# Wheat Apple Ale



## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Would one of these be a better match then fuggles for this recipe?

Hallertau Hallertauer

Alpha: 3.0 - 5.0%. Classic German hop with a mild, noble aroma, slightly fruity and spicy, flowery and haylike. Ideal for aroma and flavor in any German beer, and is also suitable for use in other Continental styles, Belgian ales and lagers.

Hallertau Hersbrucker

Alpha: 4.0 - 6.0%. Our German Hallertau is grown in the Hersbrucker region. It is appropriate in any lager, regardless of color or gravity. Hersbrucker has a very pleasant, spicy, earthy aroma.

Anthony


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Actually I'd probably go with the fuggles personally. They have a nice, kind of "earthy" quality. The spiciness and floral qualities of the noble hops, especially nice german ones, I feel are best reserved for a clean lager where their qualities will really shine. You'll have a very complex brew there (sage, apples, acidity from the wheat, not to mention the yeast); IMO too many dancers on the flavor floor keeps any of them from really shining.

And Hersbrucker has always smelled like soap to me; the militant Continental Lager Nazis want me strung up for not kow-towing at the altar of the Hersbrucker but that's my story and I'm sticking to it







. Put thirty or forty pounds of pellets into half-ounce bags for resale and you'll know what I mean  .


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Thanks Ben,

Anthony


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Saaz would be my first choice, but then again its my first choice more often than not. Fuggles does have a nice woodsy flavor.


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

I'm looking to add 20 - 25 IBU's, with as little hop flavor and aroma as possible.

How does Galena rank amoung the bittering varieties?

Would a 60 min. boil be enough "Burn Off" the beta acids responsible for aroma?

Anthony

ps. Had I read more before starting this thread, this might have been my first question regarding hopping this mead.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Well every hop has it's own bittering character. Can't say I remember ever using Galena, not that it's not a good hop I just haven't explored it. 60 minutes will well and truly address flavor and aroma; aroma actually comes from the essential oils which are very volatile. 10 minutes and they're completely toast. That's why they smell so good when you throw them in the kettle; the smells are leaving the wort and entering the air immediately and in large amounts.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

As usual Ben is correct. It sounds like your really cranking out some nice brews Anthony. With regard to the hops, remember that unpleasant hop aromas often result from using too many hops or unsuitable water (I avoid using alkaline or "softened" waters). A good way to tell is to smell the hops in the bag. If you like that smell, that is the classic hop aroma of late kettle additions.


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Thanks for the input.

I made two extract braggots (2nd w/ specialty grian), before jumping into all grain.

This will be the 4th all grain, second using hops. Have a lot of brewing ahead of me to figure out which hops and how much if any, I like in what braggot.

Anthony


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Well, it took me many tries to arrive at recipes quite similar to yours. A nice roasty braggot can certainly take the bite out of cold winters. Unfortunately I think that they are a little too smooth at times.


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

5 gallon primary ~ 6 gallon secondary

6 lb Sage honey
2 1/2 lb Mixed apples
4 1/4 lb German wheat malt
8 oz Belgian aromatic
4 oz Belgian biscuit
0.7 oz Galena hops

Mash-in, 12 quarts water @ 104,
Protein, 30 minutes @ 122F
Saccharification, 45 minutes @ 158F

Batch sparged w/ 6 quarts @ 170F, pre-boil gravity 1.028, mash efficiency 89%.

Boiled 4.5 gallons wort 75 minutes, 0.7oz Galena pellet's 60 min. (18 IBU's). Cooled and blended with 6lb Sage honey. Pitched Wyeast WY3724.

O.G. - 1.068 ~ Temp 72F

Anthony


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

I had planned on using 3726 Farmhouse Ale. The guy at the brewshop said it was pulled by Wyeast, and 3724 (Belgian Saison) should be very close.

Classic farmhouse ale yeast. Spicy and complex aromatics including bubble gum. Very tart and dry on palate with mild fruit. Finishes crisp and mildly acidic. Benefits from elevated fermentation temperatures. Usually slow to attenuate. Flocculation - low; apparent attenuation: 76-80% ~ 70-85°F.

Not exactly the yeast profile I wanted, yet it should work out well anyway.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Wyeast also has a strain they call "Ardenne". If you like the Belgian stuff, this yeast makes an excellent honey Gran Cru. I highly recommend trying it to make a braggot/corriander methglin.


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Thank's Aspera,

I'll read up on it. I know nothing about ale yeast, have only used two from Wyeast.

I select yeast for a mead based on; starting gravity, style of mead, fermenting temp (it's been in the mid to upper 80's here), and lastly by what it brings to the finished mead.

I don't know belgian from German,

Anthony


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

06/13/06 ~ Gravity 1.030 ~ Temp 70F

I'm quite surprised. This was brewed 06/11/06, in two days more then half the sugar has been converted.

Aroma is of yeast and apples, with honey and malt in the background.

The flavor is tart and dry, yeasty and fruit like. The malt flavor is dry (not sweet at all), much like the wort was and there's the slightest hint of honey. The hops bitterness has been tamed quite a bit from what it was like before pitching the yeast (good thing, it was more bitter then I care for at first).

Squeezed must from fruit bag (only the skins remained after wring) and aerated before racking to secondary, topped up to 6 gallon and fitted a breather bung.

Anthony


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Gravity 0.098 ~ 74F

Flavor; apple is the first impression when tasting, mixed with light malt. Medium-low hops bitterness comes through in the mid pallet then a clean, tart and dry finish.

Anthony


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

This batch is showing no sign of clearing, every braggot I've made in the past has been ready to bottle by the third week.

Have added Irish Moss tea 2 times. After the first addition close to 3" of lies formed on the bottom of the carboy.

Any thoughts on the cause of this?

Anthony


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Things that differ in this batch from the others;

90% of the grist was malted wheat,
2 1/2 lb of apples,
The wort was warm (105F) when added to the fruit in primary,
Belgian Saison was the only yeast used.

I'm thinking any or all of these could contribute to haze, and this may not clear at all. Yesterday added hot irish moss tea to the carboy, this worsened the haze which has me thinking pectin may be part of the problem.

Anthony


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Well, that's a lot of protein from the wheat. Pectin could also be contributing. I'd counsel patience; three weeks is asking a lot for most meads to clear. My orange wine is just clearing after two! Irish moss really works better when boiled in a wort; for in-carboy clarification you'd be better served by isinglass, gelatin, polyclar, or one of the other preparations. Let gravity work on it a few weeks and see what she can do for you is my $.02. Enjoy one of your other fine products in the meantime







.


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## Anthony (Jul 7, 2005)

Thank's Ben,

I'm not in a rush, simply expected it to go like other braggots have. That and not knowing what to expect from the other changes made to my normal braggot recipes.

Anthony


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