if you luv to brew (which you obviously do), you'll find decoction mashing a labor of love. It is something to enjoy and cherish as nod to those who created these styles using traditional methods. Congratulations to a job and brew well done!
Thank you! I definitely did enjoy it a lot more than I expected, labor of love is a good descriptor. Its definitely going to show up in future beers, occasionally.
"Why I would add three extra hours and a bunch of variable that could go wrong, I don't know." Because you have a love and appreciation for the the craft, your ambitious, good at it, and we enjoy watching you because of it! Plus its also fun and just helps you feel a deeper connection to your brew! Great video!
I love decoction mashes, I'm from the deep south, we eat a lot of grits for breakfast here and you have to stand there and stir the grits for about 30mins too because they'll scorch the second you stop. It's a labor of love.
Decoction mashing....Like a living history museum. Just brewed your spiced xmas Weizenbock. Did not decoction mash but fantastic. Happy accident: Accidentally threw the vanilla/cinnamon tincture into a Vienna Lager. GREAT RESULT!!!!! Froliche Weihnacten and Guten Rutsch ins New Jahr!!!!!
Man, I enjoyed the video. I think You did AWESOME!!! Don't give up on the decoction method it takes quite a long time to dial it in and the literature found in the homebrew hobby about the method isn't accurate which makes it more difficult. To make decoction brewing ale and lager easier remove 1/3 of the grain bill and grind it into a kettle. Grind the remainder of the grain into the mashtun. Dough in both with 1 qt. RO water/ lb.. Here's where decoction brewing becomes interesting. The 1/3 batch can be rested at different temperatures, depending on the beer. The 1st decoction usually starts with the albuminus rest before the temperature is increased to saccharification temperature and rested for 20 minutes before being boiled. The main mash is held at a low temperature to preserve Alpha during the time the 1st decoction is worked with which can be an hour and up to 3 hours long, depending on the beer. The decoction method is a cool temperature brewing method using a very thick mash to preserve Alpha. Mash in temperature is usually 50-55F which begins softening starch. The mash is rested for at least 3 hours, overnight is better. The rest at 145F for 90 minutes is too long, again, preserving Alpha is important in decoction brewing. Next time, use 140F for 45 minutes, then, increase temperature to the 150F range for 20-30 minutes to denature Beta and allow Alpha to liquefy starch. Alpha releases sweet tasting, nonfermenting, sugar and glucose from simple starch, amylose when the enzyme liquefies a numbered link in the starch chain. When the link is liquefied 2 chains form, 1 chain is called the reducing end. The reducing end contains more links which Alpha liquefies until all the links are gone, leaving sweet tasting sugar behind. The other chain is the nonreducing end which is simple sugar, glucose, responsible for primary fermentation. Beta really doesn't release sugar. Beta is the converter. During conversion Beta converts glucose released by Alpha into complex types of sugar. When 2 glucose molecules are bonded with 1 molecule of water Beta forms a di-saccharide, maltose. When 3 glucose molecules are bonded to water Beta forms a tri-saccharide, maltotriose. When conversion occurs secondary fermentation is necessary. Beer doesn't need priming sugar or CO2 injection for carbonation when conversion occurs. Beer naturally carbonates during conditioning due to maltotriose. The single temperature brewing method doesn't require secondary fermentation because temperatures in the 150F range denatures Beta quickly, curtailing conversion. During dextrinization and gelatinization Alpha releases A and B limit dextrin from complex starch, amylopectin which are tasteless, nonfermenting types of sugar responsible for body and mouthfeel. Amylopectin is heat resistant, hard, starch and boiling the mash causes the starch to burst and enter into the liquid, quickly where Alpha liquefies the starch, stopping at a 1-6 link or a branch. The temperatures used in single temperature brewing aren't high enough to cause the starch to burst before Alpha denatures and the starch is left in the spent mash. Did you notice if the mash jelled up when the decoctions were added back into the main mash? A ferulic rest is usually performed in a small volume of mash because for the rest to work efficiently the pH has to be around 8. The pH is increased in the mash and reduced before being blended with the main mash. I think that if the rest is performed in the entire mash at pH in the 5 range it may be too much and the flavor may be aggressive in the final product. At the low pH there is probably a temperature to match it, that's the way that enzymes work and there's always an optimum temperature and pH. At a low pH maybe 104F is needed or maybe 122F. The same applies to the protein rest. When the entire mash is rested at an albuminus temperature it's too much and the beer will be insipid, but stable. You might want to look into the IOB for info on ferulic acid and see what they say. The IOB made malt, modern. The decoction method isn't known for releasing tannin. Tannin extraction is a time/temperature/pH thing and it is possible that the issue was caused due to pH and long rest periods when the beer was made. When mash is recirculated at a high temperature for longer than 10 minutes a condition called over sparging occurs which releases tannin. If pH is high use some sauer malt and stabilize pH before activating enzymes. Use the spec sheet that comes with each bag of malt, the pH of the malt is listed along with the level of modification (Kolbach, SNR). A spec sheet is used for determining the quality of malt before the malt is purchased. It was invented by the IOB. To make ale and lager the decoction method and under modified, low protein malt are required. It is chemically and enzymatically impossible to produce ale and lager with a single temperature rest method. The single temperature method and high modified malt are used in grain distillation and the beer is called distillers beer. During Prohibition it was called moonshiners beer. A person in the homebrew industry made a statement many years ago