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BierMuncher

...My Junk is Ugly...
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So it's 14 degrees outside and snowing. The SWMBO is upstairs watching some black and white movies in front of the fireplace. The dogs are tug-o-warring over an old sock in the family room. I...have...got...to...brew... I'm already stocked up on APA's, IPA's, IIPA's, Barleywine, Nut Brown Ale, Mild, Cream Ale, Stout, Vienna Lager (Ale), Blonde's and English Pales. I don't normally do this in the winter, but one of my daughters has moved back home from college and has been begging for it so...it was time to break out the oranges...the coriander and some flaked wheat and whip up 10 gallos of my "Your WIT-ness" Belgian wit.

First you gotta zest about 8 large oranges. Man it smells good:
Wit_Oranges.jpg


Then you have to break in to your one-pound bag of coriander:
Wit_Coriander_BAg.jpg


Then you measure out a nice healthy dose...in this case, two ounces for a 10-gallon batch:
Wit_Coriander_Scale.jpg

Then you have to break out the coffee mill that is no longer used for a coffee mill:
Wit_Coriander_Crush.jpg


One nice ingredient that lends some smooth floral tones is chamomile tea...in this case, four tea bags (hold the tea bagging jokes):
Wit_Chamonile.jpg
 
Now this smells nice. Oh...and a couple tablespoons of black pepper for some nice bite:
Wit_Spice_Mix.jpg


Pause to feed the mutts:
Wit_Dog_Feed.jpg


Waiting for the hot break:
Wit_Boil.jpg


Time to sprinkle in the goodness:
Wit_Add_Zest.jpg

In go the rest of the spices:
Wit_Add_Spices.jpg
 
that sounds delicious! i just brewed and orange cascade pale ale that smells so good. might have to keep this in mind for the summer!
 
Awesome post and pics! I am jealous of your setup! Enjoy the Wit!!
 
I'v never heard of adding flour to a beer before. Seems a little odd?

I'm not sure I'd describe it as odd, but I certainly am curious what this adds to the brew and how BM came to discover the idea of putting it in his beer.
 
You ever consider white pepper rather than black? It is a whole different flavor and blends nicely with coriander. It has a nice bite but a bit "cleaner".

Damn Munch. I wish I had the time to brew enough so that I had such a pipeline! You must never buy commercial beer anymore.
 
I think Widmer puts flour in their Hef, all flour does is add cloudiness when added in small amounts. By the way Munch are you going to post a recipe?
 
I think Widmer puts flour in their Hef, all flour does is add cloudiness when added in small amounts. By the way Munch are you going to post a recipe?

Yeah...the flour is just to insure the beer stays hazy, regardless of how long it might sit in a chilled keg or bottle.

I've had judges sample my wits before (in casual company) and even though they still tasted great after several months, they were crystal clear and that can detract from the whole "wit" experience. The flour addition is something I heard on Jamil's show.

As far as a recipe:
(For 11 gallons)
8# 2-row
9# Flaked Wheat
2# White Wheat Malt

1.25 ounces of Sterlnig Hops at 60 minutes (I just use whatever clean bittering hop I can find since it plays such a minimal role)

6-7 ounces fresh orange zest - 10 minutes
2 ounces of freshly crushed (pulverized) coriander - 10 minutes
1-2 Tbsp of crushed black pepper - 10 minutes
4 chamomile tea bags - 10 minutes

OG - 1.048
IBU - Somewhere around 17-18

I poured the spice mixes into the hop bag with 10-15 minutes left in the boil. Then I tied off that bag and let it sink to the bottom of the kettle as I cooled the wort. I wanted to let those spices (and hops) steep for the extra 15 minutes.

I pitched a simple slurry of Safale-05 from a prior batch when the wort hit 76 degrees. A bit warmer than usual, but the higher temp will add some slight esters I want.
 
