Extreme brewing Kiwi Wit..

Has anyone done the Kiwi Wit from The Extreme brewing book? I have wanted to try it for a while and have a question about adding the Kiwi. It calls to add it at flameout and let it sit for 20 min and then transfer the fruit to the primary. If I do it this way, would it be best to put the kiwi in a bag and then after I have strained out my wort dump them in? Or just add them right in and not even bother straining thw wort on this one? Any thoughts or comments?

I'd say to use a bag and do the primary fermentation in a bucket so you can just drop the bag in. I have a feeling feeding mushy Kiwi(after being cooked basically) into a carboy would be a PITA.

Ooh I've been thinking about doing this beer as well with summer coming and all.

I have a feeling feeding mushy Kiwi(after being cooked basically) into a carboy would be a PITA.

That is a good point. I will go with the bag and bucket...I will do it sometime this week.

So I bottled this today, and it tasted amazing. I did use the bag and the kiwi flavor was not at all over powering. It was very suttle in fact. I will wait 4 more weeks and taste again. But what I tasted at bottling was great.

I'm planning on brewing up a kiwit today. The set screws on my mill are missing (brand new) for the third roller and until I figure out what size they are I am on hold for milling/mashing.

I'm not using the Extreme Brewing recipe though. I made a bit of a variation of a wit base recipe and will just add kiwi to that. Luckily sams club has 3lbs for $6.

I brewed it about a 4 weeks ago. I just bottled it over the weekend. It tasted great at bottle time. The kiwi was for suttle and left a nice crisp finish. I am sure the tatse will change but so far I am very pleased.

I saw the kiwit in Extreme Brewing and decided to make it, but am doing it in a Pilsner recipe (so I guess I'm really not making it). So Jimmy, did you end up fermenting in a bucket? Did you cube the kiwi? I'll have to use a carboy and am trying to figure out the best way to add the kiwki. Like was said, it could be a PITA putting mushy kiwki through the neck.

BillyBroas said:

I saw the kiwit in Extreme Brewing and decided to make it, but am doing it in a Pilsner recipe (so I guess I'm really not making it). So Jimmy, did you end up fermenting in a bucket? Did you cube the kiwi? I'll have to use a carboy and am trying to figure out the best way to add the kiwki. Like was said, it could be a PITA putting mushy kiwki through the neck.

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I dug out my old coopers primary that has a big screw on lid. I used a bag for the kiwi. They do get mushy and the seeds get all over the place. It may be worth spending a few bucks on a bucket if you don't have one. The 4lbs of kiwi the recipe called for turned out to be about 15-20 kiwis. But as far as I can tell it seems it will turn out to be a great brew

Also forgot, yes a did cube the kiwi

I made this recipe back in January. I was surprised by the fact that there was no sweetness in the beer as I might have expected from the kiwis. I'm thinking that the yeast consumed all of the sugar and dried it out nicely leaving only a very subtle but tart taste to the beer. I believe that the addition of the kiwis also contributed to the higher then normal ABV. My beer came in at 7.2%.

Great beer. I brewed this maybe 4 years ago and still remember it being one of the best extract based beers I have ever brewed. Might have to reload that recipe soon. This is an excellent beer for summer.

I did the recipe exactly as recommended. I do not recall it being an issue to get the fruit into the fermenter. I do however remember that 5# of kiwis (or whatever it is) is a lot to peel.

You are right about peeling the kiwis, a bit of pain. I also got quite a strange look at the supermarket when I went through checkout with 40 kiwis. I did have a problem with the fruit either. I just racked the beer out from underneath fruit and left it sitting in the fermenter.

So I'm waiting for the boil to start. My recipe was 5lbs pale malt, 4lbs flaked wheat, and 1lb wheat malt. The hops will be Hallertauer at 45 min on a 1hr boil. .5oz of crushed coriander, and approximately 4lbs of Kiwi. I skinned them with a spoon and then squeezed as much juice as I could out of the skin from the left over flesh. The fruit was sort of cubed I did cut it up. I bought a bucket just for something like this brew. Ooh the yeast will be wlp400.

uglytunasaloona said:

I made this recipe back in January. I was surprised by the fact that there was no sweetness in the beer as I might have expected from the kiwis. I'm thinking that the yeast consumed all of the sugar and dried it out nicely leaving only a very subtle but tart taste to the beer. I believe that the addition of the kiwis also contributed to the higher then normal ABV. My beer came in at 7.2%.