about the decoction method. He said that the decoction method was used back in the day because the malt back then was inferior to modern, high modified, malt, and since the invention of modern malt the decoction method became antiquated and the single temperature method is all that's needed for making ale and lager. The statement is false. The statement is a sales pitch. Brewmasters use the finest malt and they tested malt to ensure it was high quality. To take advantage of the high quality malt the decoction method is used. Using single temperature infusion doesn't take advantage of the rich, more expensive, malt. It was brewmasters that created the IOB to test malt so they wouldn't have to. The word modern was stamped on bags of malt that were tested by the IOB to differentiate the malt from the malt already in warehouses that the brewmasters would need to test. High modified malt was invented the day the Great Magnet invented barley, it's part of germination. The higher the modification the closer the seed comes to being a plant and enzymes become depleted. The higher the protein percentage the less sugar is in the malt, less starch. Homebrew 2 row malt is usually high protein malt with 6 row being the highest protein, 16%, that's why 6 row has high diastatic power, not as much starch for Alpha to work on. Malt above 10% protein is considered high protein malt, homebrew malt is 12 to 16% protein. When starting out with the decoction method it's better to stick with a single, under modified, low protein, malt until you learn how the malt reacts through the enzymatic temperature ranges and during chemical changes that occur after the decoctions are boiled. It's better to limit adding chemicals and harvesting yeast until you establish a consistent baseline which requires making a lot of beer but you're still young. The chemicals homebrewers add are mostly used during the testing of malt, anyway. A brewmaster won't tell anyone what he does with water and malt, so, don't believe someone that says he treats a brewers water. A brewer doesn't use an outside vendor for water treatment because they have the ability in house because they are smart people. The person that treats water in a brewery treats the water for the steam boilers, chillers and condensers to increase life cycle and most of the time that's done in house, too. There are enough chemicals in malt to occupy your time for a long time and yeast, you are light years away from harvesting and you will get in trouble. You need dye to determine if the yeast is suitable but the dye doesn't ensure the yeast is healthy. Instead of jeopardizing beer that you spent 10 hours on, don't add harvested yeast, use new stuff, I implore you. Starting with wheat beer is tough but I admire your zeal. Skim off hot break in the decoction kettle and in the boiler before adding hops, add hops after hot break reduces in the boiler. I'm tired. Stay healthy and safe you and yours and stay thirsty, my friend.
Great video! I've done a decoction brew for a wild yeast Lambic style beer. It's nearly a year old and I can't wait to bottle it and taste it! All my Hefe-Weizen beer have been single mash brews. One thing I have found, is that the flavour really evolves with ageing.
u have taken us back to medieval germany, when there were no thermometers and flawlessly explained this legendary method.......i salute you dude for putting out this vid.......fantastic work.........and deeply knowledgeable ...................cheers
This is becoming my favor beer YT channel. I really appreciate some of (hi)story adders. It's also very educative to see how things get done in the US. I'm also assuming either you are bachelor or have very tolerant wife. I'm brewing in the basement in order not to trash kitchen.
My fave specialty beer bar used a trick to keep hefeweizens foaming vigorously: put it a couple of grains of rice after the glass is poured. The rice adds no flavor and has nucleation points to keep the beer foaming, also it will find its way through the foam head and it will stay below the foam head after that. If it foamed too much, they wiped a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass to keep the foam down. Though you won't need that if you take a good first glug out of your glass. Cheers!
For the decoction, a special like for you. Only old school, only hardcore!)) The more work you put into your favorite business, the more valuable the result is for you. I brew dunkelweizen using two decoctions. Unfortunately, I have a mash without heating and I heat the decoction on a gas stove. The protein pause is very long (low efficiency of the gas comb). But I am not afraid of the lack of a frothy head)) The main thing is a deeply rich malt taste! This cannot be achieved without decoction.
Nice Ommegang shirt. I have the exact same one on now. And, thanks for the tip with the thermometer on the plate wort chiller. I set mine up today and I am able to monitor temp much better.
Awesome video! I dig the style of videos that explain why and how if what's going on. I always love learning. You have a great way of explaining things that aren't dull and boring! Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much! I try my best to present things a bit differently than everyone else if I can. I'm happy you dont find the length of the videos too much. Cheers!
May be once I'm retired, I'll have available time to make such a full of steps cooking. Until then, I'll be satisfied to just brew a wheat beer. Anyway, very informative video. Greetings from Córdoba, Argentina
This is the 2nd video I saw from you where you drink the beer the day after kegging. This surprises me as beer is riping and needs some time in the fridge. I would like you to try these beers over time to see how they develop over time. I am always surprised how a beer changes its character over time. Prost
Very nice video. Congratulations on your hefeweizen. Man, a lot of work. I have just switched from extract to all grain so I have a lot to learn. I believe I can learn quit a bit from your channel. One thing I found out recently is that if you ferment at a slightly higher temp the yeast will produce more of the banana notes. So, the last hefeweizen I brewed (an extract brew) I fermented at around 72 to 73 degrees and it had really nice banana notes to it. Very enjoyable. Thanks for the video.
