American Wheat Beer Recipe (All-Grain): 5 to 30 Gallons
An all-grain American Wheat recipe you can brew at 5 to 30 gallons: 4.9% ABV and 17 IBU, with the grain bill, hop schedule, yeast and step-by-step process.
In this post
American Wheat at a glance: 4.9% ABV, 17 IBU, OG 1.049. A light, crisp American wheat beer: half wheat malt for a soft, bready body, a clean American yeast and a touch of Cascade. No banana or clove here; it’s the clean, easy cousin of the German hefeweizen.
Bräu Supply recipe · All-grain
American Wheat
Grain · for 5 gal into the fermenter
| 5 lb (2.27 kg) | Pale 2-row malt | 50% |
| 5 lb (2.27 kg) | Wheat malt | 50% |
| 0.25 lb (0.11 kg) | Rice hulls |
Hops
| 0.25 oz (7 g) | Magnum · 13% AA | 60 min |
| 1 oz (28 g) | Cascade · 6% AA | 10 min |
Yeast and water
| 1 pkg | American ale yeast (US-05, WLP001 or Wyeast 1056) | |
| Water | Soft to balanced water. | |
Process
- Mash: 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes
- Boil: 60 minutes
- Ferment: 64°F (18°C) for 10 to 14 days
- Condition: Package young
- Carbonate: 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Brew it on
Based on 72% brewhouse efficiency and about 5.5 gal after the boil for a 5 gal batch. Adjust the base malt if your system runs higher or lower. Hops scale in a straight line; larger kettles extract a little more bitterness.
How to brew it
- Mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes, with the rice hulls to keep the wheat mash flowing.
- Boil 60 minutes, adding the hops on schedule.
- Chill to 64°F (18°C), oxygenate and pitch the yeast.
- Ferment at 64°F (18°C) until the gravity is stable.
- Package at about 2.6 volumes of CO₂.
Tips
- Rice hulls keep the wheat mash from sticking.
- Add fruit after fermentation for a summer beer, or serve it with a lemon wedge.
Frequently asked questions
How is American wheat different from hefeweizen?
American wheat uses a clean ale yeast, so there’s no banana or clove. See our hefeweizen recipe.
Is it cloudy?
Slightly. The wheat proteins give a light haze.