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Recipe: Borderlands Prickly Pear Wheat
Ayla Kapahi, head brewer at Borderlands in Tucson, Arizona, shares this recipe for their easy-drinking wheat beer with German aroma hops, some light fruity esters, and a Southwestern twist: the addition of prickly pear.
Photo: Courtesy Borderlands Brewing
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ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 22
ABV: 5%
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ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 22
ABV: 5%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
4 lb (1.8 kg) Simpsons Golden Promise
3.2 lb (1.5 kg) white wheat malt
14.5 oz (411 g) Vienna
14.5 oz (411 g) crystal 15°L
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.33 oz (9 g) Mandarina Bavaria at 60 minutes [10 IBUs]
0.4 oz (11 g) Mandarina Bavaria at 15 minutes [6 IBUs]
1 oz (28 g) Mandarina Bavaria at 5 minutes [6 IBUs]
1 oz (28 g) fresh prickly-pear juice at secondary
YEAST
White Labs WLP003 German Ale II Yeast
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 148°F (64°C) for 60 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 75 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to about 66°F (19°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C) until complete, gravity has stabilized, and beer passes a diacetyl test (see “Hunting for Diacetyl,” beerandbrewing.com), typically about 9 days. Crash to 32° F (0°C), rack to secondary, and add prickly-pear juice. Package, carbonate, and enjoy.
BREWER’S NOTES
Malt: You can substitute two-row for the base, but a more complex base malt works wonders with the prickly pear.
Prickly pear: The beer requires only a small amount, but that may be due to how fresh and potent we’re able to source it locally. However, I’m always a fan of adding more of any fruit if you can.