Great video. Banana is ester and yeast derived, eg stress. Clove is phenol and pre-fermentation derived with the yeast help. Hefeweizen is one of the harder styles to master for sure. Do 50/50 Pilsner and wheat. The tartness is from the wheat. Try floor malted Pilsner. Melanoidin malt sounds interesting.
I brewed a few decoction beers in the recent years and I can say the effort is worth it, especially for a Weizen. I use a shortened decoction. Perhaps you can try it: Step 1) mash in at 35C and rest for 15 minutes. Step 2) take 1/2 of total volume as thick mash, heat it to 72C, and hold it for 15 minutes. Then boil the thick mash for 20 minutes. Step 3) Put thick mash back to the remaining mash. Temperature should now be at 63C (at most 65C). Rest for 15 minutes. Step 4) Take 1/3 of total volume as thin mash, boil it for 20 minutes, and put it back. Temperature should now be 72C. Rest for final 15 minutes, then mash out.
I wouldn't give up on the acid rest. I made a hefeweizen recently with wlp300 and did an acid rest for the first time and it was strongly banana and bubblegum. I did not do the decoction for reasons you already understand lol. Try the acid rest again but give wlp300 a try and give the beer about 3 weeks in the keg with bitey carbonation. It will improve dramatically. Also try to ferment at 62F. I know its against popular opinion. But it worked.
The best hefeweizen I ever made was fermented at a strict 62 degrees and it was pretty great. I believe wlp300 and Wyeast 3068 are the same strain, but I wouldn't mind doing the acid rest again but maybe with a step mash Haha
A thick walled pot would definitely help with the heat distribution, but it was pretty decent I think with that pot. Definitely would be good to upgrade later though
Awesome channel! Your Hefeweizen video showed up on my TH-cam home page. I also BIAB in a small kitchen. I converted to BIAB from batch sparging about 5 years ago and haven’t looked back. I am a new subscriber! Love the channel. Keep up the great work!!!
Awesome video! Regarding the banana/clove balance, wayy wayyy back when I brewed a hefe, I think I read that the banana is an ester, and the clove is a phenol. To increase banana, underpitch and ferment warm (in the 70s for this strain). To increase clove, overpitch and ferment cold plus ferulic acid rest. So I agree on nixing the ferulic acid rest, but maybe pitch a little warmer and stress that yeast a little more to get the balance you want.
You're 100% right on the flavors being esters or phenols respectively. Even though I fermented around 68 I think I should have pushed it even higher, despite still under pitching and under aerating. Just gives me another excuse to brew again haha. Cheers!
@@TheApartmentBrewer Yeast Fermentis WB-06 gives more bananas above 73,4°F. I have brewed 3x with WB-06 and usually end up with some fruity banana ish beer weizen like. :D Never had proper weizen though.
Nice video. I have the same brulosophy tee shirt. Your sister is cool! Great to have a homebrewing family. Been homebrewing for 25 years now. I don’t think decoction is a waste of time if you want to do it. I have never, and I don’t think I ever will. 😀
80 might be a bit too high for this yeast, there's the potential to create fusel alcohols such can deliver a nasty headache. Definitely would be a very strong banana flavor though!
Brewed my first hefe just so. Single infusion mash. I'm a very beginner, only my 3rd batch ever and I definitely over hopped this one. Calc says 30 IBU which is way too much with my lower brewhouse eff. also tried try hopping in this batch and I guess it works alright but I feel like the hefe flavours are left behind this way... Looks very same than your hefe!
Yup. You really want to have a light hand with the hops on a hefe. Unless of course you're trying to clone the hopfenweizen that Schneider Weisse does. Did you use new world or European hops? Either way over time the hop flavor will fade out and you'll be left with more of the classic flavor.
Thanks for your video! Regarding your kegging and tasting experience ... What about trying classic german bottle aging for wheat beer instead of force-carbonating the beer? I usually do second fermentation in half-liters bottles (these are very common in germany where I come from) and add some sugar matching the Co2 requirements (to get about 6gr of Co2 per liter). The yeast that ferments this sugar also adds some aroma to the beer and can be poured to the glass to intensify the cloudy look of the beer and doesn't give any off-flavors to it.
So in this case I didn't actually add it in, trying to get the yeast to express more by slightly stressing it. There is some debate on whether this is an effective method, and I can't definitively say if it's worth it. Healthy yeast is pretty much always better.
New to brewing, I'm curious about a process not typically done with BIAB. Are you recirculating and sparging with BIAB? Was thinking about trying this, but not a lot of info on TH-cam for these steps done with BIAB.
So what do you do to boil your wort when using high amounts of wheat malt - you mentioned your system would scorch previously do you just not use the immersion element and only use the stove top?
