Witbier Blue Balls Belgian Wit (Blue Moon Clone)

Brewed this on 11/12/08, drinking now.

I had to make a variation as my lhbs didn't have the flaked wheat. Brewmaster there suggested some white wheat and some unmalted wheat as replacement. OG 1.053 FG 1.012

Marris Otter 4.5 lbs
white wheat 2.25
Unmalted wheat 2.25
flaked barley 2 0z
rice hulls 2 cups
East Kent Goldings 1 oz (60)
Whirfloc 1 tablet (10)
coriander .75 oz crushed and hydrated 5 minutes (5)
bitter orange peel .75 oz hydrated 5 mins (5)
sweet Orange Peel .25 oz hydrated 5 mins (5)
Belgian Witbeir 3944 Sep 08

It is wonderful. It might be a little too clear for a wit but I like it. Maybe it is the whirfloc or maybe the cold crashing.

Tasting notes: It is great with or w/out orange and almost has a hint of clove like a hoegarden.

Next time I will have to get the flaked wheat and compare.

I'll bet you would like to see a picture!
Thanks BM

Looks great!

As for myself, I can't wait to get this baby in the keg. Smells great! This is as of last week, when I drained the trub and checked the SG. A beautiful beer for sure, and already demonstrating that awesome head BM has touted.

All I can say is, JACKPOT!

Cheers,

Mike

FG was 1.012. Final ABV 6.6%. Higher attenuation and drier profile as predicted, based on the previous mentioned deviations throughout the recipe. Tastes is excellent, though I am sure one doesn't have to be a neurosurgeon to surmise that this is a different brew than the original recipe.

Amazing that the yeast attenuated out to this degree, given my previous mishap (or maybe not for all I know). I harvested a pint of slurry from the conical for the next time, so that'll cut cost a bit the next go around.

It's got a taste that I haven't had since being in Europe 12 years ago, which I didn't expect. Sort of like hearing an old song you haven't heard for a while that takes you back, without you actively even thinking about it. When I snapped out of the trance, I did a little Keanu Reeves, "Whoa..."

I'll post pics of the final product in a few days once carb'd. Again, thank you, and Merry Christmas!

Cheers,

Mike

PS. Next up, a Schwarzbier!

I couldn't wait to post beer porn. It's still force carbing, so this was right out of the fermentor...don't think it could get any cloudier, which is the style of course! Great color, a bit lighter than the picture implies.

..........

What do you think about some flaked oats in the PM recipe? I noticed that on Blue Moon's site they specificaally say it has oats in it so that's where I thought of it.

Great Beer!

Here is the version I made and got sent to the BJCP COC competition. It gets judged on Sunday, hopefully it will do well.

16-A Witbier

Size: 10.2 gal
Efficiency: 68.0%
Attenuation: 77.0%
Calories: 165.29 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.050 (1.044 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.008 - 1.012)
Color: 3.82 (2.0 - 4.0)
Alcohol: 5.03% (4.5% - 5.5%)
Bitterness: 18.4 (10.0 - 20.0)

Ingredients:
10.25 lb Pale Ale Malt
10.25 lb German Wheat Malt Light
2.0 oz East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.5 oz Corriander crushed - added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
1.5 oz Bitter Curacao/Bitter Orange (Peel) - added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
1.0 ea WYeast 3944 Belgian Witbier

00:05:00 Mash In - Liquor: 6.4 gal; Strike: 170.01 °F; Target: 154.0 °F
01:05:00 Saccharification Rest - Rest: 60.0 min; Final: 152.5 °F
02:05:00 Fly Sparge - Sparge Volume: 14.85 gal; Sparge Temperature: 190.0 °F; Runoff: 13.41 gal

That flaked wheat gave me a hell of time with my braid!

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Adding a half pound of "rice hulls" will help keep your braid unstuck and won't affect the mash in any other way.

has anybody tried a wheat beer yeast like wyeast 3638 on this? My LHBS is a bit slim on their selections of late and that's the most likely one I can find there. I also have some 1056 lying around in the fridge. Normally I'd make other arrangements, but I'm meaning to do this as my first "real" partial mash so I'm not expecting perfection. I'm more concerned with my efficiency here than making it taste perfect.... what would you guys think of 3638?

Dougan said:

has anybody tried a wheat beer yeast like wyeast 3638 on this? My LHBS is a bit slim on their selections of late and that's the most likely one I can find there. I also have some 1056 lying around in the fridge. Normally I'd make other arrangements, but I'm meaning to do this as my first "real" partial mash so I'm not expecting perfection. I'm more concerned with my efficiency here than making it taste perfect.... what would you guys think of 3638?

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I thin it will work fine. I'll use safale-05 when I can't get m y hands on belgian wit yeast. I know the diff, but I brew this as much for company as anyone and they never know the difference.

BierMuncher said:

I thin it will work fine. I'll use safale-05 when I can't get m y hands on belgian wit yeast. I know the diff, but I brew this as much for company as anyone and they never know the difference.

