WKE Wheat

Inspiration hit me out of nowhere friday afternoon at my desk. I had enough of checkbox validation schemes for the new survey system and hit Penn Pizza for a Sam Adams Summer Ale. I drank a case of it last summer and it was good. I needed a new beer style to brew and was in need of checking my efficiency. I wasn't feeling the grains of paradise though, so after work hit Keystone.

5.5lbs American Wheat
4.5lbs American Pale
.5lb Rice Hulls
1056 American Ale 12-May 09 (Wanted the american wheat, but out of stock. Judy says it shouldn't matter that much)
1 lemon
1oz Tettnang 4.7% pellet
1oz Saaz czech 3.4% pellet

To make a long story short, OG came in at 1.040 again.. How in hell is this possible? That's 52.5 efficiency, and I was spot on with everything I wanted. I hit 1.040 with the uber pale ale with 7.5lbs of grain and hit the exact same thing with 10? Something is amuk, it most certainly is me.

3.5 Gals 168 Strike brought grain temp to 154 for Liquor:Grist of 1.33. I preheated the Mash Tun and it held the entire 45 mins. 1.25 Gals boiling water brought it to 169 and I held it for another 15 minutes. Ran that off over 30mins with adjusted gravity of 1.054. Sparged with 3 gals at 169 and held for 15 minutes before starting runoff.

8:30 3.5 gals 122deg water into mash tun to preheat
9:10 Transferred preheat water to HLT
9:27 Added hot liquor and 10lbs grain and .5lb rice hulls in about 4 alternating layers 157 initial temp
9:30 Re-Stir 154deg
10:17 Added 1.25gals boiling water temp to 168. Mash tun Full so lid upside down
10:27 Started run off
10:37 Put back a gallon and started first runnings
10:53 Collected 3 gals first runnings. 1.048 at 107. Added 3 gals 169. Mash temp to 162
11:08 Start second runnings after running 1 gal back
11:30 Fired brew kettle after collecting 3 gals second runnings. Added 1.5 gals to mash at 170 for backup
11:50 Boil
12:00 1oz Tettnang 4.7% pellet
12:15 Ran off .75 gal 3rd runnings to top rivets of brew kettle.
12:50 Yeast nutrients and .5 oz Saaz. Almost added whirlfloc, wouldn't make much sense in a wheat...
12:55 Zest of 1.2 lemon
1:00 Knockout and .5 Saaz
1:15 started chiller Forgot to log what time I started running into primary.
3:15 pitched yeast at 72
1:00 Flameout


June 11- Gravity reading of 1.004. Zested 1 more lemon in. It had a good lemony nose and decent lemon flavor. So I can't complain. Looking forward to it. Broke open an uberpale ale and it was flat flat. Starting to get concerned. Need to drop another in the fridge to rule out a bad seal.



June 17 KEGGED! Specifics are ABV 4.6% 133 cals