It seems to only scorch at specific temperature ranges lower than boiling with all that protein. I had issues in the 100-140 F range but after that it didn't seem to scorch anymore
@@TheApartmentBrewer it's happened to me as well - unfortunately my brew system has built in element ! It's only happened with very very big grain bills but so disappointed when it ruins the beer
Love your videos! I think you answered a question for me today. I have an ultra-low watt density 240V heating element (Clawhammer Brew Supply) that scorched on a German Pilsner recipe. Started mash at 126 for about 20 minutes or so.. by the end of the boil I had beer that "tasted like an ash tray." You think this is protein build up on the element during the low mash temperature? Glad I found your channel! Thanks
Very likely so, I would advise either cleaning the element between mash rests if possible, being very slow with your rise times, or using boiling water to do your first temp change. Glad I could help!
I believe so... this was a while ago but if I remember correctly I racked to a closed secondary after a few days because once the krausen falls there is risk for infection
It does deliver a slight efficiency bump but I also don't want to get my hands dirty Haha. And in some beers the grain bill can get huge and makes it much easier to just rinse in place.
@@TheApartmentBrewer thanks for the reply - sorry for not responding, didn't get a notification! I'm only doing 1 gallon batches, so I'll continue to squeeze (with gloves) but I'm definitely going to try this beer soon. If I were to leave out the decoction, would you still recommend doing the same four rests that you do here?
TheApartmentBrewer if you ever go back to philly and you really like coffee, I highly recommend ReAnimator coffee in Fishtown/Olde Kensington. Best coffee in Philly in my opinion.
Honestly this seems like a massive waste of time especially if you just doing Brew in a bag.. other than for saying you can do it and have done it there's literally no benefit all the modern malts make this kind of pointless big surprise and Munich malts are huge with malt flavor and cripsness.. the modernize malted grains we all use have made this a meaningless procedure that is not going to render you any benefit you can't get from modern malts.. Watch the efficiency between that and normal biab...
Like I've said many times replying to various comments, decoction is a hotly debated topic. True its definitely not necessary anymore due to modern malts, but it doesnt mean it's not worth doing. Personally I dont think it's a waste of time because I had a lot of fun doing it, even if it was a lot of work. To each their own, cheers!
The decoction method is used when under modified, low protein, brewers grade malt is used. Under modified malt is rich in enzyme content. Low protein malt is high in sugar content. The malt you use is high modified, high protein, malt. High modified, high protein, malt is distillers grade malt and single temperature infusion is used because the malt contains mostly Alpha which releases glucose. The beer is called moonshiners beer outside of the homebrew hobby. The single temperature homebrew method skips conversion, secondary fermentation, dextrinization and gelatinization and without the steps ale and lager cannot be produced. The person that told you that modern, high modified malt is great for producing ale and lager and that it only requires soaking the malt in hot water for an hour told you a fib. It's chemically and enzymatically impossible to make ale and lager with the method unless the malt contains magical properties. Back in the 70s a group of advertisers working for the homebrew business came up with CAMRA and they turned moonshiners beer and Prohibition beer into ale and people fell for it.
if you luv to brew (which you obviously do), you'll find decoction mashing a labor of love. It is something to enjoy and cherish as nod to those who created these styles using traditional methods. Congratulations to a job and brew well done!
Thank you! I definitely did enjoy it a lot more than I expected, labor of love is a good descriptor. Its definitely going to show up in future beers, occasionally.
Decoction is not very much practiced in the US, but here in Europe and more specifically Czechia a lot of small and big breweries swear by it
"Why I would add three extra hours and a bunch of variable that could go wrong, I don't know." Because you have a love and appreciation for the the craft, your ambitious, good at it, and we enjoy watching you because of it! Plus its also fun and just helps you feel a deeper connection to your brew! Great video!
I appreciate the kind words! I'm glad you enjoy the decoction experiments haha, I'll have to do this again
I love decoction mashes, I'm from the deep south, we eat a lot of grits for breakfast here and you have to stand there and stir the grits for about 30mins too because they'll scorch the second you stop. It's a labor of love.
Decoction mashing....Like a living history museum. Just brewed your spiced xmas Weizenbock. Did not decoction mash but fantastic. Happy accident: Accidentally threw the vanilla/cinnamon tincture into a Vienna Lager. GREAT RESULT!!!!! Froliche Weihnacten and Guten Rutsch ins New Jahr!!!!!
Man, I enjoyed the video. I think You did AWESOME!!! Don't give up on the decoction method it takes quite a long time to dial it in and the literature found in the homebrew hobby about the method isn't accurate which makes it more difficult. To make decoction brewing ale and lager easier remove 1/3 of the grain bill and grind it into a kettle. Grind the remainder of the grain into the mashtun. Dough in both with 1 qt. RO water/ lb.. Here's where decoction brewing becomes interesting. The 1/3 batch can be rested at different temperatures, depending on the beer. The 1st decoction usually starts with the albuminus rest before the temperature is increased to saccharification temperature and rested for 20 minutes before being boiled. The main mash is held at a low temperature to preserve Alpha during the time the 1st decoction is worked with which can be an hour and up to 3 hours long, depending on the beer. The decoction method is a cool temperature brewing method using a very thick mash to preserve Alpha. Mash in temperature is usually 50-55F which begins softening starch. The mash is rested for at least 3 hours, overnight is better.
