By the sounds of it, I will still have plenty of time to receive the yeast, brew, bottle etc. I'll give it some thought, and post updates as they happen.
For those who are into stats, I plugged this recipe into Brewers Friend and came up with this, using “German Wheat Beer/Weissbeer” as the yardstick by which to measure it.
OG - 1.057 (0.02 over style)
FG - 1.015 (0.01 over style)
ABV - 5.44% (conforms to style)
IBU - 14.28 (conforms to style)
SRM - 5.50 (conforms to style)
I’m no expert, but this looks pretty darn close to "style" to me; the very slight variations might have something to do with the mash guidelines that I entered, which are often just a guess on my part.
Here is the label that I came up with for this brewing session -
I had considered a few classic Alpine scenes, but this one struck close to home, and I decided to go with it. I like the image of a young robin - a harbinger of spring here in Montana - anxiously waiting for spring (which is often late in Montana) as an Edelweiß flower emerges from the snow.
If anyone is interested in trying this recipe, feel free to shoot me a PM and I can email it to you; I am reluctant to post it on the open forum, as it is not “my” recipe. I would also recommend picking up this book, as well as the second book from BBS - Make Some Beer:
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Some-Bee...ct_top?ie=UTF8
Both of these books have a lot of good information for the beginning homebrewer, with plenty of room to grow; additionally, I find the recipes to be quite inspiring, with interesting creativity and enthusiastic descriptions. I’ve been happy with all of the ones that I’ve tried so far.
As always, please feel free to chime in, follow along or otherwise participate in the discussion.
More as it happens, etc. &c….
Ron
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