First AG, a delicious Wit

Hey All,

I just completed my first AG 3 gallon batch and decided I would post the obligatory thank you! I did a bunch of reading on these forums to learn/gear up for what I would need to do. The only problem I had with my brew night was that I forgot to take a OG reading for some reason. I guess I had a few too many hombrews Therefore, I have no idea what my efficiency was nor my OG! Awesome. Also, the corriander seeds kept clogging up my racking cane. Lesson learned: put corriander/orange peels in a brew bag.

Anyways, I posted the recipe below. I got it from the recipe pack on BeerSmith and scaled it down to the 3 gallon batch. I actually think this is one of Brad Smith's recipes. What do you guys think on this recipe? I think I nailed the color. I couldn't believe the water absorption on the flaked wheat. It was tremendous! The mash looked like porridge even with a ratio of 1.3 q/lb. I am going to post some pictures I took during the brew day on a reply...


BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Wit, First AG
Brewer: Tony F
Style: Witbier
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.71 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 4.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 22.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.84 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 50.18 %
2.82 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.2 SRM) Grain 49.82 %
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [7.20 %] (60 min) Hops 22.8 IBU
0.43 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.43 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400) Yeast-Wheat

Here is the porridge I was telling ya'll about...



This was at the end of mash out...



And this one is the nice color I got during the boil. Kind of reminds me of a hoegaardenish type wit.

Me no see pics...

Also, if the coriander was crushed, how could it clog your racking cane??

Ah darn, I guess the pictures didn't come up..weird.

http://picasaweb.google.com/AFuriato08/AGBrewing#

That link should work. The coriander hulls kept getting stuck in the slit opening for the cane

IOC. The HULLS got stuck. I've never had that happen, but I crush it pretty good.

From what I am reading on the forums (I suppose I should have looked at coriander prep beforehand), you need to crush them up really fine. I just pounded them. Good thing it is only a minor flavor additive. Thats probably why mine got stuck in the racking cane. Do you use a mortar and pestle usually?

My fermenter is really bubbling away now, so hopefully I got pretty decent efficiency. I will just have to do my efficiency calcs for my next brew. *sigh* At least that will be next week! I'm pretty sure I am now addicted to AG. Thanks for the replies Homer.

Normally I put the coriander in a plastic baggie and crush it with a wine bottle.

Homer, is there a difference between Indian coriander and the stuff in the grocery store?