Awesome, thanks for posting! I have been pondering what to brew for a friend's upcoming nuptials in May, and I think you've answered my question. :ban:
 
Brewed this yesterday thanks to an unexpected day-off courtesy of a server meltdown. Down to the last detail, save scaling to 5 gallon batch and subbing out WLP400, including brewing in the basement from dough-in to transferring to the carboy.


:rockin:
 
I also brewed this last weekend (my first 11 gallon attempt), and ended up short on the orange zest. I will take a sample in a few weeks and see if it might benefit from some fresh (sanitized) zest in secondary.
 
I'm sorry did you say you pitched US-5 for a Wit? I always thought you needed belgian wit yeast and that US-5 would leave it a little bland and lacking that tart that comes with a wit? Have you done this before? How did it work out. The wit yeast is less flocculant than the US-5 right?
 
I'm sorry did you say you pitched US-5 for a Wit? I always thought you needed belgian wit yeast and that US-5 would leave it a little bland and lacking that tart that comes with a wit?


This is the most requested beer in my house by the family and neighbors who come over.

If I had some wit yeast laying around I’d have certainly used it, but as it is, the 05 will do just fine for giving me a flavorful house quaffer. The lay person won’t know the diff, but this isn’t something I’d enter into a competition without the proper yeast.

FWIW, I tapped the first keg this past weekend so that’s about a 2.5 weeks from grain to glass. It is mighty tasty and I mashed this high so the ABV on this 1.047 finished around 1.017 to give me a nice 3.9% session ale.
 
What does using all that flaked wheat do for the beer? IS it a big difference compared to using the regular wheat malt? I ask because I have never used that much flaked anything.
 
Are those the zested oranges behind the box grater in the op pic? I ask because I decided to try adding some orange zest to my Spanish Castle Ale I just brewed and I wasn't quite sure how far to go. It seemed just one or two passes and I was down to the pith. I only had two oranges (kinda hard to find around here:D) and didn't have that much zest (I used a flat grater that has finer holes than your box grater...same type of 'offset' holes though). This was for a 5 gal. batch.

Would you believe that when I went to the grocery to get two oranges that I could not get ANY Florida oranges? In Orlando! WTF! They had plenty of California oranges and some specialty stuff...but not a Florida orange to be had (so I passed). Luckily a coworker brought in a bag of homegrowns (people do that all the time down here) and a I grabbed a couple. Indian River zest FTW!:D
 
Are those the zested oranges behind the box grater in the op pic? I ask because I decided to try adding some orange zest to my Spanish Castle Ale I just brewed and I wasn't quite sure how far to go. It seemed just one or two passes and I was down to the pith. I only had two oranges (kinda hard to find around here:D) and didn't have that much zest (I used a flat grater that has finer holes than your box grater...same type of 'offset' holes though). This was for a 5 gal. batch.
Yeah, those were zested.

I just went a couple of passes until I just scraped the white. It took about 5-6 large oranges to get a large pile for a 10-gallon batch.
 
I'll second the flour addition. After hearing in on Jamil, I tried it and it works great. Permanent starch haze.

What kind of grain bill do you use on your wits? I usually go with all pilsen and unmalted wheat.
 
I'll second the flour addition. After hearing in on Jamil, I tried it and it works great. Permanent starch haze.

What kind of grain bill do you use on your wits? I usually go with all pilsen and unmalted wheat.

Post #15.

I like a healthy dose of flaked wheat for a lighter, crisper taste.
 
BM - is this one more popular to brew than your Blue Moon clone? Spicier, more flavorful? Was planning a 10 gal batch of blue moon, but this one looks pretty good too.
 
BM - is this one more popular to brew than your Blue Moon clone? Spicier, more flavorful? Was planning a 10 gal batch of blue moon, but this one looks pretty good too.

This one goes over pretty darn well. The fresh orange and the chamomile give it a nice softness. The only thing really missing is the wit yeast. That would button this recipe up as a competition contender. I'm just too lazy. :D
 
Did you just use a single infusion mash? Most of the Wit recipes I have seen seem to have some kind of step mash.
 

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