6-row or 2-row for a witbier?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ph0ngwh0ng

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
309
Reaction score
22
Location
Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
Hello,

I'm going AG and my first recipe is this witbier.

I have 6-row pale malt instead of 2-row. If there's a difference, will I notice it?
Also, what is the difference (besides morphological differences)?

I like orange taste and I'm thinking about adding sweet oranges peels (0,25oz, 5 min). Will it make a difference?

Thanks!
 
Can't comment on the 6-row vs. 2-row, but the dried orange peel definitely makes a difference. I added a 1/4 ounce each of bitter and sweet orange peel into my Summer Citrus Wheat and it adds just enough orange taste/aroma to be noticable.
 
DOH! At my LHBS I had the choice between 2-row, german pilsner (no belgian) and 6-row. Guess I chose the worst.. Then again I'll have something to put the blame on if the beer tastes bad :eek:
 
DOH! At my LHBS I had the choice between 2-row, german pilsner (no belgian) and 6-row. Guess I chose the worst.. Then again I'll have something to put the blame on if the beer tastes bad :eek:

6-row has its place- it has more diastatic power, meaning that you can use it to convert some malts with lower diastatic power (great in recipes with corn, for example)

From BYO:
In general, 6-row malted barley has more protein and enzyme content than 2-row malted barley, is thinner than two-row malt and contains less carbohydrate. There are also flavor differences between 2-row and 6-row and it seems that most brewers feel 2-row malt produces a fuller, maltier flavor and 6-row malt produces a grainier flavor in the finished beer.

I usually use plain old 2-row for most of my beers, and use maris otter for British style ales (or malty ones) and then pilsner malt for light colored German beers, or even maibocks.
 
Also 6-row can help with stuck sparges a little more than 2-row, especially with a wit where wheat can play a big role.
 
Ha! Speaking about stuck sparges, I bought 1 lb of rice hulls to help, since I had heard about the infamous wheat factor. How much should I use if I have 4,5lbs of pale plus 4,5 lbs of flaked wheat?
 
Jamil and Dr Scott talked about using 6-row in a cereal mash for a Wit in the Wit episode of the Brewing Network. A pound or 2, with the oats and flaked wheat, rest at 122 for 20-30, then raise to sacc rest temp and dump into the main mash to finish conversion.

Belgian Pils or any Pils malt is best as the base malt. I used Belgian Pils for mine. However with enough wheat in there I think the 6-row would work out fine too, it will just lack some of the malt depth you would get from Pils.

EDIT: one other thing, get Indian coriander at an Indian store if you can. It's way better than the coriander at the mega-marts which tastes like celery.
 
...6-row will work just fine! Don't worry too much at all. As far as rice hulls, though, measurement is not a big deal at all, you just want "enough" to provide some support for the grains in your mash. Many people pre-rinse their hulls - I do, they let off some nasty grey stuff when I do. I just throw 'em in a colander, and spray them with the hose in my sink. Then, I "plop" em into the bottom of the mash tun with the first 2 or 4 qts of mash water.
 
Thanks a lot everyone for the answers! I'll try the 6-row out anyway (bought 25 kg of the stuff :fro:). As for the rice hulls, thanks Chriso, I wasn't sure when to add em either :eek:

Also I was asking myself if the flaked wheat has to be crushed also and if yes, do I use the same setting as I do for the 6-row?
 
I recently brewed up a batch of wit that was very similar to the recipe in Mosher's radical brewing.

3 lb unmalted wheat (I used flaked)
2 lb 6-row
1 lb rolled oats
4 lb Belgian Pils

It utilizes the 6-row along with the oats and flaked wheat in a cereal mash, which is then added to the main mash of 6 lbs of 2-row. The 6-row is used to convert the oats and wheat due to its high diastatic power.

This approach was definitely worth the extra hassle. Beer turned out perfectly hazy and creamy. The cereal mash really brought out the character of the wheat and oats. I also soured 8 oz of it, boiled it, and added it back to the fermenter to give it some extra bite. I'll do 12-16 oz next time.

I couldn't pour enough of this stuff at a recent party.
 
Back
Top