Belgian Wit Recipe Ideas

This is my first attempt at a recipe, but I'm thick skinned, so if it's going to suck just let know. I need to know if I should toss in some rolled oats. If so, when??? I'll be brewing this (or an updated version) on saturday.


5 gallon batch

6 lbs dry wheat extract
1 oz Hallertau hops
1 oz bitter orange
1 oz coriander
Dry wheat yeast (whatever LHBS has in stock)

Boil 3.5 gallons water, because that's the largest pot I have.
1/2 oz hops at 60, rest at 30.
bitter orange and coriander at flameout.

yeast is really important to a wheat beer - go with a belgian strain like White Labs WLP400 Belgian Wit Ale Yeast. Also, you're recipe looks great - you might consider adding 4 ounces or so of sugar (Belgian candy sugar is traditional for these recipes) - it helps dry out and lighten the final beer.

Good luck and cheers!

oh and i wouldn't add any oats to this - witbiers are usually lighter in body, i think, and the oats would add a heavier body

Actually oats are pretty traditional for getting the correct body, but they have to be mashed. It looks about as good as an extract recipe can be, it won't be the same as one made with unmalted wheat but I bet it will be really nice. I agree that the yeast is pretty important to the style and you should probably go with 400 or 410, but if you must go dry T-58 would give you a Belgian character...sort of.

I'm hoping the LHBS will have some decent yeast. For a town of 14,000 people, he's got a pretty decent store, but he usually just keeps dry yeast in stock because he doesn't get a huge turnaround. Thanks for the help guys, I guess I'll leave out the oats until I can go all grain.

Worst case scenario, I'll just order some 400 yeast from midwest and wait another week

I might go with all the hops for 60 minutes, especially if you get Hallertau like a few packets I've had recently, where the AAs were really at the low end of the range.

No barley? None? Is your extract wheat MALT extract or wheat extract?

Be careful with the coriander. 1oz is quite a bit, so unless you've had a wit with a similar amount before, you might be better off with 0.5 or 0.75 oz. You can always make a "tea" to add later by boiling some more spice for a few minutes to add if you want to pump up the flavor. Too much can be overpowering.

I guess it all depends but the wheat beers I have made with 1 oz coriander and 1 oz orange peel were way too "orangey."

1 oz = overboard! I've got a wit sitting in secondary right now and, just judging by the aroma, I should have gone with .5 oz. Then again, summer has finally come to NOVA and the heat/humidity tends to amplify things a bit. We'll see.

As for the Orange peel make sure its fresh orange peel (or grapefruit or lemon), make sure not to get any of the pith as it will have a bitter flavor that is kind of nasty.

I was thinking of trying some Lime Leaves in my next wit to see what kind of flavor that will impart, grains of paradise are also a fairly common wit spice. Looks to be a pretty KISS recipe, which is good. I've use 1 oz of corriander in a wit recipe and it was fine YMMV.

From a thread somewheres here on HBT Indian corriander has a better flavor and is recommended to be used. Most corrianders are Moroccan and will give a vegetal flavor, so try to use indian corriander if possible. Chamomile is also an alternative ingredient if you are looking for something more unique.

Also, I have used 1 lb of clear Candi Sugar in a Wit which seemed to lighten/crispen it up some.