Mike Hiller Dunkelweizen Recipe

Mike was nice enough to give us the recipe for the Bavarian Barbarian recipe that he has been the most pleased with so far (sadly it was long gone when we visited with him), Square Feet Wheat (his fall seasonal Dunkelweizen). I've included a good chunk of the text from his email followed by a distillation of the recipe from it because I think it is more interesting to hear why a brewer chooses to brew something in a specific way.

Malt Bill:
Pale Ale malt (keep it simple; it should just be a base grain and not a big deal in the flavor profile)

28% Wheat flakes or wheat malt (whatever you can get your hands on; kick it up to a full 1/3 of the malt bill if you're somehow anal about wheat beers HAVING to be 1/3 wheat)

19% Honey malt (the honey malt adds a nice, sweet, honey-like character that goes well with the clove esters you'll get from the yeast)

13% Caramel Munich 60L (backs up the sweetness of the honey malt and works with the Caramel Munich 120 for "dunkelness")

10% Munich light

2% Caramel Munich 120 (gives the beer the "dunkel" coloring without going overboard)

Hops:
"You can do whatever you want here, keeping in mind that the hops are absolutely not the dominant characteristic of this beer style. I like to stick to German noble hops for a level of authenticity."
Bittering: 1 oz. Tettnang
Flavoring: 1 oz. Hallertau
Aroma: 1 oz. Tettnang (10 minutes before end of boil)

"Again, lot's of variations you can do with the hops. Keep it floral and/or spicy and you'll be fine. And keep it simple. There's no need for a complex hop character in this beer style."

Yeast:
"If you can get your hands on a yeast strain originating from the Andechs Brewery in Germany, I highly recommend it. If not, try to find the best German or Bavarian Wheat or Weizen yeast you can get. You won't be sorry. The fermentation temperature should be kept on the lower end to produce more spicy characters like clove - between maybe 66 degrees and 68 degrees. You might actually produce some apple andpear esters, too. Banana might come out, but it'll be rather subtle - as it should be. Higher temps (between 68 and 72 degrees) will yield the fruitier esters like bananas and bubble gum which are better for hefeweizens. You're certainly welcome to do that - it's your fuckin' beer, do whatever you want."

"I hope this is the kind of thing you're looking for. I think I covered everything, but if there are any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. I strongly encourage experimentation in brewing - especially on the homebrew level, so please take this recipe as merely suggestion. Play with the damn thing. Use a Special B in place of the Caramel Munich 120 for example. Maybe punch up the caramel flavors and toss in a biscuit malt to make a more bready dunkelweizen. How about some chocolate malt? Whatever. Dunkelweizens have always been one of my favorite beer styles and it's wide open for various interpretations. Dunkelweizen means dark wheat, right? So as long as it's dark and has some wheat in it, you're pretty well able to do whatever the hell you want. Enjoy!"

Bavarian Barbarian Square Feet Wheat

Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.25
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.38
Anticipated OG: 1.053
Anticipated SRM: 17.0
Anticipated IBU: 24.5
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 min

Grain
------
28.6% 3.25 lbs. Pale Malt
28.6% 3.25 lbs. Wheat Malt (or flaked wheat)
17.6% 2.00 lbs. Honey Malt
13.2% 1.50 lbs. CaraMunich 60
9.9% 1.125 lbs. Light Munich Malt
2.2% 0.25 lbs. CaraMunich 120 (or Special B)

Hops
------
1.00 oz. Tettnanger Tettnang (Whole 3.50% AA) 60 min.
1.00 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker (Whole 4.00% AA) 20 min.
1.00 oz. Tettnanger Tettnang (Whole 3.50% AA) 10 min.

Yeast
-----
Andechs Brewery Weizen Strain (alternate: WYeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen, my favorite)

Mash Schedule
---------------
Sacch Rest 60 min @ 148

Notes
-------
Ferment between 66 and 68 degrees

"Square Feet Wheat for Fall/Winter has been released to the masses. This is a dunkelweizen of distinction. Fermented with a weizen yeast strain from the Andechs Brewery in Germany, Square Feet Wheat Dunkelweizen bears a taste of clove along with some fruity esters that include apples and pears. Heartier than a mere hefeweizen, this dunkelweizen is the perfect match for the Fall and Winter seasons as it boasts a 5.5% ABV and flavors that will complement holiday meals and desserts."

Mike Hiller Interview

In this episode we speak with Mike Hiller, founder and headbrewer of

Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Co. in Williamsport, PA.

you can download the audio here.

An Afternoon with a Bavarian Barbarian

Near the end of our early morning brew day at Bullfrog, Mike Hiller, founder and brewer of Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Company, walked in to drop off a sack of malt. We had been emailing with him to set up a time to talk, but hadn't settled on a anything yet. We agreed on early afternoon and ran back to the hotel for a quick nap before meeting up with him at his brewery just down the street.

Mike is a Williamsport, PA native as well as an ex-welder, actor and almost novelist. His first brewing job was at Legend Brewing Company in Richmond, VA. Legend produces a wide variety of fresh beer to a limited market at an affordable price, as an alternative to mass produced swill, which seems to have informed Mike's own business decisions.

Mike and his wife Kira run the whole operation: Mike is the brewer, salesman and delivery driver and Kira runs the business side of the operation. Mike takes a craftsman approach to both his brewing and his business: pragmatic and with forethought.

Bavarian Barbarian is the ideal local counter balance for the more out-there beers of Bullfrog. Mike strives to make his beers accessible, winning over Bud-Miller-Coors drinkers, while staying true to the fact that his aim is flavorful craft beer. His beer is also reasonably priced at $4 a bomber at the Wegman's around the corner.

It is always good for a small business of any type to get the locals involved in their business early. For a small brewery a loyal fan-base means free word of mouth advertising (the most reliable kind) and customer requests for your beer at local bars and beer stores.

Mike focuses on sessionable beers to pair with experiences, even if some of them are a bit higher in alcohol than the English tradition. His year-round beers are all the standards: brown, pale, IPA, stout. He adds onto these with seasonals like a dunkleweisse and a Brett spiked, spiced summer saison (with a yeast culture from Bullfrog).

Mike was inspired by Brewing Up a Business, the brewing autobiography of Sam Calagione, the founder of Dogfish Head. He meticulously worked on crafting a business plan for a long time, allowing him to raise the money needed to start the brewery. He purchased a big industrial space which gives him the room to expand when he outgrows his initial 10 barrel system, or when he wants to add a canning line. These days there is enough good beer available in most places that it takes more than good brewing skills to get a small brewery off the ground.

Mike is a committed locabeervore who preaches that PA is overflowing with amazing, well crafted beer, yet is inundated with alluring west coast labels that squeeze out the local fresh beer from shelves and taps: not that out-of-state beer doesn't deserve a place in your fridge or cellar, but more a case of missing the forest for the trees when it comes to supporting local beer.

BrewLocal, Buy Local, Drink Local...Ride Easy.