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I was wondering about this. It makes sense that all of the kiwi sugar would be consumed by the yeast, leaving no sweetness and giving it an alcohol boost. I'm considering adding the kiwi into a secondary once fermentation is complete so it doesn't loose its sweetness. Then again, everyone is saying it turned out great as prescribed with a dry tart flavor.

Hmmm here's an idea: split batch!

Even if you add the fruit after fermentation, the active yeast will "wake up" and ferment the new kiwi sugars. Unless you kill the yeast, any sugar will be consumed by the yeast.

Average kiwis will give you 6 gravity points per pound. Not much, but a bit. Take a sample of your fruit before you use it if you have a refractometer. If not, just use 1.006 points per pound.

This is not a sweet or fruity beer. If you didn't tell someone it had kiwi in it they would never guess. They add an interesting tartness that works very well with the coriander.

I fermented using Forbidden fruit (WY3463) at 65º and was very happy. I racked off the fruit as soon as it was all floating and white, then another 2 weeks in secondary before crash cooling and bottling.

Just a question for those of you that have brewed this in a carboy. About how long did it take for the sugars in the kiwis to be consumed? I have mine in and bucket main fermentation has calmed down and I don't feel like peeling the top just to check to see if the fruit is white. I brewed it on monday so tomorrow will be a week.

I left it in the primary for two weeks. At that point the SG had stabilized over a couple samples. By that time the fruit was definitley white. I racked out from under the fruit and let it sit in the secondary for an additional two weeks before bottling.

+1 on the tartness for the taste. I just drank the last bottle yesterday and will probably brew it again some time in the future.

Awesome I'll let mine go a bit longer. I'm brewing up a IIPA today and will rack the kiwit after I rack the IIPA just to make sure it's good and done.

I'll be brewing an AG version of Kiwit this week.





Recipe: Kiwit
Style: Witbier
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 4.00 gal
Boil Size: 5.02 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 5.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 22.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3 lbs 7.1 oz Fruit - Kiwifruit (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 29.06 %
4 lbs 8.6 oz Pale Ale Malt 2-Row (Briess) (3.5 SRM) Grain 38.25 %
3 lbs 7.1 oz Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Grain 29.06 %
6.9 oz Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 3.63 %
0.79 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 15.5 IBU
0.79 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 6.8 IBU
0.40 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
0.40 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Belgian Wheat Yeast (Wyeast Labs #3942) Yeast-Wheat


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 11.86 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 14.82 qt of water at 161.4 F 150.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 9.49 qt of water at 200.2 F 168.0 F


Notes:
------
Brew like a normal extract recipe. Add the kiwi at flameout. Stir wort and let kiwi steep for 20 minutes before chilling. Chill wort to pitching temp. Transfer wort and fruit into the fermentor, and pitch. It says to give it 15-20 days in the primary. When the kiwi's rise to the top and are almost white in color that will signify that they have been successfully stripped of flavor and sugar.

Review→

Aroma: 10/12
A citrus tartness with wheat and spices. An effervescent crispness is clear. Moderate sweetness.

Appearance: 2/3
The color is perfect, a golden straw with crisp white head with small soft bubbles. It is very clear; I would like it a bit cloudier but that could be because it is kegged so almost no yeast is left in suspension. I would also like a more rocky texture to the head and a touch more retention, a dusting of head remains throughout, but I could do with just a bit more.

Flavor: 17/20
Raw wheat that lends a nice tang that blends seamlessly with the crisp tartness of the kiwi. The kiwi flavor is not definable on its own but definitely lends a tang/tart/acidic crispness to the beer that is wonderful. The finish is crisp and the spice and yeast notes work very well together and with the malt/fruit to create a very crisp, summery beer.

Mouthfeel: 5/5
Crisp and fantastic on a hot day.

Overall: 8/10
I love this beer. It is everything a summer beer should be to me and I want to drink a bucket of them. I recently brought some to a friends house and he decided it was quite possibly his favorite beer ever (quite the compliment).

Total: 42/50

I think it might be better bottled with some yeast. To me a white beer should have more yeast character and cloudiness. I would also like a bit thinker/rockier head. No flaws in this one, but I think I will bottle and try a 15 minute protein rest next time. Another thing to try is a cereal mash.

View attachment kiwit.bsm

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM) Grain 50.00 %
4.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 40.00 %
1.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (45 min) Hops 13.8 IBU
0.50 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
2.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
4.5lbs Kiwi (Steep 20.0 min)
1 Pkgs Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400) Yeast-Wheat

I had high efficiency on my batch and ended up with six gallons of 1.050 wort. I'll let you guys know how my AG batch turns out.