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Interesting... isn't safale-05 similar to the 1056 chico? Seems like that would have a much different profile than a belgian wit yeast would. Maybe this all means that I'm just too picky with my yeast! Anyway, thank you for the response... my lack of ideal yeast had me worried and you've fixed that.

I used this recipe for my first Wit.
It is very nice. A bit more robust than Blue Moon, almost a Hefe+ coriander.

5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.2 SRM) Grain 50.00 %
5.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 50.00 %
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 21.2 IBU
0.75 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.75 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400) Yeast-Wheat

I am going to give the AG recipe that the OP quoted in the near future.

I just racked a batch of this yesterday and hope to have it kegged in 2 weeks. Good job BM, this looks and smells GREAT! The wife is dying to try this one, she's not a fan of hoppy beers so she hasn't liked too many of my brews.

My OG was 1.048 and is now 1.010, a little higher, but the only change I made was a 1/2 lb less of the pale malt and a 1/2 lb less of the wheat, but added 1 lb of oats. The only reason was the Blue Moon sight says they use the oats.

Hi everyone! My first post and I had a question about this recipe. I'm considering brewing this for my first brew. Im confused as to what "4.50 lb Pale Malt Crisp" is? I thought this was a grain. With this being a partial mash recipe shouldn't there be some sort of DME or LME involved, not all grain? Thanks!

Use a good two-row and it will turn-out great. I substituted wheat malt for the flaked wheat, and the flavor was *very* close to the real deal.

As for the recipe being partial mash, where did you read that?

Sorry about that, i think im going crazy. BM, had mentioned an alternative for a partial mash and i think i got the two confused. Anyway, since I'm just starting out, im going to try the partial mash recipe (since I dont have equipment for all grain or any experience!). How would I go about working in a pound of flaked oats into the recipe (would I need to reduce the DME or flaked wheat? Also, how many ounces of hops would I need if I got a pelleted US Saaz? Lastly, I'll need some sort of grain bag for the oats and wheat correct?

I have a request to brew up a Belgian Wit, and I'm hoping to try this recipe this weekend. Thanks for putting it up!

This recipe sounds delicious. I just placed my order on brewmasterswarehouse.com ... following the advice of Sam Calagione's "Extreme Brewing" I'm also adding a good pinch of a "secret spice" right at the end of the boil - Cardamom. Will let you all know how it goes.

I've done this one 3 times before. First one turned out really good. Second had something go wrong, not sure, but may have been infection. Third was ok, but not really like a true wit.

Those were all extract, and soon I'm going to try it AG. I'm excited because I really like this beer, and going AG might allow me to get the lighter color I wanted, and help me tune in my mashing process.

I'll have to buy some wheat, so which one should I get? I'd read about people using several different ones. I'm really shooting for as close to Blue Moon as possible.

BM, do you actually put this in secondary for 5 days or is that kegging time?

android said:

BM, do you actually put this in secondary for 5 days or is that kegging time?

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I would just leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks and then straight to bottles/kegs.

I just finished my second batch of BM's blue moon clone and it turned out great! I modified a few things from my first batch experience and also from all the information in this thread. The flaked oats someone mentioned really turned out to be a great addition. They lightened up the body and also took the sweet edge off the wheat malt. I still haven't been able to find any flaked wheat, but want experiment with it next time. I was able to get my hands on some WLP400 too, so I was pretty excited. Anyway, after a two week primary @ and 4-5 weeks in the bottle, this beer is smooth and refreshing. Really enjoyable now that the weather is starting to warm up. Here's my partial mash version:

Pale 2-row 1200g (2.6lb)
Wheat malt 350g (0.75lb)
Flaked oats 500g (1.1lb)
Wheat DME 1000g (2.2lb)

Kent goldings (5%AA) 1oz. 60min.
Saaz (3.2%AA) 0.5oz. 15min.

Crushed corriander seed 0.75oz (15min.)
Bitter orange peel 0.75oz (15min.)

WLP400 w/1L starter

Mashed grains for 60min @ 71C (159F)

Original gravity: 1.038
Final gravity: 1.010

Oh, just a few side notes here..
-I filtered the wort this time from the brewpot to the primary through a strainer funnel. It was slow
because of clogging but worth it to keep the sludge and seeds out of the primary.
-Be prepared for a thick sticky mash mess courtesy
of the flaked oats.
-The WLP400 is pretty angry yeast so be prepared for some blow-off!

Thanks again to BM for sharing this great recipe with us!

sorry if this has been asked, but do you like to leave the orange and coriander in the fermenter or strain them out? i put them into the hop sack, so they didn't make it into the fermenter, hopefully that'll lend enough of the flavor to suit the style.

android said:

sorry if this has been asked, but do you like to leave the orange and coriander in the fermenter or strain them out? i put them into the hop sack, so they didn't make it into the fermenter, hopefully that'll lend enough of the flavor to suit the style.