The rest at 145F for 90 minutes is too long, again, preserving Alpha is important in decoction brewing. Next time, use 140F for 45 minutes, then, increase temperature to the 150F range for 20-30 minutes to denature Beta and allow Alpha to liquefy starch. Alpha releases sweet tasting, nonfermenting, sugar and glucose from simple starch, amylose when the enzyme liquefies a numbered link in the starch chain. When the link is liquefied 2 chains form, 1 chain is called the reducing end. The reducing end contains more links which Alpha liquefies until all the links are gone, leaving sweet tasting sugar behind. The other chain is the nonreducing end which is simple sugar, glucose, responsible for primary fermentation.
Beta really doesn't release sugar. Beta is the converter. During conversion Beta converts glucose released by Alpha into complex types of sugar. When 2 glucose molecules are bonded with 1 molecule of water Beta forms a di-saccharide, maltose. When 3 glucose molecules are bonded to water Beta forms a tri-saccharide, maltotriose. When conversion occurs secondary fermentation is necessary. Beer doesn't need priming sugar or CO2 injection for carbonation when conversion occurs. Beer naturally carbonates during conditioning due to maltotriose. The single temperature brewing method doesn't require secondary fermentation because temperatures in the 150F range denatures Beta quickly, curtailing conversion.
During dextrinization and gelatinization Alpha releases A and B limit dextrin from complex starch, amylopectin which are tasteless, nonfermenting types of sugar responsible for body and mouthfeel. Amylopectin is heat resistant, hard, starch and boiling the mash causes the starch to burst and enter into the liquid, quickly where Alpha liquefies the starch, stopping at a 1-6 link or a branch. The temperatures used in single temperature brewing aren't high enough to cause the starch to burst before Alpha denatures and the starch is left in the spent mash. Did you notice if the mash jelled up when the decoctions were added back into the main mash?
A ferulic rest is usually performed in a small volume of mash because for the rest to work efficiently the pH has to be around 8. The pH is increased in the mash and reduced before being blended with the main mash. I think that if the rest is performed in the entire mash at pH in the 5 range it may be too much and the flavor may be aggressive in the final product. At the low pH there is probably a temperature to match it, that's the way that enzymes work and there's always an optimum temperature and pH. At a low pH maybe 104F is needed or maybe 122F. The same applies to the protein rest. When the entire mash is rested at an albuminus temperature it's too much and the beer will be insipid, but stable. You might want to look into the IOB for info on ferulic acid and see what they say. The IOB made malt, modern.
The decoction method isn't known for releasing tannin. Tannin extraction is a time/temperature/pH thing and it is possible that the issue was caused due to pH and long rest periods when the beer was made. When mash is recirculated at a high temperature for longer than 10 minutes a condition called over sparging occurs which releases tannin. If pH is high use some sauer malt and stabilize pH before activating enzymes. Use the spec sheet that comes with each bag of malt, the pH of the malt is listed along with the level of modification (Kolbach, SNR). A spec sheet is used for determining the quality of malt before the malt is purchased. It was invented by the IOB.
To make ale and lager the decoction method and under modified, low protein malt are required. It is chemically and enzymatically impossible to produce ale and lager with a single temperature rest method. The single temperature method and high modified malt are used in grain distillation and the beer is called distillers beer. During Prohibition it was called moonshiners beer. A person in the homebrew industry made a statement many years ago about the decoction method. He said that the decoction method was used back in the day because the malt back then was inferior to modern, high modified, malt, and since the invention of modern malt the decoction method became antiquated and the single temperature method is all that's needed for making ale and lager. The statement is false. The statement is a sales pitch. Brewmasters use the finest malt and they tested malt to ensure it was high quality. To take advantage of the high quality malt the decoction method is used. Using single temperature infusion doesn't take advantage of the rich, more expensive, malt. It was brewmasters that created the IOB to test malt so they wouldn't have to. The word modern was stamped on bags of malt that were tested by the IOB to differentiate the malt from the malt already in warehouses that the brewmasters would need to test. High modified malt was invented the day the Great Magnet invented barley, it's part of germination. The higher the modification the closer the seed comes to being a plant and enzymes become depleted. The higher the protein percentage the less sugar is in the malt, less starch. Homebrew 2 row malt is usually high protein malt with 6 row being the highest protein, 16%, that's why 6 row has high diastatic power, not as much starch for Alpha to work on. Malt above 10% protein is considered high protein malt, homebrew malt is 12 to 16% protein.
When starting out with the decoction method it's better to stick with a single, under modified, low protein, malt until you learn how the malt reacts through the enzymatic temperature ranges and during chemical changes that occur after the decoctions are boiled. It's better to limit adding chemicals and harvesting yeast until you establish a consistent baseline which requires making a lot of beer but you're still young. The chemicals homebrewers add are mostly used during the testing of malt, anyway. A brewmaster won't tell anyone what he does with water and malt, so, don't believe someone that says he treats a brewers water. A brewer doesn't use an outside vendor for water treatment because they have the ability in house because they are smart people. The person that treats water in a brewery treats the water for the steam boilers, chillers and condensers to increase life cycle and most of the time that's done in house, too. There are enough chemicals in malt to occupy your time for a long time and yeast, you are light years away from harvesting and you will get in trouble. You need dye to determine if the yeast is suitable but the dye doesn't ensure the yeast is healthy. Instead of jeopardizing beer that you spent 10 hours on, don't add harvested yeast, use new stuff, I implore you. Starting with wheat beer is tough but I admire your zeal.
