Berliner Weisse (For Intermediate Homebrewers) Recipe

By
Joe Postma
Joe Postma
Joe Postma is an experienced homebrewer with a passion for craft beer.  He guided beginners through the basics of homebrewing through a series of features in the Serious Eats “Homebrewing” column and developed craft beer recipes for homebrewers of every skill level.  
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Updated Aug. 09, 2018
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This Berliner Weisse recipe was used by Serious Eats contributor Jonathan Moxey to win first place in the sours category at the Homebrew Alley 6 competition. It's a modified version of Kristen England's no-boil recipe that can be found in Brewing With Wheat by Stan Hieronymus. This is a brew-in-a-bag style recipe that can be made by anyone with a few successful brew-in-a-bag experiences. It should be noted that while the no-boil Berliner Weisse method presented is easy to do, but it is inherently more susceptible to infection than a standard recipe. I only recommend this recipe for homebrewers who look for a sense of adventure and experimentation.

This recipe also makes use of a brewing method called decoction: a portion of the mash is removed prior to sparging, and it is boiled separately. After boiling, the decoction is added back into the mash.

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Recipe Facts

Active: 3 hrs
Total: 0 mins
Makes: 5 gallons

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Ingredients

  • 3.25 pounds German Pilsner Malt
  • 3.25 pounds German wheat malt
  • 0.5 pounds rice hulls
  • 0.75 ounces Hallertauer hops (added to mash)
  • 1 package Safale US-05
  • 2 packages Lactobacillus (Wyeast 5535 or Whte Labs WLP677)

Directions

  1. Line the 7.5 gallon kettle with mesh grain bag, fill with 2.1 gallons tap water and bring to 159°F. Remove from heat.

  2. Mash-in by slowly adding Pilsner and wheat malt into the bag. Stir for 2 minutes to prevent grain from clumping together. The temperature should equalize to about 149°F

  3. Remove 3 quarts of the mash for the decoction, including a good mixture of both the grain and liquid. Add the Hallertauer hops to mixture and boil in a separate pot for 15 minutes. Stir frequently, and as foam rises to the top, skim and discard.

  4. Add the entire decoction back into the mash. In a separate container, heat 3.7 gallons of water to 185°F.

  5. After about 60 total minutes of mashing, mash-out by carefully pouring the 185°F water into the mash, stirring to equalize temperature to about 170°F.

  6. Slowly raise grain bag out of the liquid, allowing wort to drain from the grain. Hold grain bag above the kettle for 5 to 10 minutes as the wort drains.

  7. DO NOT BOIL. Cool the wort to under 80°F and transfer to a sanitized fermentation vessel.

  8. Use a sanitized auto-siphon racking cane to remove enough wort to take a gravity reading with your hydrometer. Make a note of this number, since you will be using it to calculate the actual alcohol content when it's done fermenting. The reading should be around 1.035. Cover fermentor with a sanitized stopper and airlock.

  9. Add 1 package of Safale US-05 and 2 packages of Lactobacillus. Ferment for 3 to 5 days at a temperature around 75°F.

  10. Condition by allowing the beer to rest for at least a month. Taste samples weekly to determine sour flavor development.

  11. Bottle when desired level of sourness and flavor have developed, up to 6 months, using enough priming sugar for a high level of carbonation.

Special equipment

7.5 gallon kettle (or bigger), large mesh grain bag, additional pot to heat decoction, and the basic homebrewing equipment setup

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