Dunkelweizen - Recipe

[JammyBStard]

Has anyone got a good tried and tested Dunkelweizen recipe?

[subfaction]

+1 I'd like to know too

[seymour]

This is just for you JammyBStard, subfaction keep your eyes to yourself! Just kidding.

Have fun with this bad boy. I love it, but it's not for the feint of heart. I've gotten great feedback, and it's submitted to the Samuel Adams Longshot competition but I haven't received the judges' results yet. Note there's no pale base malt at all (ahem, Arrogant Bastard…), so it's very toasty, roasty, fruity and melanoidy. It would make a good holiday special brew. I called mine Påske Øl (Danish Easter Beer, look it up.) Of course German noble hops would be more true-to-style--feel free to substitute--but I loves me some musky hops. Any hops would sit back-seat on this one anyway. The batch size is a bit odd, too, but that's just how I roll.

SEYMOUR DUNKELWEIZEN

6.75 US gallons = 5.6 Imperial gallons = 25.5 Liters

MALTBILL:
48.3% = 6 lbs = 2.7 kg, Unmalted wheat (cheap cracked wheat or Bulgur from the market is fine)
32.2% = 4 lb = 1.8 kg, Munich malt
8% = 1 lb = 454 g, Cara-Amber malt
6% = 12 oz = 340 g, Special-B malt
3.5% = 7 oz = 198 g, Home-roasted wheat (til nice and brown, don't obsess)
2% = 4 oz = 113 g, Oats (plain ol' instant, flaked, rolled, pinhead, or Scotch from your kitchen)

HOPS:
1 oz = 28 g, Cluster, in the mash tun
.75 oz = 21 g, Cluster, 60 minutes
.25 oz = 7.1 g, Cluster, 30 minutes

MASH:
Because of all the darker malts, unmalted grain, and lack of enzyme-rich pale malt, I strongly recommend a classic deClerk multi-step mash, or basic two-step at the very least:
122°F/50°C for 30 minutes then raise to 150°F/66°C, 2 hours total

Pinch of calcium carbonate in mash, Irish moss near the end of boil. One more ingredient, but I hid that Easter egg in this thread /viewtopic.php?f=4&t=54626&p=574377#p574377

YEAST:
Dual-strain fermentation. Pitch a packet each of lager yeast and German wheat yeast. Yeah, at the same time. No, stop being so fiddly, just let it ferment at room temperature. Cold-condition later if you insist.

PRIME with ½ cup brown cane sugar, boiled with a bit of water, transfer to bottles or cask.

CONDITION 1 week at fermentation temperature, then 3 weeks at 50-60°F/10-16°C.

STATISTICS:
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.9%
IBU: 18
COLOUR: 23° SRM/44° EBC

[zgoda]

Mine is like 50 gms Carafa 1 special, 150 gms dark crystal (like special b or caraaroma), 350 gms crystal, 2.5 kgs wheat malt and the rest to desired og Munich malt (that's for 21 ltr). Some noble hops to 15-18 IBU in one copper addition for 60 mins. Mash like any other weizen, either step mash or decoction, but don't mash it too dry, because weizen yeast are good attenuators.

I usually brew it to ~1.053 or bit more. Ladies love it.

[subfaction]

Nice one guys, what yeast would you recommend?

[seymour]

Nice one guys, what yeast would you recommend?

I used the closely guarded "Seymour House Blend #1, 3rd generation."

Actually, I don't keep many secrets. You could get close by pitching Saflager W-34/70, Safbrew WB-06, and the Zum Uerige strain (available as WLP320 or Wyeast 1010). I'd love to know how it comes out with only a hefeweizen yeast (WB-06, for instance.) If you come over, we'll share a bottle of my Påske Øl and I'll let you keep the dregs.

Zgoda has access to some sweet Zymoferm yeasts we can't get, but let's see...

[Rookie]

I had one in august at a beerfest that was relly good. The brewer told me he used Wyeast 3056.

[JammyBStard]

Cheers guys, I knew I could rely on the Yanks on this one

Let me fiddle with beer smith with this a bit and get back to you!

[zgoda]

In theory, any German weissbier yeast will do. But really if you want good results use proven yeast, like Weihenstephan. I doubt you can get any Zymoferm yeast in UK, so you are left with what American companies provide.

[JammyBStard]

The main reason I'm after doing a Dunkle next is I have a Hefeweizen on at the moment and I want to use the WLP300 it's sitting on.

[seymour]

The main reason I'm after doing a Dunkle next is I have a Hefeweizen on at the moment and I want to use the WLP300 it's sitting on.

Absolutely perfect. That's the Weihenstephan strain Zgoda described (and the original strain WB-06 is derived of, too, most likely.) If you wanted to do a multi-strain fermentation like me, just add a lager yeast packet with the fresh wort as well.

[subfaction]

Nice one, I didn't know wb06 & wlp300 were related. I always expected very different results from them, is this not the case?

[zgoda]

Maybe they are related in some way, but the flavour and aroma intensity is not the thing that they have in common. Unfortunately, any dry wheat yeast available now on the market cann't stand liquid.

[subfaction]

That's what I figured from reading, got my stir plate and flask setup so just need to find some time and I can get a hefe and a dunkle going with wpl300

[seymour]

Nice one, I didn't know wb06 & wlp300 were related. I always expected very different results from them, is this not the case?

Oh, I can't say they're definitely related, but they probably originated from the same brewery/lab and have undergone separate changes since. Weihenstephan is the world's oldest intact commercial brewery, and houses one of Germany's (hence the whole beer world's) most historically significant and diverse yeast archives and laboratory. Of course, their collection contains many unrelated strains. Safbrew WB-06 is a Bavarian-style wheat yeast strain rumored to be derived from a Weihenstephan strain (if true, we still don't know which number.) White Labs WLP300 and Wyeast 3068 are almost certainly the historical Weihenstephan 68 strain (note: the Wyeast number even contains the Weihenstephan number.)

Zgoda's right, beer fermented with WB-06 doesn't end-up quite as complex and distinctive compared to these two liquid strains; but I'd say it's similar, just subdued. It makes sense that some characteristics would be diminished in the process of freeze-drying and shelf-stabilizing a living organism, right?

That said, I've made excellent beer with German lager and weissbier traits using dried yeasts: Saflager W-34/70 (the classic Weihenstephan 34/70 lager strain), Safbrew WB-06, and a combination thereof.