Decoction Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen is a wonderful style for the summer but it's not one I've managed to get quite right so far. Besides from controlling the temp of the fermentation well, some people suggest a decoction is essential to the style. This recipe calls for a single 30 minute decoction to raise the temp of the mash to mashout temps. It's slightly lower in ABV than a normal hefe, so as to be sessionable.

Decoction. Looks great.

Recipe: Session Hefeweizen
Style: Weizen/Weissbier


Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 7.00 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.88 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal 
Bottling Volume: 5.23 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 3.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 8.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 71.9 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU       
5 lbs 8.0 oz          Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)                Grain         1        61.1 %      
3 lbs 8.0 oz          Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)            Grain         2        38.9 %      
0.25 oz               Sterling [8.20 %] - Boil 75.0 min        Hop           3        8.2 IBUs    
1.0 pkg               Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) Yeast         4        -           


Mash Schedule: Med Body, False Decoction
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs
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Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time   
Sach I                  Add 11.25 qt of water at 175.2 F                     154.0 F       30 min      
Mash Step               Decoct 3.73 qt of mash and boil it                   168.0 F       25 min      

Sparge: Batch sparge with 3 steps (Drain mash tun , 2.63gal, 2.63gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
1/2 tsp Gypsum, 1/2 tsp CaSO4 in brewing water. No starter.
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6/26/16: Brewed.

Brewday went OK. I didn't really measure the volume of wort quite right and ended up under volume. Hit my mash temps and boil OG ok, but not sure where I ended up after adding the decoction back.

The decoction may have not been quite wet enough for some of the time. It also had this kind of gross looking brown color. We'll see.

Cooled to 61F, oxygenated ~25 seconds, and pitched yeast packet, which was fully swolen.

6/27/16: Fairly active fermentation, with temp controller set at 61F (the temp inside the vessel will be higher because fermentation generates some heat.) Oddly, there was little krausen even though the surface of the beer was kind of bubbling and high airlock activity. Weird.

7/4/15: Crash cooled to 35F.

7/6/15: Kegged with 2.5 oz sugar, for ~3 volumes. Moved keg to 74F ambient air.