Here is my Cherry Wheat Recipe with some more details:  You can read more about the brew day here.

Batch Size 5 gallons (usually 6 but scaled down to account for cherry puree addition later)
OG 1.052
IBUs 32 (tinseth method)
Efficiency (~70%)
Mash Temp 152F
Mash Length 60 mins (mash out to 168F held for 10 minutes, wort transferred to kettle then left overnight, ~9hours)
Boil Length 75 mins

5 lbs German Pilsner Malt
5 lbs American Wheat Malt
2 lbs German Munich (10L)
0.5 lbs Rice Hulls (Lautering Insurance)
2.0 oz Tettnanger Pellets 3.5AA 60 mins (13IBU)
1.0 oz EKG Pellets 4.5AA 60 mins (21IBU)
1 Whirfloc tablet
WLP001 California Ale Yeast, (2L starter volume, grown for 4 days at 72F with occasional shaking, chilled for 2 days, decant pitched ~300ml slurry)
2 cans Cherry Puree

Methodology Notes:

  1. This was the second brew session using my new equipment set up.  My new set up employs the use of a March pump to recirc wort through the mash during the entire mash, over a direct fired mash tun.  Maintaining temps has been excellent and ramping to mash out temps after 40mins of mashing at target temps has been a breeze.  I also use the wort to assist with cooling post boil.
  2. I am still trying to learn and dial in the liquid losses to the new system however.  Losing some wort to the tubing and the false bottom still needs to be better calculated.  Hence the slightly less than 5 gallons in fermentor.
  3. The entire brew was performed in one fermentor.  I used a 7 gallon glass carboy.  I collected just under 5 gallons of wort into the carboy in anticipation of the volume that 2 cans of puree would take up, while also accounting for any blow off that may occur…or at least to attempt to not have a blow off.  Which was a failure as seen here.
  4. I also resurrected my oxygenation system for this brew.  I think that even despite using a good starter my last beer did nto attenuate as fully as desired do to this aspect of yeast/fermentation management.
  5. Lastly, I maintained the temp of the ferment at 65-70F using a FermWrap heater.  Very please with the results as far as monitoring temperature goes.  A future post will be required to really discuss the ups and downs of the FermWrap.
  6. Ok really Lastly, I also split the brew day into two parts.  I mashed in at 7PM at night, performed a mash out (168F), sparged and collected my wort in the kettle.  I shut down the brewery at that point and went to bed, with the kettle covered with a lid. (Although I used a keg as a kettle and the handle holes don’t really let you seal it fully).  The next morning the wort tasted fine, with now sourness or something weird.  Again tasting notes will need to be recorded to see if I am correct there.  I proceeded to boil and add the hops as normal the next day.