Skim off hot break in the decoction kettle and in the boiler before adding hops, add hops after hot break reduces in the boiler.
I'm tired. Stay healthy and safe you and yours and stay thirsty, my friend.
Great video!
I've done a decoction brew for a wild yeast Lambic style beer. It's nearly a year old and I can't wait to bottle it and taste it! All my Hefe-Weizen beer have been single mash brews. One thing I have found, is that the flavour really evolves with ageing.
u have taken us back to medieval germany, when there were no thermometers and flawlessly explained this legendary method.......i salute you dude for putting out this vid.......fantastic work.........and deeply knowledgeable ...................cheers
Thank you very much!
I think your NY new favorite home brewer we even have similar taste and you do so much more than the others!
This is becoming my favor beer YT channel. I really appreciate some of (hi)story adders. It's also very educative to see how things get done in the US. I'm also assuming either you are bachelor or have very tolerant wife. I'm brewing in the basement in order not to trash kitchen.
My fave specialty beer bar used a trick to keep hefeweizens foaming vigorously: put it a couple of grains of rice after the glass is poured. The rice adds no flavor and has nucleation points to keep the beer foaming, also it will find its way through the foam head and it will stay below the foam head after that. If it foamed too much, they wiped a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass to keep the foam down. Though you won't need that if you take a good first glug out of your glass.
Cheers!
For the decoction, a special like for you. Only old school, only hardcore!))
The more work you put into your favorite business, the more valuable the result is for you.
I brew dunkelweizen using two decoctions. Unfortunately, I have a mash without heating and I heat the decoction on a gas stove. The protein pause is very long (low efficiency of the gas comb). But I am not afraid of the lack of a frothy head)) The main thing is a deeply rich malt taste! This cannot be achieved without decoction.
Nice Ommegang shirt. I have the exact same one on now. And, thanks for the tip with the thermometer on the plate wort chiller. I set mine up today and I am able to monitor temp much better.
It really does help!
Awesome video! I dig the style of videos that explain why and how if what's going on. I always love learning. You have a great way of explaining things that aren't dull and boring! Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much! I try my best to present things a bit differently than everyone else if I can. I'm happy you dont find the length of the videos too much. Cheers!
I really want to try to brew a Hef!
Thanks - love your videos. Hard to get perspective on older methods from many other brewing sources.
Glad you enjoy it!
Great video. I like the extra clove from the ferulic acid rest in this style.
"You have to drink when doing this". Sis is definitely an experienced homebrewer. :)
I think that's rule number 1 if homebrewing! Haha cheers!
Brewdog is class
May be once I'm retired, I'll have available time to make such a full of steps cooking. Until then, I'll be satisfied to just brew a wheat beer.
Anyway, very informative video.
Greetings from Córdoba, Argentina
Amazing video, thanks for sharing. cheers
This is the 2nd video I saw from you where you drink the beer the day after kegging. This surprises me as beer is riping and needs some time in the fridge. I would like you to try these beers over time to see how they develop over time. I am always surprised how a beer changes its character over time. Prost
Very nice video. Congratulations on your hefeweizen. Man, a lot of work. I have just switched from extract to all grain so I have a lot to learn. I believe I can learn quit a bit from your channel. One thing I found out recently is that if you ferment at a slightly higher temp the yeast will produce more of the banana notes. So, the last hefeweizen I brewed (an extract brew) I fermented at around 72 to 73 degrees and it had really nice banana notes to it. Very enjoyable. Thanks for the video.
Very much enjoy your brews...Your sis is an expert photobomber...always been interested in decoction but know it is such a pain.
Thanks! Outside of being a massive time commitment, the decoction was not as hard to pull off as I had expected. Definitely worth a try!
Carbonate the beer with sugar in the keg. Then turn the keg upside down so the yeast will sink to through the keg. Now you can tap a nice yeasty beer.
Great video. Banana is ester and yeast derived, eg stress. Clove is phenol and pre-fermentation derived with the yeast help. Hefeweizen is one of the harder styles to master for sure. Do 50/50 Pilsner and wheat. The tartness is from the wheat. Try floor malted Pilsner. Melanoidin malt sounds interesting.
Great video!
Thank you!
I brewed a few decoction beers in the recent years and I can say the effort is worth it, especially for a Weizen. I use a shortened decoction. Perhaps you can try it: Step 1) mash in at 35C and rest for 15 minutes. Step 2) take 1/2 of total volume as thick mash, heat it to 72C, and hold it for 15 minutes. Then boil the thick mash for 20 minutes. Step 3) Put thick mash back to the remaining mash. Temperature should now be at 63C (at most 65C). Rest for 15 minutes. Step 4) Take 1/3 of total volume as thin mash, boil it for 20 minutes, and put it back. Temperature should now be 72C. Rest for final 15 minutes, then mash out.
