Belgian Wit for first AG

Well, I did my first AG batch, using an unmodified 2 gal Igloo cooler as my MLT!

I dropped a stainless steel steamer to the bottom of the cooler to function as a false bottom. Everything went pretty well, except that my batch sparge was rushed -- I guess I should have added the sparge water in two batches, letting it rest 10m each time, but I just dumped it all in and then drained it. It hurt my efficiency a bit, but oh well

Here's the recipe -- I used a hybrid of a couple different recipes and made some additional adjustments. Hopefully it's close, and I can tweak it here and there to get it right where I want it.

It's in a 1 gallon jug now, and started fermenting less than 2 hours after pitching!


[size=+2]Belgian Wit 1[/size]
[size=+1]16-A Witbier[/size]



Size: 4.16 L
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 211.12 per 16 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.044 - 1.052)
|===============#================|
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.008 - 1.012)
|=======================#========|
Color: 3.4 (2.0 - 4.0)
|==================#=============|
Alcohol: 4.68% (4.5% - 5.5%)
|==========#=====================|
Bitterness: 16.13 (10.0 - 20.0)
|=================#==============|

[size=+1]Ingredients:[/size]
377.96 g 2-Row Brewers Malt (Organic)
283.47 g Belgian Wheat Malt
188.98 g Wheat Flaked
47.25 g Oats Flaked
4.43 g East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1.48 g East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
2.95 g Saaz (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 2 min
0.2 tsp Corriander seeds - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.1 tsp Corriander seeds - added during boil, boiled 2 min
1.5 g Bitter Curacao/Bitter Orange (Peel) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
3.0 g Bitter Curacao/Bitter Orange (Peel) - added during boil, boiled 2 min
0.2 ea WYeast 3944 Belgian Witbier

[size=+1]Schedule:[/size]
Ambient Air: 66 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

00:01:00 Mash in - Liquor: 64.25 fl oz; Strike: 135.0 °F; Target: 124 °F
00:31:00 Protein Rest - Rest: 30.0 min; Final: 120.1 °F
00:32:00 Infusion - Water: 43.68 fl oz; Temperature: 205 °F; Target: 151 °F
00:42:00 Hold - Rest: 10 min; Final: 151.0 °F
00:43:00 Raise temp to 158 - Water: 17.88 fl oz; Temperature: 205 °F; Target: 158.0 °F
00:58:00 Hold 158 - Rest: 15 min; Final: 155.4 °F
01:08:00 Sparge - Sparge: 119.09 fl oz sparge @ 170 °F, 5.98 L collected, 10 min; Total Runoff: 6.11 L

[size=+1]Notes:[/size]
3/1/8
Rest wound up at 123° (added 72oz of 138° water, stirred into mash until temp dropped below 125°)
Mashed at 152° (added 48oz of water boiled in electric kettle 5-10m prior)
Held 10m, temp fell to 150°
Raised to 156° (Added 20oz boiling water... next time add more to get to 158°)
8:07 reached boil, add EKG
8:52 2/3 coriander, 1/3 bitter orange, EKG
9:05 coriander, orange
9:07 flameout
Pitched 3944 starter @ ~9:30
OG 1.040 @ 72° (1.042?)
Bubbling by 11:30

[size=-1]Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29[/size]

It looks pretty good, except I didn't bother to convert grams to pounds.

151F is a perfectly fine mash temperature for the sacchrification rest. 158F is getting a little hot. That'd give you a much less fermentable wort...more sweetness and body. So I wouldn't try to go above 153F for your main rest.

my only other comment is AG is a lot of work for a 1 gallon batch. if you can't do a 5 gallon boil, consider aiming for a 3 gallon batch, so you at least get a full case (and another 6-pack) for your efforts.
if this was just kept to 1 gallon because its your first AG, no worries, but keep in mind that as you scale up your batch size, more heat is lost to the grainbill, and larger MLT's made from coolers can also sink more heat. pre-heating with hot tap water helps though.

also, always vorlauf before you drain your runnings, either the mash-in water or the sparge water. it does look like rushing the sparge lowered your efficienciency a bit. but low efficiency is common for the first attempt, especially if your brewery is 'rigged' up...you have to learn what to tweak to boost efficiency. Heck, a bad grain crush could be the biggest culprit here.

All in all, I think you did good, and i bet this beer is tastey.

Thanks Malkore! I think you're right, and a 3g carboy is in my future... For getting started with AG, I thought doing 1g batches would help me work out my technique, and try to get some repeatability -- I think I'll do the same recipe at least 3 times.

158° comes from Papazian -- although I only made it to 156°. I guess his idea is to mash low and the raise the temp, to get a medium body? I haven't fully wrapped my head around mash temps yet, so I'll have to study up before the next batch.