Kristallweizen (Clear Hefeweizen) Homebrew Recipe and Review
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A friend of Mike and Jesse’s spent some time over in Germany way back when, and always talks about how much he loved the Kristallweizen. What’s a homebrewer to do but brew up some for him? This is the second batch that Mike has made for his friend Scott, and he’s really happy how it came out.
You can find the recipe at the bottom of this page.
With this particular beer, Mike really pushed the banana flavor, driving up ester production, because that’s the way he like it.
The primary way to increase ester production is:
- Low pitch rate
- Warm fermentation temperature
- Lower pressure
We had a bit of confusion about the relationship between pressure and ester production, but after verifying it, it may be a show first, Mike was right! As a general rule, higher pressure during fermentation means lower ester production. The inverse is true as well, lower pressure increases ester production. For this beer, Mike performed an open fermentation.
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Opening Music is Rock Jam Band courtesy of TheoTer on FreeSound – https://freesound.org/people/TheoTer/sounds/569778/
Kristallweizen Recipe – All Grain
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 gal | 90 min | 13.2 IBUs | 3.4302431 | 1.050 | 1.011 | 5.2 % |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Rice Hulls | 6.56 oz | 4.27 |
| Pilsner (2 Row) Ger | 4.589 lbs | 47.86 |
| White Wheat Malt | 4.589 lbs | 47.86 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallertauer | 0.39 oz | 90 min | Boil | Pellet | 4.8 |
| Hallertauer | 0.29 oz | 60 min | Boil | Pellet | 4.8 |
| Hallertau | 0.2 oz | 15 min | Boil | Pellet | 4.5 |
Miscs
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactic Acid | 2.00 ml | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Calcium Chloride | 1.23 g | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) | 0.98 g | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Epsom Salt (MgSO4) | 0.78 g | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Salt | 0.14 g | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Calcium Chloride | 2.23 g | 60 min | Water Agent | |
| Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) | 1.78 g | 60 min | Water Agent | |
| Epsom Salt (MgSO4) | 1.41 g | 60 min | Water Agent | |
| Salt | 0.25 g | 60 min | Water Agent |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hefeweizen IV Ale (WLP380) | White Labs | 77% | 66°F - 70°F |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 152°F | 60 min |
Notes
| Let wort stand 30 minutes before chilling. Target to ferment at 70 degrees Original inspiration was from German Wheat Beer - Eric Warner - Austrian Style Kristall Weizen I married it some with my Half-Time Hefeweizen. What I plan on doing here is: 1. Ferment in fermzilla, open fermentation, covering the top loosly with foil. Then put lid and dip tube back on when done. 2. Underpitch, but grow the yeast up in a starter just in case I need to finish the beer off. 3. Cold Crash in the fermentation chamber 4. Add geletin 5. Draw from the top with the floating dip tube. 3/3/2023 - Final gravity is 1.006. Starting to bring the temp down 10 degrees at a time. This really came out great, Scott loved it. It was lots of bananas, and I think the open fermentation really helped brink that out. |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
