Ingredient Suggestions - Honey Orange Wit

beerspitnight · 05-10-2011, 12:37 AM

We only have a few brew sessions left here in the Jing before we go home for the summer. Last weekend we brewed up a double IPA. Weekend after next after next we are going to brew up a saison, which will hang out in the heat for 55 days or so, until we arrive back in the Jing. Was contemplating doing an "export IPA" - 6% abv and dry hopped with fuggles in the keg over the summer - but with the double IPA chugging away in the fermenter, we'll probably have a pretty full keg by the time we get back after the summer.
So...I am contemplating a good summer ale that we can brew and get into the kegs and into our glasses before we leave for summer (June 16th). Was thinking about doing a Honey Orange Belgian Wit, but I need some suggestions on putting the recipe together.
10 gallon batch.
2 row and wheat for the grain bill?
Hops: we have some spaltz, fuggles, and goldings available (as well as those qingdao flower hops - 7%aa, floral aroma)
Yeast - we have access to all the fermentis yeasts - but I was thinking maybe try to harvest some dregs from a couple of Chimay white bottles and make a starter from that?
A bit of natural honey (easy to get over here - non-processes/raw)
The juice of 1 orange?
The zest of 1 orange?
Fermentation time? 7 days (please) or 10 days - all in primary unless there is a good reason to put into a secondary. Keg, carb, and start drinking 3 days later...
That is the goal at least. Turn & Burn Belgian Wit...
Thoughts?

**Double_D** · 05-10-2011, 04:59 PM

Turn and burn belgians don't usually happen. Try an english style bitter and put some orange in it. The honey should be added at flame out. Rushing a beer is usually a bad idea though no matter what type.

beerspitnight · 05-10-2011, 09:39 PM

Thanks DD.

Was looking for some suggestions on hops to use and additions, grain bill, orange additions, and the use of the Chimay White dregs in particular.

**Double_D** · 05-10-2011, 10:52 PM

I like amarillo but they've been hard to get a hold of lately. But for the english bitter some fuggles would be nice or some hallertau. I do ten gallons but my grain bill is this:

20# 2row
1# honey malt
1# crystal 20
wyeast 1968 2 packs with a starter made out of 250g DME and 28oz water
2 oz amarillo for about 15 min.

I make a clementine cream ale with about 5# of fruit. I just cut them in half and smash them a little then throw it all in the fermenter. When I use honey it's about 5# at a time and that will usually get me about 3% extra abv. If you're trying to get a chimay yeast clone there's a sticky on yeast washing here: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/. You'd have to make the starter the day or two before but it would be much easier with your time frame to buy yeast for this go around.

beerspitnight · 05-11-2011, 12:10 AM

Thanks again DD.
Couple of issues though as we have limited availability of some ingredients. We are going to stick with a Belgian Wit for this round. So most of my questions still remain:
Hops - spaltz, fuggles, goldings, and or qingdoa flower - addition times?
Addition of orange peel in the last 10 min with the honey - what about adding in some juice at 10 min?
We don't have access to DME, but we have wort saved from our last brew and we'll drop that down to the appropriate gravity for a starter. Wondering how the chimay white yeast will do in a wit.
Thanks again for the help guys.

**Double_D** · 05-11-2011, 06:23 PM

I'd go with the fuggles still. I'd do the orange peel the last 5 of the boil. You could put the juice in the fermenter. I've seen a couple recipes on here that do that with various juices. Or the last couple min of the boil. Chimay is a belgian beer so it would probably be what you're looking for. And if I remember correctly the white label is the lighter one.