Belgian Wheat Beer - Bad?

This was the first time I've tried to make a wheat beer. I've had dozens and dozens of successful batches of beer made from LMA (hopped malt extract from can). I know - that's pretty basic stuff, but it always ALWAYS worked and tasted great! I say this because I'm positive my sterilization methods, etc., are good and sound.

This Wit Bier has been in the bottles (quart size) for 3 weeks, and I opened one last night. Smelled OK, looked OK, but tasted like crap.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/i-thought-my-beer-crappy-when-202814/

According to a few threads, including the one above, it takes more "time" for this beer to get good?

My Blondes and Real Ales and other kit beers usually only take about 2-4 weeks in the bottle and then they are great.

According to a fellow homebrewer friend of mine: "Could be the fermentation temp or a wild yeast got in there, if it were bacterial it would taste sour and funky or mediciney. An orangey flavor would be an ester or fusel alcohol which is produced by yeast if the temp got too high your strain of yeast could do that or a wild strain could produce just about any flavor.
Over time some of those flavors can mellow a bit and become drinkable. Wait and see I guess."

It has the orangey nasty flavor, not funky/mediciney.

Thoughts? Just wait some more? I ask this despite all the posts saying wait, because I would prefer to dump it so I can make a new 5 gallons of something that works and tastes good, and I need those 5 gallons of quart bottles.

Thanks
-Dave

Well, what were you expecting this to taste like? Have you had wits before? If so, it is a very different flavor?

Witbier is made with corriander and orange peel (curacao) so it's suppose to have some orange/lemon flavor. It's not going to have a hefeweizen-like banana/clove flavor. I don't know what kit you used but often I find a lot of wits go overboard with the orange peel and corriander so it's possible the kit did the same.

There's not really anything you can do to undo the intended flavor of ingredients you were supposed to add other than wait and see if the flavor mellows out, which is often the case. I find that corriander tends to mellow after a few weeks. I've never used orange peel so I can't say the same applies but I would assume so.

Wits don't typically need much time to mature. Mine was mini-kegged, carbed and delicious in two weeks. What's the recipe you used?

You should just let it be for a couple more weeks and try it again. You say you want to brew again but need the bottles. Just pick up some more. Ask friends/family for theirs if you can't afford to buy new ones.

so, how hot was your fermentation temperature?

if you are still doing all-in-one syrup recipes, maybe you just bought crappy/old ingredients. you've tried new foods at the store before only to find that they are not what you enjoy, right?

Have I had whit bier before? Yes, and it didn't taste anything like this.
Kit: Brewcraft USA: Belgian Wit Bier
Orange peel and coriander: I didn't add these from the kit, nor did I add my own peel and coriander.
Temp: I was careful to add the yeast only when the liquid had cooled to about 80F. The yeast seemed to like that because it burbled vociferously for 2 days.

Thanks
-Dave

Sounds like you fermented it too warm, which produced an excess of esters. While the flavor won't go away entirely there's a good chance it will mellow if you give it a few more weeks.

what was the yeast that was supplied? the particular strain may give off the flavors you do not like.

DaveMaes said:

Temp: I was careful to add the yeast only when the liquid had cooled to about 80F. The yeast seemed to like that because it burbled vociferously for 2 days.

Click to expand...

The temp you pitch the yeast is much less important than the temp you hold it at while fermenting. If you let it ferment unchecked at 80F+, it's going to have all kinds of esthers that you may or may not appreciate.

Thanks - good info. Likely the Ferm. Temp was too high then. I would guestimate it between 72 and 76. Not the perfect 68.

Confirmed temp of fermentation was way too high. Warmer here in San Diego than in Brugge.