Dunkelweizen Archives – St Louis Brewminati

STL Brewminati December 2020 Club Meeting

stlbrewminati — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 23:38:50 +0000

Join us for our monthly club meeting. This will be our Holiday get-together where we’ll exchange a six pack of commercial/homebrew beer in either a Secret Santa format or a Rob Your Neighbor format. Our December Meeting will also include our quarterly beer-style competition. For December, that style is Dunkelweizen. Entries will be judged and scored based upon the accepted BJCP style guidelines. The top scoring entry will be declared the competition winner.

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Dunkelweizen – Yeast Pitch Rate Effects

stlbrewminati — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 01:00:00 +0000

Yeast Pitch Rate Effects on the Dunkelweizen Style

The Wyeast 3068 – Weihenstephan Weizen yeast strain is the classic Hefeweizen yeast strain. It is also one of the most popular German wheat beer strains used worldwide. The Weihenstephan Weizen yeast strain is typically used in the production of Hefeweizens, Dunkelweizens, and Roggenbiers. This yeast strain produces a balance of banana esters and clove phenolics. Manipulating the balance towards either ester production or phenolics production can be done with an easy trick. That trick? Change your yeast pitch rate. In this post, we’ll explore how to change the pitch rate and the effects that under- and over-pitching the yeast will have on the finished beer.

Some Quick Background Information On Wyeast 3068

Before we look at the effects of under- and over-pitching, there are a two things to know about this yeast strain. First, the Weihenstephan Weizen yeast strain often produces a sulfur aroma during fermentation. With some conditioning, the sulfur aroma will clear out. Second, this yeast strain will also remain in suspension for an extended period of time following attenuation. For truly clear beer, filtering is required; however, filtering can also reduce the amount of esters and phenolics in the finished beer.

How to Change the Yeast Pitch Rate

According to Wyeast, the typical pitch rate for the Weihenstephan Weizen yeast strain (Wyeast 3068) is 125 ml of yeast slurry and nutrient to a 5 gallon batch of wort. Decreasing that amount will under-pitch, while increasing that amount will result in over-pitching. Depending upon just how much you under- or over-pitch, the effects will range from subtle to drastic. The extreme ends of under- or over-pitching could potentially result in flaws with the finished beer or even worse issues.

The Effects of Under-Pitching and Over-Pitching

Understanding the effects of the yeast pitch rate on the Dunkelweizen style will allow you to tailor the finished beer to your desired tastes.

Under-Pitching

Increasing The Ester Production (Banana)

Decreasing the pitch rate will contribute to increased ester production, yielding more banana notes to the beer. You can achieve additional ester production by increasing the fermentation temperature and increasing the wort density (wort density = specific gravity).

Concerns When Under-Pitching

A low pitch rate can lead to:
– Excess levels of diacetyl
– Increase in higher/fusel alcohol formation
– Increase in ester formation
– Increase in volatile sulfur compounds
– High terminal (finishing) gravities
– Stuck fermentations
– Increase risk of infection

Over-Pitching

Increasing The Phenolics Production (Clove)

Increasing the pitch rate will contribute to increased phenolics production. This can result in a near complete loss of banana character. Decreasing the ester level will allow a higher clove character to be perceived.

Concerns When Over-Pitching

A high pitch rate can lead to:
– Very low ester production
– Very fast fermentations
– Thin or lacking body/mouthfeel
– Autolysis (Yeasty flavors due to lysing of yeast cells)

Dunkelweizen Yeast Pitch Rate Educational Material

Keep the handout readily available for the next time you brew a Dunkelweizen and you are looking to manipulate the esters and phenolics in your Dunkelweizen.

The post Dunkelweizen – Yeast Pitch Rate Effects appeared first on St Louis Brewminati.

German-Style Dunkelweizen

stlbrewminati — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 05:30:00 +0000

An Overview Of The German-Style Dunkelweizen

The German-style Dunkelweizen can be considered a cross between a German-style Dunkel and a Hefeweizen. It is distinguished by its sweet maltiness and slight chocolate-like character. A Dunkelweizen is balanced against the banana esters and clove phenolics from the weizen ale yeast. Dunkelweizens are highly carbonated and refreshing, with a creamy, fluffy texture and light finish that encourages drinking.

2015 BJCP Style Guidelines (Dunkeles Weissbeer – 10B)

OG	1.044 – 1.056
FG	1.010 – 1.014
ABV	4.3% – 5.6%
IBU	10 – 18
SRM	14 – 23

AppearanceAromaFlavorMouthfeelCharacteristic Ingredients

Light copper to mahogany brown in color. A very thick, moussy, long-lasting off-white head is characteristic. May be hazy due to the high protein content of wheat in this traditionally unfiltered style, alothough the level of haze is somewhat variable. Suspended yeast sediment can contribute to cloudiness.

Moderate phenols (usually clove) and fruity esters (usually banana). The balance and intensity of the phenol and ester components can vary, but the best examples are reasonably balanced. Optionally, a low to moderate vanilla character and/or faint bubblegum notes may be present, but should not dominate. Hop aroma ranges from low to none, and may be lightly floral, spicy, or herbal. A light to moderate wheat aroma (which might be perceived as bready, doughy, or grainy) may be present and is often accompanied by a caramel, bread crust, or richer malt aroma. The malt aroma may moderate the phenols and esters somewhat.

Low to moderately strong banana and clove flavor. The balance and intensity of the phenol and ester components can vary, but the best examples are reasonably balanced and fairly prominent. Optionally, a very light to moderate vanilla character and/or faint bubblegum notes can accentuate the banana flavor, sweetness, and roundness; neither should be dominant if present. The soft, somewhat bready, doughy, or grainy flavor of wheat is complimentary, as is a richer caramel, toast, or bread crust flavor. The malty richness can be low to medium-high, and supports the yeast character. A roasted malt characteristic is inappropriate. A spicy, herbal, or floral hop flavor is low to none, and hop bitterness is very low to low. Well-rounded, flavorful, often somewhat malty palate with a relatively dry finish.

Medium-light to medium-full body. The texture of wheat as well as yeast in suspension, imparts the sensation of a fluffy, creamy fullness that may progress to a lighter finish, aided by moderate to high carbonation effervescent.

By German brewing tradition, at least 50% of the grist must be malted wheat, although some versions use up to 70%; the remainder is usually Munich, Vienna, or dark or caramel wheat malts, or pilsner malt with color malt. A decoction mash is traditional, but infrequently used today. Weizen ale yeasts produce the typical spicy and fruity character, although extreme fermentation temperatures can effect the balance and produce off-flavors.

Educational Material For The German-style Dunkelweizen

Did you miss getting the handout from our meeting where we discussed the German-style Dunkelweizen? Download it now or print it out.

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