In the Fermentor: Weizenbock

It's the middle of Winter and time to brew a nice Weizenbock. My take on the style leans toward a heavier Dunkelweizen in character, but doesn't contain a massive alcohol bump. However, it should still have a nice, dense liquid-bread effect on the palate.

Last year's Dunkelweiss had a very complex grain bill. In keeping with my 2013 resolution of doing more with less, this beer is much simpler. An even split of Dark Wheat and Munich Malt, plus a little Dehusked Carafa II for a hint of chocolate is it. I've broken the rules a bit, in that wheat makes up only 49% of my grist, rather than the German minimum of 50%. But what's 1% between friends?

Rounding things out, Opal hops provide mild bitterness, but should add little to no flavor. With a projected ABV of around 6.5%, the finished beer will be on the lighter end of the recommended Weizenbock ABV scale. Having Bock in a beer's name doesn't always have to equal an alcohol bomb.

I've not had the best of luck using a single-infusion mash with wheat malts. It works, but my efficiency has been low. This time, I've employed a multi-step mash with separate Protein, Beta and Alpha rests. It's a much more time consuming process, but the results were worth the effort.

I know that the type and amount of phenols you get from Weizen yeasts are rather tied to fermentation temps. Since I don't have precise temperature control like all the cool kids, I'm going to have to hope for the best. My apartment stays at a constant 68F (thank you hot-water heat that's not warm enough to handle dropping the thermostat at night). I also have a storage closet that is closer to 60F in the Winter. My plan is to do primary fermentation indoors and the secondary in the closet.

Here's the five-gallon recipe:

Grains:
6 lbs Weyermann Dark Wheat
6 lbs Gambrinus Munich Light
4 oz Weyermann Dehusked Carafa II

Hops:
0.8 oz Opal (6.3% a.a.): 60 min

Total Boil Time:
90 min

Yeast:
Safbrew WB-06

Mash Schedule:
Protein Rest: 121F for 20 min
Beta Rest: 146F for 30 min
Alpha Rest: 160F for 30 min
Mashout: 168F for 15 minutes

Original Gravity:
1.064
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.012

IBU: 20
SRM Color: 16

Fermentation Schedule:
2 Weeks Primary
1 Month Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $15 per case
Commercial Equivalent: Weihenstephaner Vitus: $72 per case
Savings: $57

That savings number isn't a joke. There aren't that many Weizenbocks outside of the German ones that are easy to find. None of them are exactly bargains.

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