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Hi all,

While eating breakfast this morning I had an idea about using some steeped weet-bix in a wheat beer that I'm planning. I quite like a nice weizen, and have read that they use unmalted wheat as well as malted wheat and barley. How's this look for a recipe:
- Can of Thomas Cooper's Wheat Beer (the kit, not the concentrate)
- Can of Cooper's Wheat Extract
- Some steeped weet-bix (500g??)
- K-97 yeast
- Hops

The only thing I'm unsure about is the type/qty of hops to balance all the sweetness. I'm guessing 10g of Saaz for a 60min boil?

I could call it the Brett Lee special.....

Any ideas/suggestions?

Cheers,

Tim

I have read of unmalted grains used but always in a mash with malt that will convert the starch. Do a search, I'm sure someone on AHB did use Wheat-Bix instead of torrified wheat.

I was gonna give it a try and see how it went.

If you find any interesting info on the topic please post the links. I will do the same if I get time to look around...

It's a good idea in principle but here are some issues:

1. Have you ever seen what happens to wheat bix when it's soaked - it will literally turn to mash and I think you'll have some serious trouble straining it. However, I'm really curious as to what kind of taste and texture this will impart so I'm curious to see wheat the rest have to say.

2. If you want a weizen, your main problem is the yeast. The K97 is pretty stock standard for a wheat beer but choice of yeast is what will give you some of the unique tastes. The K97 won't. It's been argued that this is just a dry from of a lot of the good liquid yeasts but I'm not convinced.

The rest looks ok.

HOPS:
If you're going with Saaz, try some extras like Hallertauer (15g on boil for 15 min, 15g quick boil method - boil with a little bit of dry wheat malt) plus your Saaz for aroma. Perhaps Amarillo?

YEAST
The yeast, go with Wyeast 3068 (Wheinstephen) Wheat Yeast.

WHEAT/GRAINS
I'd also suggest you steep around 300g of carapils grain for 30 minutes, strain then boil.

The alternative to wheat bix is puffed wheat breakfast cereal or pick up 250-500g of torrefied wheat from your HB store and use that. The next time I used torrefied wheat I'm going to take the recommendations on this site and do a mini-mash.


Views?

Hmmm - good points Danzar.

Might try and get som Wyeast from G&G.

timmy wrote:Hmmm - good points Danzar.

Might try and get som Wyeast from G&G.

Give it q go. I use the K97 but only when I can't get the liquid. Just make sure you make some starters so you get more for your buck.

do you think it would be necessary to strain the weetbix? i think the whole lot would settle out to the bottom, and you can always rack the beer anyway.. thoughts?

velophile wrote:I have read of unmalted grains used but always in a mash with malt that will convert the starch.

Good point velophile.

There is some malt in Weetbix anyway, so I dunno if that will help in converting the whole wheat starches.

i remember hearing somewhere that weet-bix are partially made from Coopers spent grains, anyone else remember reading/heard about that?

I've read that too DFT

timmy wrote:There is some malt in Weetbix anyway, so I dunno if that will help in converting the whole wheat starches.

You need the enzymes in grain malt to do the conversion. You could do a mini-mash with some high diastase malt like Galaxy.

Hi All
I'm on on my 6th Hoogarden clone from a receipt way back (ntrabbit)
I had been using the torrified wheat but this has become impossible to get here, except as breakfast cereal at $4 x 250gms. Talking to my local HBS
we concluded that all that was happening was u are making, with the steep, is a wheat tea. Went along to the local "Pantryman" and settled on rolled wheat and have used that now for the last three brews. Having on hand some commited Hoogarden drinkers
1) they can't pick between the two different brews
2) they are happy to give an 8/10 for for both
The best bit is that rolled wheat sells at $3/kg
rgds

Quart, what sort of quanitites of rolled wheat do you use and what method?

Torrified wheat needs to be mashed with malt at 70C to convert the starches does it not?

I'm going to be doing a Hoegaarden Wit soon, love to see your current recipe if you're happy to post it

This one?

rwh
thats the original, but being an oap if u count up the cost of that brew
its getting out of my available pocket money. Also I had very mixed results with getting starters from the original Hoegaarden dregs,all ready to brew and the little sods are lying on their backs, little legs and arms in the air pretending to be dead. so now I just go for the freshest w/beer my local hbs has in stock.
Pale
As I said in my original post I don't think the addition of wheat to this clone is to produce anything more than colour and the cloudy look of this beer. U can do this brew without the wheat, and, taste etc. will be fine, but colour way off and of course clear. My thoughts for what there worth is that with 3.7kg of extract the additions are to produce taste and "look". I will now go and figure out with one finger and 6 beers how to post the recipe
rgds

Isn't the extra wheat to add body and mouthfeel as well as colour/clarity?

Pale_Ale wrote:Isn't the extra wheat to add body and mouthfeel as well as colour/clarity?

If anything, for the 'tart' flavour that comes with a wit plus mouthfeel, as you said Pale.

You can't replicate the colour of the Hoegaarden using kit beer as K & K contains malted wheat.

Much of the extremely pale, milky colour in the Hoegaarden comes from the use of unmalted wheat - you can only get this by going all grain.