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Yep. Pull them out. Some folks might add some boiled up extra's to the fermenter several weeks in if they want to kick it up a bit.

4.50 lb Pale Malt Crisp (UK) (3.0 SRM)
4.50 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM)

Can you help a new AG brewer out. I bulk bought a bunch of grains so I could brew what I wanted without going to the store. I have a 50lb bag of 2 row and 50lb bag of white wheat malt, both Briess. Will these work for this beer?

iXanadu said:

4.50 lb Pale Malt Crisp (UK) (3.0 SRM)
4.50 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM)

Can you help a new AG brewer out. I bulk bought a bunch of grains so I could brew what I wanted without going to the store. I have a 50lb bag of 2 row and 50lb bag of white wheat malt, both Briess. Will these work for this beer?

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A lot of wit recipes call for a majority of wheat malt VS flaked wheat. I think you can brew up a very tasty (similar) beer with what you have.

If you can't get flaked wheat, try adding a couple pounds of quick oats from the grocery store. They will add a similar dimension to you beer.

BierMuncher said:

A lot of wit recipes call for a majority of wheat malt VS flaked wheat. I think you can brew up a very tasty (similar) beer with what you have.

If you can't get flaked wheat, try adding a couple pounds of quick oats from the grocery store. They will add a similar dimension to you beer.

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Thanks for the quick response - I hope to brew this week-end. Are the oats in addition to the grain bill, or in place of two pounds of something else (wheat or 2 row)?

iXanadu said:

Thanks for the quick response - I hope to brew this week-end. Are the oats in addition to the grain bill, or in place of two pounds of something else (wheat or 2 row)?

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Supposed to be in place of...but the efficiency is a bit lower on flaked grains so adjust accordingly.

BierMuncher said:

Supposed to be in place of...but the efficiency is a bit lower on flaked grains so adjust accordingly.

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Got rained out last week-end, but tomorrow looks great and I still have the starter. Don't want to be a total putz, but should I sub 2lb oats for 2 of the two row or wheat malt, or one each?

iXanadu said:

Got rained out last week-end, but tomorrow looks great and I still have the starter. Don't want to be a total putz, but should I sub 2lb oats for 2 of the two row or wheat malt, or one each?

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Keep as much wheat malt as you can to stay truer to style.

hey BM, thanks again for the recipe, this has turned out great so far.

mine came out a little closer to hoegaarden in color/taste. i brewed this 15 days ago, primary for 10 days around 66 deg and then kegged it... i probably should have primaried it for a bit longer, but it tastes awesome already (a little green yet), i'll let it sit on gas for a few more weeks and try again, i bet it will be delightful!

here's a pic of her (the pic makes it look a tad darker than in person):

Hey, I'm gonna make this recipe soon. Looks fantastic. This will be my 3rd AG batch so I'm still pretty new to it.

I'm not clear on what is meant by "Pale Malt Crisp (UK) (3.0 SRM)". 'Crisp' is the word that confuses me. Is this somehow different from regular English Pale Malt?

Please lemme know when you get a chance. Thanks very much!

EvilBrewer said:

Hey, I'm gonna make this recipe soon. Looks fantastic. This will be my 3rd AG batch so I'm still pretty new to it.

I'm not clear on what is meant by "Pale Malt Crisp (UK) (3.0 SRM)". 'Crisp' is the word that confuses me. Is this somehow different from regular English Pale Malt?

Please lemme know when you get a chance. Thanks very much!

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Marris Otter

Thanks for the reply.

So...Marris Otter is a brandname, right?

Is Marris Otter a type of 'Crisp' malt or are these terms used interchangeably ('marris otter' and 'crisp')? Just curious...thanks again.

Maris Otter is just a variety grown here in the UK.

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I've seen a few people reference the extract recipe in this thread. I've read every page and only see recipe's for All Grain and Partial Mash. Is there an extract w/SG recipe somewhere that I missed. I'd love to try this out but am currently only set up for extract batches. Thanks!

I went to BJ's Restaurant last night and they had Dim Wit on tap, which is a dark Belgian Witbier. I wanted to try to make it so I used this recipe as a base and added a pound of Crystal 60 to try for the color / flavor that it had. Brewing it right now, we'll see how it comes out.

Using Wyeast 3944 on this one also.

Just racked this to the Keg. It tasted good, but the darker color wasn't what I was shooting for. Might try it again with a some Crystal 120 added to darken it up and add a little more crystal flavor. Excellent regardless.

question: i only have access to sweet orange peel. This will be my first time brewing a belgian wit, any suggestion on how i might adjust accordingly? Or is it even that big of a difference in the first place? Thanks,

mcwiehler said:

question: i only have access to sweet orange peel. This will be my first time brewing a belgian wit, any suggestion on how i might adjust accordingly? Or is it even that big of a difference in the first place? Thanks,

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Sweet orange peel is just fine.