Honey Wheat

8/10/10

Listermann's Honey Wheat

Start date:  7/18/10                         Keg date: 8/18/10                            Drink date:

BG: 1.06               FG: 1.008                             ABV: 6.83%

Hop bittering units: 14

Ingredients

2 lbs honey

4 lbs wheat extract syrup

.25 lbs Carafoam

1 oz Liberty hops pellets- bittering

.5 oz Libery hops pellets- aroma

1 pack of yeast

Process

·         boil water

·         steep grains for 30 minutes

·         boil liquid malt/honey mixture

·         add bittering hops to boil (in steeping bag)

·         add aroma hops to boil

·         Transfer to fermenting carboy

·         ferment for 1-2 weeks

·         bottle

Comments

This was a brew kit from Bill Slagle's company, Listermann's.  The extract was a large bucket of wheat extract syrup combined with the 2 lbs of honey.  We had never come across a kit like this.  The directions also said to add the bittering hops in a steeping bag, which was a first.  This worked fine and I didn't notice any big difference.  It didn't prevent boil overs or anything like that.  The fermenting took much longer than usual.  The air lock was bubbling for 2 weeks, instead of the usual 5 days.  I don't know if this is good, bad, or neither.  But we will see.  We are going to bottle it soon.  We decided to go back to bottling due to our lackluster results kegging so far.  We have not really had a succesful brew since the last time we bottled, which was the California Common.  Our kegged beers have been drinkable, but nothing spectacular.  Bottling is a lot more work but we hope it helps produce a better end product.  I ordered 48 bottles online and they are ready to be put to work.

Well, we are stupid and lazy and kept putting off bottling the Honey Wheat.  We ended up kegging it.  We let it sit in the primary fermenter for about 3 weeks though.  I can't imagine that will help the taste.  The good thing is it is 6.82% ABV.  It is unacceptable that we let it sit for so long.  It's just laziness and that ain't going to cut it. 

It actually tasted okay.  Definitely one of our better kegged beers.  It didn't really have that syrupy, wort-like taste like some of the others.  Now I don't mean to say it was a complete success or anything.  People still weren't super eager to have a glass or two every night.