Slightly Crazy Double/Imperial Wit recipe - tell me if I went over the edge

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ericd

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Is this too nuts? Is that too much candi sugar? I want it to finish pretty dry. Should I use rice hulls? How much?


Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 17.3 %
2.00 lb Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 17.3 %
4.34 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 37.6 %
1.67 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 14.5 %
0.81 lb Raw Wheat (1.0 SRM) Grain 7.0 %
0.57 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5.0 %
0.15 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 1.3 %

0.19 oz Belgian Saaz [7.00%] (90 min) Hops 5.1 IBU
0.19 oz Belgian Saaz [7.00%] (75 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
0.20 oz Belgian Saaz [7.00%] (60 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
0.22 oz Belgian Saaz [7.00%] (45 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
0.27 oz Belgian Saaz [7.00%] (30 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
0.41 oz Belgian Saaz [7.00%] (15 min) Hops 5.0 IBU

0.30 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2.00 items Bitter Peel of 1 Lemon (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2.00 items Bitter Peel of 2 Oranges (Boil 15.0 min)Misc

1 Pkgs Norman Wild Yeast Yeast-Ale
 
i'm not sure. it looks like it COULD be very tasty, but that is a helluva lot of adjuncts. i'd probably cut the sugar down to 1 lb, myself. other than that, i think it will work. where did you get the belgian saaz...are you sure that's not american saaz? i used a 7% yesterday in my cream ale.

i made a black wit (white with carafa II) about a month ago that was just fantastic. i'm converting it into a stronger "imperial" wit myself. i think it will taste like a trois pistoles.

good luck!
:mug:
 
so i was wondering, is it a bad thing to have all those adjuncts in there?
 
no, but that mash will be pretty damn sticky with all that wheat. you could use some 2-row or pilsner in place of some of the wheat and change your extract to wheat dry extract. wheat dry extract is made from a blend of wheat and barley (60/40, i think)

some rice hulls might help, too. the unmalted wheat is quite tasty in a wit. you may want to replace some of the white wheat with more raw wheat. there's enough enzymes in the wheat (and/or 2-row/pilsner) to convert that mash no problem.
 
no, but that mash will be pretty damn sticky with all that wheat. you could use some 2-row or pilsner in place of some of the wheat and change your extract to wheat dry extract. wheat dry extract is made from a blend of wheat and barley (60/40, i think)

some rice hulls might help, too. the unmalted wheat is quite tasty in a wit. you may want to replace some of the white wheat with more raw wheat. there's enough enzymes in the wheat (and/or 2-row/pilsner) to convert that mash no problem.


+1

My first thought after seeing your recipe was, "that is going to be a bit sticky...." I agree with Deathbrewer about rice hulls, half a pound should be good to prevent any stuck sparges.
 
There's nothing odd about that grist. All of the grist ingredients are Traditional and therefore Good. ;)

On the other hand, your grist has 0% grain with husk matter. You will encounter a stuck mash. If you don't add some husk matter, in the form of rice hulls, you will find it impossible to lauter this grist.

Now, the hops profile is completely nuts. Flavor and aroma hops are inappropriate in Witbier, Imperial or otherwise, IMNSHO. BJCP says, "A low spicy-herbal hop aroma is optional, but should never overpower the other characteristics." Also, "A spicy-earthy hop flavor is low to none, and if noticeable, never gets in the way of the spices." (emphasis mine) Your hops schedule is designed to overpower the spices.

Traditionally, Wit brewers used old, stale hops - we're talking three years old, here - for bittering only. The best Witbiers use low-alpha noble hops in a small bittering charge. The flavors and aromas come from the spices and yeast.

That said, this is homebrewing. You can do whatever you like.

Cheers,

Bob
 
I would like to do a Double Wit similar to Great Divide's. Has this recipe been perfected/revised? Does anyone out there have a clone or similar version for me to try?
 
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