So I bottled up the Hefeweizen today. I’m trying the 32oz Grolsch style bottles this time. They definately make for easier bottling I think. However, while you have to fill less, cleaning and sanitizing them all take just as much time so I guess it’s a wash in the end. Final SG was 1.015.
After a couple of weeks in the bottle I think my Grande Cru is nearing completeness. One thing I’ve noticed is that there seems to be an excessive amount of carbonation. When I crack open a bottle, it immediately starts to bubble from the bottom and the first pour gives more head than beer. I’m not sure the reason for this, but I have a feeling I should have left it in the fermenter a bit longer. The taste is very sweet, obviously because of all the honey in there. Should I do this again I will note to not use so much honey and maybe even boil it a bit longer. Overall, it is a good beer, it’s giving me a nice buzz already. The taste is very powerful, the honey seems to take precidence in the taste. The brew has convinced me that going forward, I will definately filter the wort before adding to the fermentor as the hop pellets were just too much to leave in and clogged up my racking cane.
There is a definate difference in using the White Labs yeast as opposted to the dried or even smack pack for the Abbey Ale. The Grande Cru bottles have a good 1/4″ of yeast sediment on the bottom and when I swirled to get all of the yeast out of this bottle and into my glass, you can see the yeast film on top of the head and definately taste it. Since I’m quite the yeast fan this is good for me, but I can see how you would want to disclose this to others drinking it who may not feel the same way.
Overall, this seems like a good, robust brew. I’m looking forward to how a few more weeks and months might affect the taste.
After three weeks in the bottle, the Abbey Ale kit Gina and I got from Midwest Supplies is done. I tried a couple of bottles on the second week after bottling and it just wasn’t ready yet. The flavors were seperated and it seemed a bit too sweet on the first taste. After this third week it has combined nicely and the couple of bottles I’ve had were great. The hops are almost a bit too bitter, but the candy sugar seems to mellow it out a bit.
I got a kit from Midwest Supplies, Hanks’ Hefeweizen.
6 pounds of Wheat malt extract
1 pound of light DME
Carapils malt
Tettnanger bittering hops, 1oz
White Labs Hefeweizen Ale 300 pitchable tube
The boil was fairly straightforward. The actual starting specific gravity came out to be 1.043.