[fmader]

Welp.... Here's my first draft of a cherry wheat... What do ya think?

Batch = 5.5
OG = 1.050
60 minute mash @ 152
Batch Sparge @ 185

50% White Wheat = 5 lb
40% Pils Malt = 4 lb
10% Munich = 1 lb
Rice Hulls

60 minute = 1 oz Willamette
30 minute = ½ oz Willamette

WLP 320 American Hefeweizen Yeast

Add 32 oz of Cherry Bay Orchards Tart Juice Concentrate to the secondary

[Stevie]

Personally, I would skip the second hop addition. Otherwise I like it.

Be sure to wash the hulls. Those things are dirty.

[HoosierBrew]

Looks solid to me. Your wife-to-be will love it. Congrats BTW !

[fmader]

Looks solid to me. Your wife-to-be will love it. Congrats BTW !

Haha thanks... Actually she's not a fan of cherries, so she won't be having that. She's a stout girl. She's chomping at the bit to have the breakfast stout that I just kegged. She'll wants to drink wine at the wedding, which I'm cool with.... Whatever makes her happy, right?

[HoosierBrew]

Absolutely keep her happy ! Well the cherry wheat will be good regardless. Cool that she likes stout, that can be a tough sell.

[fmader]

Absolutely keep her happy ! Well the cherry wheat will be good regardless. Cool that she likes stout, that can be a tough sell.

Yeah, especially outdoors on May 31st... Stouts and warm weather don't mix well IMO. IPA, pale ale, golden ale, and cherry wheat it is.

[HoosierBrew]

That's a good warm weather lineup. Something for everybody.

[majorvices]

Ever have Sam Adams cherry wheat? It's awful. Hope yours turns out better than that! I personally think cherries go great with dark, rich flavors (think cherries and chocolate) or sour and tart flavors. But in a beer like an American Wheat it's going to be a little bit like cough syrup. Lighter fruits like apricots and peach go in lighter flavored beers. Keep the dark, robust fruits to pair with the dark, robust beers.

[Joe Sr.]

Ever have Sam Adams cherry wheat? It's awful. Hope yours turns out better than that!

Yes. I've had it. Yes it's awful.  Spectacularly so.

Good luck.


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[Stevie]

-1 for Sam Adams Wheat 

At least they no longer call it a Cherry Lambic

[fmader]

Ever have Sam Adams cherry wheat? It's awful. Hope yours turns out better than that! I personally think cherries go great with dark, rich flavors (think cherries and chocolate) or sour and tart flavors. But in a beer like an American Wheat it's going to be a little bit like cough syrup. Lighter fruits like apricots and peach go in lighter flavored beers. Keep the dark, robust fruits to pair with the dark, robust beers.

Lol yes, I've had it and it is bad, but in defense to cherry wheats, San Adams does not make a great beer lol. But yes, it's sweet and extracty tasting. I was hoping by using tart cherries, I would avoid that flavor.

I made a peach wheat last year and it was just meh. I may consider brewing the lemon wheat I brewed last year with solid success.

[majorvices]

-1 for Sam Adams Wheat 

At least they no longer call it a Cherry Lambic

Pretty sure it was always Cherry Wheat. I think you are remembering Cranberry Lambic, an equally horrific SA fruit "beer".

[HoosierBrew]

I hate SA Cherry Wheat too, because they're clearly using some sort of crap LHBS-type flavoring to get that cough syrup thing. Aside from that, real cherries (or puree) turn a beer deep brick red color(and actually taste good), not the pale gold/amber color of the SA, which is the smoking gun .  So I guess if you add a couple Bing cherries to 1000 bbl then you can claim that you use cherries.   BS.   I've made cherry wheat beers for my wife using fresh cherries, Oregon puree, and tart cherry concentrate at different times, all of which were vastly superior to that fake, artificial crap, and actually had the color you get if you use real, actual cherries - ie., vibrant, deep red.


EDIT - Founders Cerise is an example of a pale cherry beer that is legit. As much as I could enjoy any fruit beer, it is pretty good. Kriek level cherry, minus the bugs.

[stevenb]

I just brewed and bottled a cherry blonde using 3# Vintners Harvest Cherry Puree in secondary.  Natural cherry flavor vs. the SA cough syrup.  It has 2 more days to condition in the bottle.  The color is a deep amber/orange/ruby red color.  The flavor is good as well.  (Yes I had to make sure before it is completely carbonated.)  The aroma and flavor of sweet and tart cherries is accentuated by black currant flavor and aroma of Bramling Cross hops, and the sweet grain comes through on the finish.  I don't like cloying fruit beers, so this will be a good summer beer for me.  The wife will like it as well.