Dunkelweizen: A Summer Thirst Quencher

Summer is on the way (really, Michigan), and that is a great time to enjoy a weizen (wheat, in German). Many beer enthusiasts enjoy this choice during warmer months because a weizen is often lower in alcohol content than other brews. Some aficionodos accompany a weizen with a wedge of lemon, either swirled around the edge of the glass or squeezed and dunked into the the drink. German styles have a distinct banana-clove flavor, while American varieties, tending to have less wheat and more barley, offer a taste more familiar to the American beer drinker. Weizens are also very eye-catching due to their propensity to form a tall head.

Here is a basic recipe for a dunkelweizen (dark wheat, not "dunked lemon"). The recipe yields 5 gallons and combines grains with a malt extract.

1 lb. wheat malt
1 lb. pale malt
.5 lb. medium crystal malt
5.5 lbs. wheat malt extract
.5 lb. dark malt extract
.75 oz. Hallertauer hops at 55 min. boil
.5 oz. Hallertauer hops at 20 min. boil
.5 oz. Hallertauer hops for steep
1 pkg. yeast food
3 qt. wort, saved prior to fermentation

Start yeast one day prior to brewing.

To begin the brew, preheat at least one gal. of water to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Crush grains and add, letting steep in water for 30 min. Sparge with at least one gal. of water preheated to 168 degrees.

Bring wort to a boil, then turn off heat, adding malt extracts while stirring. Return to boil for 5 min., then slowly add .75 oz. of Hallertauer hops. Boil for an additional 35 min., and then add .5 oz of Hallertauer hops. Continue to boil for 20 min.

Next, add the remaining .5 oz. of Hallertauer hops. Turn off heat. Steep 5-10 minutes.

Chill the wort and transfer to the fermenter, saving 3 qt. of the wort in a sanitized container. Refrigerate until bottling.

Add cold water to the fermenter to 4.5 gal. Pitch the yeast and add the yeast food. Ferment 7 days. Rack to a secondary carboy for 1 week. Prime with the reserved wort and bottle.