I'm definitely interested in trying it, that's a lot less time commitment than a traditional schedule. Cheers!
I wouldn't give up on the acid rest. I made a hefeweizen recently with wlp300 and did an acid rest for the first time and it was strongly banana and bubblegum. I did not do the decoction for reasons you already understand lol. Try the acid rest again but give wlp300 a try and give the beer about 3 weeks in the keg with bitey carbonation. It will improve dramatically.
Also try to ferment at 62F. I know its against popular opinion. But it worked.
The best hefeweizen I ever made was fermented at a strict 62 degrees and it was pretty great. I believe wlp300 and Wyeast 3068 are the same strain, but I wouldn't mind doing the acid rest again but maybe with a step mash Haha
@@TheApartmentBrewer yes, absolutely. They could be the same and I changed both variables at once, thinking both things made it better.
Watch that decoction pot, keep stirring and use a thick-walled pot for these steps. Part of the fun (i.e., pain) of decocting!
A thick walled pot would definitely help with the heat distribution, but it was pretty decent I think with that pot. Definitely would be good to upgrade later though
Lovely family. Cheers bud for yet another great G2G! Skål
Thanks, it was a lot of fun to not brew solo for once. Skal!
Theapartmentbrewer would care to learn more about HOMEBREW this wheat beer you are making in this video from Canada Toronto Ontario Etobicoke North
Awesome channel! Your Hefeweizen video showed up on my TH-cam home page. I also BIAB in a small kitchen. I converted to BIAB from batch sparging about 5 years ago and haven’t looked back. I am a new subscriber! Love the channel. Keep up the great work!!!
Awesome! I'm glad you're enjoying things, and thank you for the subscribe!
Awesome video! Regarding the banana/clove balance, wayy wayyy back when I brewed a hefe, I think I read that the banana is an ester, and the clove is a phenol. To increase banana, underpitch and ferment warm (in the 70s for this strain). To increase clove, overpitch and ferment cold plus ferulic acid rest. So I agree on nixing the ferulic acid rest, but maybe pitch a little warmer and stress that yeast a little more to get the balance you want.
You're 100% right on the flavors being esters or phenols respectively. Even though I fermented around 68 I think I should have pushed it even higher, despite still under pitching and under aerating. Just gives me another excuse to brew again haha. Cheers!
@@TheApartmentBrewer Yeast Fermentis WB-06 gives more bananas above 73,4°F. I have brewed 3x with WB-06 and usually end up with some fruity banana ish beer weizen like. :D Never had proper weizen though.
beautiful looking beer........it competes with store bought..................enjoy..
Eating pizza and seeing that krauzen was a bad combo, but the beer looks great nonetheless 😂
What a great video!!!
Thank you, glad you're enjoying it! Cheers!
Nice video. I have the same brulosophy tee shirt. Your sister is cool! Great to have a homebrewing family. Been homebrewing for 25 years now. I don’t think decoction is a waste of time if you want to do it. I have never, and I don’t think I ever will. 😀
Cheers! Thats an awesome homebrewing achievement, congrats on 25 years!
Probably try it again without the decoction method and a warmer ferment period around 80 - 82 f to get more of a banana flavor
80 might be a bit too high for this yeast, there's the potential to create fusel alcohols such can deliver a nasty headache. Definitely would be a very strong banana flavor though!
I heard that low to mid 70s gets you more of the clove notes where high 70s to low 80s gets you more of the banana notes
Brewed my first hefe just so. Single infusion mash. I'm a very beginner, only my 3rd batch ever and I definitely over hopped this one. Calc says 30 IBU which is way too much with my lower brewhouse eff. also tried try hopping in this batch and I guess it works alright but I feel like the hefe flavours are left behind this way... Looks very same than your hefe!
Yup. You really want to have a light hand with the hops on a hefe. Unless of course you're trying to clone the hopfenweizen that Schneider Weisse does. Did you use new world or European hops? Either way over time the hop flavor will fade out and you'll be left with more of the classic flavor.
@@TheApartmentBrewer I used Magnum at 60 minutes.
Thanks for your video! Regarding your kegging and tasting experience ... What about trying classic german bottle aging for wheat beer instead of force-carbonating the beer? I usually do second fermentation in half-liters bottles (these are very common in germany where I come from) and add some sugar matching the Co2 requirements (to get about 6gr of Co2 per liter). The yeast that ferments this sugar also adds some aroma to the beer and can be poured to the glass to intensify the cloudy look of the beer and doesn't give any off-flavors to it.
I think the bottle conditioned version I made last year definitely had more character, I just wanted it quickly and on draft Haha. Cheers!
German wheat malt 57.2%
Pilsner malt 37.8%
German CaraAroma 5.2%
German Carafa 0.8%
Hops
German perle 50%
Hallertauer 50%
no yeast nutrient for this one dude or is it just not in the video? You usually add it in so wondered if there's a reason not to with this one.
