Belgian White witbier

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Hernando

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Hello all. so for my second extract brew I wanted to do a Belgian white witbier. Found a recipe for a base start and of course I added some thing in here and there. I am concerned that something went wrong or perhaps I was sold the incorrect Wheat LME. My Beer is really dark instead of a nice light yellow it is more of a color you would find in a Brown Ale. I did double check the container that held the LME and it was a wheat LME but it was a lot darker than I expected. this is my first wheat beer and only my second beer brewed at home so I am not sure what the norm is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Interested in hearing the answer. I just brewed a Belgian Wheat last week, also my second brew, and I thought the same thing. It's in an ail pale now and I've only opened it once to check the gravity on it. I completely forgot to really look at the color, but I believe it got a little bit lighter. If my gravity readings are consistent this weekend, I will bottle and let you know on the color; maybe I'll even post a pic if I get a chance. I'm going to assume it will lighten in time.
 
I should mention I got mine from Midwest Supplies. I just checked the info on the beer on MS' website, and it's described as a light colored beer, naturally.
 
and of course I added some thing in here and there. I am concerned that something went wrong ... so I am not sure what the norm is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I know I've taken you out of context mate, but I wanted to highlight those words -- if you want us to give you details on what happened, we need details from you. Be as specific as possible! ;)
 
I've just bottled my Belgian White, and I think I can shed some light on this.

When the beer is in the bucket, it looks much darker than it is because there isn't light in there, and it is a large volume of beer all together. If you were to pour a sample into a cup, it'd look much lighter.

Also, it'll probably clear up a little after bottling.
 
Also, something I ran across early one with my first batch, which was also a wheat, was I didn't take it off the flame/heat during my LME addition, and ended up "burning" the extract a bit. Still tasted great, but just ended up not looking the color I wanted. I'm far from an expert, but I'm under the impression that it's harder to hit your mark when it comes to color with extracts...
 
When the beer is in the bucket, it looks much darker than it is because there isn't light in there, and it is a large volume of beer all together.

This goes for all beers. I just bottled a raspberry wheat and it looked like a dark red wine in the carboy and when I poured the last bit that didn`t fill a bottle into a glass to sample, it was super clear and no where near as dark.
 
I apologize for not being able to post the recipe in OP as I was at work. So here is the recipe and a pic.

Specialty grain:
.5 # Great western White Wheat Malt
.5 # Belgian Pilsner Malt

Extract 6# Wheat LME

Bittering Hops 2 oz. Hallertauer

Aromatic/Spice:

1.5 oz. Coriander seed/crushed manually
1 oz Bitter Orange Peel
.5 oz. Lavendar
.4 oz. Food grade rose petal

Yeast:
White Labs Belgian Wit Ale Yeast. Pitched @ 77 F.
photo.jpg


Thanks for the replies. I did remove the pot from heat when adding the LME, The LME itself was surprisingly darker than expected. I understand it being darker in the bucket but it was dark in my tube when testing the O.G.
 
I know I've taken you out of context mate, but I wanted to highlight those words -- if you want us to give you details on what happened, we need details from you. Be as specific as possible! ;)

No worries. I am here to learn and share, not keep secrets. I just didn't have the info at work.:mug:
 
Did you add the extract at the start of the boil? Many brewers add the extract at the last 15 minutes to keep the color lighter.
 
Did you add the extract at the start of the boil? Many brewers add the extract at the last 15 minutes to keep the color lighter.

No, that I did not do. I added it at the beginning of the boil. Would it darken that much through the boil? It was a dark caramel color right at the addition of the LME and naturally got a darker tint from the bittering hops.

I could definitely try that on my next Wheat go round.
 
It will also likely lighten up a bit after fermentaion has finished and the yeast starts dropping out of suspension.
 
I never tried the technique myself but others on hbt have. I'll defer to them for an answer on how much the late addition helps with color.
 
A lot of the LMEs have a darker color to them. I literally just brewed a Belgian Wit last weekend, but I used DME instead of LME. I used 3 pounds each of wheat DME and extra light DME, and I think the color will turn out great. It looked perfect going through the siphon, and of course looks a little dark in the carboy. I'm confident the color will be good in the glass.
 
I appreciate the feedback all. I will wait it out and see what happens and post as things progress. My main concern was; did I screw something up along the way, etc...

thePearsonfam, I would appreciate that. More of a curiousity than anything. I love learning about this stuff.

Dreg, I will give the DME a go next time around on the lighter beer. Never used DME so I'll have to do some reading on that.

On another note: I was reading where some people will add a touch of wheat flour at the 15 minute mark to enhance cloudiness and mouth feel, do any of you, do this?
 
Hi Hernando,

Looks like you are off to a good start.

Regarding the flower, I have never added that to either my Belgians or Wheat beers. It just doesn't seem natural to me to add flower...but maybe it is just me. As long as you don't filter your beer or use a clarifying agent (like Irish Moss) you will always get a cloudy beer.

Good luck

TripHops
:tank:
 
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