Good questions, I'll try to answer them all.
Clibit wrote:Hey Seymour I like the look of that! With 40 IBUs obviously. What they thinking, dropping it to 20?!
Schlafly was recently sold by the original founders to a private equity group, and as so often happens, cost-cutting measures were immediately noticeable. In 2012, the original Schlafly Yakima Wheat was a small-batch only offered locally, but in 2014 it was selected as one of the contract-brewed "Can Sessions" for wide distribution, at which time they reduced the alcoholic and bitterness strength. I figure it was a simple business decision: less malt and hops = less expensive to produce = higher profit. Plus, 40 IBU is significantly bitter in a pale light-bodied beer like this, especially for something not clearly labelled as an IPA. All us local beer nerds loved the over-the-top English-style hoppiness, of course. But I can imagine mass market research indicating that something called "Wheat" should be mellow and bland like Blue Moon, Shock Top, etc. Schlafly was much cooler when it was independently owned, smaller, and bolder.
Clibit wrote:What would be a good yeast to use?
Schlafly uses the Anchor Liberty strain, available as Wyeast 1272 and White Labs WLP051.
With regards to hop schedule:
Schlafly adds hops at the beginning of a 1 hour boil, then at flame-out in the whirlpool, then a dry hop process added to fermented beer (described in detail in Stan Hieronymous' book For the Love of Hops, if you're really interested.)
Bunglebrewsbeer wrote:I see. Thinking it might be a nice summer ale.
It definitely is. I prefer the higher gravity and IBU of course, but the watered-down cans are still quite good. Challenger hops are just that delicious.