So in this case I didn't actually add it in, trying to get the yeast to express more by slightly stressing it. There is some debate on whether this is an effective method, and I can't definitively say if it's worth it. Healthy yeast is pretty much always better.
New to brewing, I'm curious about a process not typically done with BIAB. Are you recirculating and sparging with BIAB? Was thinking about trying this, but not a lot of info on TH-cam for these steps done with BIAB.
Where did you source your information on decoction?
Que fermentación le das 15 días y que mas
Why do you think it has a husky tannin flavor. I just made a Hefeweizen and I’m getting the same flavors.
Husky tannins can come from scorching wort, too high of a sparge temp, polyphenols from the grain. Really there are a number of things.
So what do you do to boil your wort when using high amounts of wheat malt - you mentioned your system would scorch previously do you just not use the immersion element and only use the stove top?
It seems to only scorch at specific temperature ranges lower than boiling with all that protein. I had issues in the 100-140 F range but after that it didn't seem to scorch anymore
@@TheApartmentBrewer do you just avoid using the immersion element at low temperature?
That's correct, I'll typically just use an infusion of boiling water to raise the temp if I'm step mashing at those temps
@@TheApartmentBrewer it's happened to me as well - unfortunately my brew system has built in element ! It's only happened with very very big grain bills but so disappointed when it ruins the beer
Love your videos! I think you answered a question for me today. I have an ultra-low watt density 240V heating element (Clawhammer Brew Supply) that scorched on a German Pilsner recipe. Started mash at 126 for about 20 minutes or so.. by the end of the boil I had beer that "tasted like an ash tray." You think this is protein build up on the element during the low mash temperature?
Glad I found your channel! Thanks
Very likely so, I would advise either cleaning the element between mash rests if possible, being very slow with your rise times, or using boiling water to do your first temp change. Glad I could help!
Hey quick question, after 3 days of open fermentation did you rack it in the secondary then? Or wait until Day 10?
I believe so... this was a while ago but if I remember correctly I racked to a closed secondary after a few days because once the krausen falls there is risk for infection
I scorched a weisinboch 😢
Newbie here - why do you drain and sparge rather than lift out the bag and squeeze? Is it just about efficiency?
It does deliver a slight efficiency bump but I also don't want to get my hands dirty Haha. And in some beers the grain bill can get huge and makes it much easier to just rinse in place.
@@TheApartmentBrewer thanks for the reply - sorry for not responding, didn't get a notification! I'm only doing 1 gallon batches, so I'll continue to squeeze (with gloves) but I'm definitely going to try this beer soon. If I were to leave out the decoction, would you still recommend doing the same four rests that you do here?
I love traditional wheat brews! Do you add soy to yours though? Seems like you may and I try to stay away from soy
I dont see why soy would be added, can you explain?
What was the psi?
I think I left it on 20-25 psi for a few days, but I reduced the pressure when pouring for the video.
I'm glad that you hate yourself because this heffe was great
Your sister seems to have a fun personality...... awesome
Cheers Steve
Hahaha I'm very happy you enjoyed this beer! Did you happen to do the 50 point inspection on any of them?
@@TheApartmentBrewer no..... but i still have your imperial stout so I'll 50 point inspect that 😁
Ah well regardless I am really happy I was able to share some!
I see your coffee cup, you from philly?
Nope, I live in New Hampshire, but I've been a few times and enjoyed it!
TheApartmentBrewer if you ever go back to philly and you really like coffee, I highly recommend ReAnimator coffee in Fishtown/Olde Kensington. Best coffee in Philly in my opinion.
Bring your sister back
%
Good job but not a decoction .
good work but you talk too much!
Honestly this seems like a massive waste of time especially if you just doing Brew in a bag.. other than for saying you can do it and have done it there's literally no benefit all the modern malts make this kind of pointless big surprise and Munich malts are huge with malt flavor and cripsness.. the modernize malted grains we all use have made this a meaningless procedure that is not going to render you any benefit you can't get from modern malts..
Watch the efficiency between that and normal biab...
Like I've said many times replying to various comments, decoction is a hotly debated topic. True its definitely not necessary anymore due to modern malts, but it doesnt mean it's not worth doing. Personally I dont think it's a waste of time because I had a lot of fun doing it, even if it was a lot of work. To each their own, cheers!
The decoction method is used when under modified, low protein, brewers grade malt is used. Under modified malt is rich in enzyme content. Low protein malt is high in sugar content. The malt you use is high modified, high protein, malt. High modified, high protein, malt is distillers grade malt and single temperature infusion is used because the malt contains mostly Alpha which releases glucose. The beer is called moonshiners beer outside of the homebrew hobby. The single temperature homebrew method skips conversion, secondary fermentation, dextrinization and gelatinization and without the steps ale and lager cannot be produced. The person that told you that modern, high modified malt is great for producing ale and lager and that it only requires soaking the malt in hot water for an hour told you a fib. It's chemically and enzymatically impossible to make ale and lager with the method unless the malt contains magical properties. Back in the 70s a group of advertisers working for the homebrew business came up with CAMRA and they turned moonshiners beer and Prohibition beer into ale and people fell for it.