Sunday, April 3, 2011

Lucky Charm (Batch 01): Recipe

RETRO: Post written on July 24, 2014, but set to publish on the initial brew date to maintain order within the blog.

This was my first Berliner Weissbier attempt.  My biggest memory of this one is draining fruited kegs over Fourth of July weekend in 2011, sitting on the deck with my father-in-law in the townhome my wife and I rented in Alexandria, Virginia.

The recipe for the full batch is as follows:

Batch Number: 09
Brew Date: April 3, 2011
Bottle/Keg Date: [Not Recorded]
Batch Size: 5 Gallon
OG: 1.029 (estimate)
FG: 1.002 (estimate)
Fermentation Temperature: 65-70*F
IBU: 4.0
ABV: 2.5% (est.)
SRM: 2.6

Mash: Single infusion at 149*F for 90 minutes.

Boil: 15 minutes

Fermentables

2lb 12oz Pilsner Malt
2lb 12oz White Wheat Malt

Salts & Water

At this point I wasn't doing anything besides filtering the water and adding 5.2 buffer, so that's likely it.

Hops

0.5oz Hallertauer (3.8 AAU) at 15 minutes

Other
Eventual fruit additions, per notes below.

Yeast
White Labs Berliner Weisse Blend (WLP630)

Notes

04.03.2011 – Mashed at 149*F for 90 minutes.  Temperatures pretty much where I wanted them to be.  Used the double sparge technique.  

Ran off approximately 5 gallons and then added about a quart of filtered water to account for the boiloff during the 15-minute boil. 

Added fruit on 05.15.2011.

About 2.5 gallons of each portion.  Base was at 1.005.  One carboy got 24oz of frozen raspberry and 10oz of frozen blackberry.  The kiwi got a little under 3lbs, which was the pulp of 20 kiwis.  Gravity on kiwi portion went back up to 1.015.  Forgot measure berry portion.

Took awhile for fermentation to kick back off. A few bubbles in the blowoff starting the evening of 05.17.