Schneider Weisse Clone - 5 Gal

After flameout, create a whirlpool. About 30 minutes into the whirlpool, draw about 2 quarts (2 L) of hot, sterile wort from the top of the kettle (where there is less trub than below) into a sealable container. Let that wort cool; then store it in the refrigerator during the brew’s primary fermentation. You will need this wort later as a priming agent, called Speise, during bottle conditioning. Continue whirlpooling for another 30 minutes, by which time, plenty of protein-rich trub should have accumulated in the center-bottom of the brew kettle. Siphon the clarified wort carefully off the debris and heat exchange it into a clean carboy (or bucket for open fermentation) with the pitched yeast. Aerate the wort and ferment it at a temperature of 68 °F (20 °C) for about four days. The brew should now be at the terminal gravity of FG 1.012 and ready for bottle conditioning. On bottling or kegging day, take the Speise out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature. Because at home you are dealing with just a single batch, you must inoculate your saved “unpitched” wort before using it as a Speise. Thus, pitch the second package of yeast into your Speise, close the container and shake it vigorously to aerate it. Then pour the Speise into a clean carboy or a keg and rack the fully fermented brew into it for a thorough mix. Transfer the inoculated beer into bottles or keep it in the closed keg. Once mixed with Speise, let the beer condition for about one week at a cozy room temperature of 70 °F (21 °C). This will produce the hefeweizen’s spritzy carbonation. Also at this temperature, the flavor of the hefeweizen becomes soft and mellow with mild banana tones starting to emerge next to clove and phenol notes. Then cool-condition the brew for another two weeks at about 45 °F (7 °C), which is also a good serving temperature.

An alternative procedure: When ready to package, create Speise using DME (wheat DME) rather than saving Speise from the batch. 2 qts of RO water with enough DME to match the OG of the beer, pitched, aerated as above.

Scale up to 5.25 gal, ABV should be 5.4%