Sunbonnet Summer Shandy

[FedoraDave]

Continuing my quest to try new styles, I decided it was time to make a shandy. I don't even know if I'll like the result, but I figure it's worth a try. After doing a little research on other recipes published on BrewToad, I came up with the following for a 2.5 gallon batch:

2.5# 2-Row
2.5# White Wheat

0.5 Oz Mt. Hood - 60 minutes

US-05 yeast

8 Oz honey - 7 minutes
1 tsp lemon zest - 7 minutes
5 Oz lemonade at bottling

I may change my mind on the yeast and use a wheat yeast. I'll probably consult with the guys at the LHBS when I go to buy the ingredients. I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible, to get a bare-bones idea of the style, and also because I think it'll be easier to trouble-shoot the finished product.

[mashani]

Curious: Are you replacing the priming sugar with the lemonade, and/or how are you calculating CO2 volumes?

[FedoraDave]

I don't know. I'll have to make a list of questions and consult with my LHBS. I don't know much at all about this style. But I hadn't even considered how adding the lemonade at bottling might affect the priming sugar volume and CO2 level.

[Dawg LB Steve]

FWIW. Just saw at the grocery store, Widmer Bros. has a Hefe Shandy and it uses Lemon Drop Hops.

[FedoraDave]

I consulted with the guy at the LHBS, and he recommended just using lemon zest as a dry hop after primary fermentation.

I've revisited my recipe, and I'm cutting down on the fermentables to reduce the ABV, and I'm adding a touch of honey malt to try to sweeten it up a little, but this is going to be less of a shandy than a light lemon wheat beer. And that's okay. I just wanted something low-alcohol and citrusy to add to the summer pipeline.

[philm00x]

The lemon zest post-fermentation addition is genius! This post is making me want to make a shandy out of my Etcitra, Etcitra.

[FedoraDave]

The only way this would be an actual shandy would be to add lemonade during the pour. It would very problematic to cut the beer with lemonade at any time prior to that, since the fermentation process and other potential chemical changes would pose a risk of completely changing the profile.

So I'll just change the name to Sunbonnet Lemon Wheat, and hope the honey malt sweetness balances out the tartness of the lemon zest. It'll be a delicate balancing act, but if done right, this will be an outstanding light summer beverage.

[FedoraDave]

Here's the recipe I wound up using. This is for a 2.5 gallon batch.

2# White Wheat
1.5# Two Row
2 Oz. Honey Malt

1/3 Oz. Mt. Hood - 60 minutes

2 Oz. honey - 7 minutes
1 Whirlfloc tablet - 7 minutes

WLP320 - American Hefeweizen

Ferment for 3 weeks. Add the zest of 3 lemons after one week.

This isn't a shandy, then; it's a lemon wheat. 3.9% ABV, and very light and refreshing. A very pale gold color, just slightly cloudy. A full, white head that falls fairly quickly, but still hangs on just a bit. A good balance between sweet and lemon. A darn good summer beer!