Brewed this last year and came in with a bit higher efficiency than predicted (due to not factoring in the kiwi). It's really weird to see white chunks of fruit floating in your carboy though. Plan on losing 1/2 a gallon or so due to the fruit. Great while mowing the lawn.

Well I'm trying mine for the first time today. It's a good beer but I can barely discern the kiwi in it. I like it though it's light enough and finished up dry enough for me. This was my first AG batch and I am thinking I need to do a campden treatment at least to my water.

Did the fruit get all oldy and moldy?

I made a wheat beer yesterday with blood orange and im worried about how nasty that fruit is gonna be after 10 days.

I made a kiwi/strawberry mead once. To remove all the skins from the kiwi, I froze them and then dipped them into hot water. This caused the outer layer to defrost and you can easily slide the skins right off.

You could also use the 40 frozen kiwi to help cool your wort.

I had the fruit in a mesh bag. That way when it was done I just pulled the bad and let it drain. The fruit turned white.

I might try to make this again and try the freezing method. That sounds real simple. Instead of doing the ferment like they suggested in the magazine (putting fruit in primary) I will do the fruit in the secondary. Or I might just look for a kiwi extract and say screw the damn fruit!

This thread needs a bump because this beer is so awesome. Drinking it right now and it is just sooooo good in the summer. I'll do a full review later this weekend.

If you are a kegger and add the fruit right to the keg and keep the keg at a cold temp, would the yeast just go dormant and not ferment the sugar from the kiwi?

I just did this to a Wit and after 2 days it seems great but maybe i need to take a gravity reading.

I had over half a case of this out for my cookout yesterday. My friends drank it up fast along with all the other homebrew in the cooler.

b33risGOOD said:

Did the fruit get all oldy and moldy?

I made a wheat beer yesterday with blood orange and im worried about how nasty that fruit is gonna be after 10 days.

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Shouldnt. I've got some Ancient Orange Mead going at room temp and its happy, with two oranges cut up, blueberries and raisins

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

This thread needs a bump because this beer is so awesome. Drinking it right now and it is just sooooo good in the summer. I'll do a full review later this weekend.

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Looking forward to the review. I saw Sam at a beer festival about a month ago and asked him what he though about a Pilsner version of it. He thought it was a great idea. So with his holiness's blessing, I'm going to give it a shot.

My next wit will be brewed using Belgian Pils. Also I was thinking about using Kiwi extract that way I can forgo all the fruit peeling and retain more of the kiwi flavor. My next wit will be a normal wit but I will revisit this kiwit probably the batch after.

I will do this one again very soon, It was great. I hardley got to drink any myself, all my friends and family drank it so quick. Everyone loved it. It turned out so crisp and refreshing

I updated post #19 with my review.

I tried search but couldn't easily find the recipe for this. I meant to copy the page when I had the book from the library. Anyone have the recipe or link readily accessible?

Theres an all grain on page 2, link here

Not sure if its THE recipe, but its one

mosquitocontrol said:

I tried search but couldn't easily find the recipe for this. I meant to copy the page when I had the book from the library. Anyone have the recipe or link readily accessible?

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If you need the extract recipe it is,

.5 torrified wheat
.5 6 row

6.6 wheat extract
1oz tettnanger-60
.5oz willamette-10
.5 oz coriander-10
irish moss-10
4lbs fresh kiwi -end of boil and transfer to primary...

I did not add the 6 row in mine, the all grain on this thread is also great.

I just bought the ingredients to try this as a raspberry wit. I'll report how it goes when the time comes. I changed the torrified for flaked and am going to do a protein rest at 120º for 10 minutes.

I am using Wyeast 3463 Forbidden fruit as the yeast.

Fermenting away. Hopes are high.

I bought the Extreme Brewing book a few years back and was thinking about brewing this recipe over the upcoming holiday weekend. I no longer do extracts, so I was planning on using my house Wit as a base and just adding Kiwi. I'm a little upset the kiwi flavor is so subtle though.

Has anyone tried adding campden tabs a few days after pitching the kiwi (not pitching kiwi until secondary)? I'd like to ferment them a little, but I'd also like a little more kiwi flavor.

Maybe I'll test it with this one and let everyone know how it turns out.

Bottled mine today. I could taste the Kiwi, but it was subtle. I'll reserve judgment for a few weeks.