Hoegaarden clone

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80/-

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Hi all.

For my next brew I want ot make a Heogaarden clone based on a tin on Muntons Wheat Beer extract.

Does anyone have a recipe I could follow ?

Big questions I have at the moment are:

Should I be using light DME or a wheat DME over and above the tinned extract

How much orange peel should I be using and when do I add it

How much coriander should I be using and when do I use it - also do I use leaf or crushed seeds ?

Lots of questions - help me out if you can

Cheers

A
 
Heat 1 gallon of water to 155. Add:

8 oz. Flaked Wheat
8 oz. Belgium Aromatic Malt
4 oz. Flaked Oats
4 oz. Rice or Oat Hulls

Remove pot from heat and steep at 150 for 30 minutes. Strain grain water into brew pot and sparge with 1 gallon of 150 degree water. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add:

5.5 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 oz East Kent Goldings (4.3 alpha)

Add water to bring total volume to 2.5 gallons. Boil 45 minutes, then add:

1/2 oz East Kent Goldings
1/4 oz. Belgian Bitter Orange Peel
3/4 tsp crushed Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp crushed Cumin seeds

Boil 13 minutes then add:

1/2 oz Czech Saaz
1/2 Belgian Bitter Orange Peel
1/2 tsp crushed Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp crushed Cumin seeds

Boil 2 more minutes. Chill. Strain wort. Add water to bring to 5 1/8 gallons. Pitch yeast below 80 degrees.

Wyeast Forbidden Fruit (3463)
or, second choice
Wyeast Belgian Witbier (3944)

This recipe is from _Beer Captured_ by Tess and Mark Szamatulski. I have not tried it. It's a cool book that I just got. Lots of interesting clone recipes of Belgians.

If you make it, let us know how it goes. Cheers! :D
 
Cheers Janx! I'll give it a go as the next batch once my cider has been bottled.

It'll be roughly based on the recipe as I don't have the equipment or expertise to make from scratch, but I'll at least know how much orange peel and spices to add.
 
My variation...


Heat 1 gallon of water to 155. Add:

8 oz. Flaked Wheat
8 oz. Belgium Aromatic Malt
4 oz. Flaked Oats
4 oz. Rice Hulls

Remove pot from heat and steep at 150 for 30 minutes. Strain grain water into brew pot and sparge with 1 gallon of 150 degree water. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add:

6 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 oz East Kent Goldings (4.4 alpha)

Add water to bring total volume to 2.5 gallons. Boil 45 minutes, then add:

1/2 oz East Kent Goldings
1/4 oz. Bitter Orange Peel
3/4 tsp crushed Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp ground Cumin

(All added to a fine-meshed grain bag)

Boil 13 minutes then add:

1/2 oz Czech Saaz
1/2 Belgian Bitter Orange Peel
1/2 tsp crushed Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp ground Cumin

(added to the bag)

Boil 2 more minutes. Strain wort over ice.
Add water to bring to 5 1/8 gallons. Pitch yeast below 80 degrees.

Wyeast Belgian Witbier (3944)

Notes:
The Muntons Wheat DME added a brown color, so I don't think I'll get the Hoegaarden signature greyish color :(. Smells good so far. Tasting notes to follow at first and second rack.

I've stopped taking gravity readings, so none to report.
 
So it smells great! I just pitched the yeast and I'll check back before I go to bed to see if there's any activity.

Here's a Q for you all:

Since I don't have a sparge system, I did a ghettosparge where I heated water in a tea kettle then poured it into the grain bag. How off is this from real sparging? I stirred the grains with a spatula between pours from the kettle. It's pretty ghetto, isn't it?
 
Janx said:
This recipe is from _Beer Captured_ by Tess and Mark Szamatulski. I have not tried it. It's a cool book that I just got. Lots of interesting clone recipes of Belgians.

If you make it, let us know how it goes. Cheers! :D

I bought that book a few weeks ago. It's got some great recipes. I've got a kit I've got to get made, but after that I'm doing that Bridgeport IPA clone they have in there.
 
ghettosparge AKA batch sparging Works for me. After you've done two runs, check the SG. If it's 1006 stop. If it's higher, give it another dunking.
 
Cheesefood--can't wait to hear how this comes out. I've become addicted to this brew and was looking for a recipe. As for darkening, I wonder how subbing some ExLt DME for some of the wheat DME would work.
 
I've used Muntons Light ME in this and get an orangey colour rather than the white that Hoegaarden has. I also used a tin of Wheat Extract as well so some of the darkness may be coming from this.

I guess the only way to get the really light colour will be to go all-grain - unless anyone knows of any really light malt or wheat extract ?

80/-
 
I have used EXTRA light DME a couple of times. My IPA used it exlusively. Even after adding 1/2lb of 20L crystal, that beer came out VERY pale in color.

-walker
 
Sorry to bring up an old thread, but how did this turn out?

I tallied up the cost and its up there 61.16 to make 10 gallons even if I reuse the yeast. almost $70 if I dont reuse it.

Just trying to figure out if its worth it. I can typically make 20 gallons of that Sunshine Wheat clone for around 80$ with LME and dry yeast. But frankly I'm tired of it after 25 gallons.
 
So far from Hoegaarden that it might as well be a different style of beer completely.

I quit drinking it plain because the flavors are too strong. It's perfect to mix with an oatmeal stout for a Black/Tan, but that's about it.

If you Google it, there are dozens of HB boards out there filled with people trying to copy Hoegaarden, and no one (that I've seen) has been successful.

The recipe above will produce a strong flavored beer with lots of spice and zing, but nothing like Hoegaarden.
 
I just wanted to provide some follow up.

I've blasted this recipe I brewed many times on this board. It had such a strong flavor that I couldn't drinik it by itself.

I let it sit in my garage for quite some time, and I basically ignored it. I hadn't had a bottle in months, but I was running low on HB the other day so I threw a bottle in the fridge to give it a last chance.

Amazing transformation. It's a DELICIOUS beer now. A true Wit in color and flavor. IN the glass, it has an orange hue with white edges and a fiery glow. The flavors have all mellowed.

This is a beer that I'm now proud of. If you've brewed it and also thought that it was strong, just keep letting it do it's thing. Sometimes I have to remind myself that homebrew is very much a living thing and will change dramatically over time. Just give it a few months.
 
Cheesefood said:
I just wanted to provide some follow up.

I've blasted this recipe I brewed many times on this board. It had such a strong flavor that I couldn't drinik it by itself.

I let it sit in my garage for quite some time, and I basically ignored it. I hadn't had a bottle in months, but I was running low on HB the other day so I threw a bottle in the fridge to give it a last chance.

Amazing transformation. It's a DELICIOUS beer now. A true Wit in color and flavor. IN the glass, it has an orange hue with white edges and a fiery glow. The flavors have all mellowed.

This is a beer that I'm now proud of. If you've brewed it and also thought that it was strong, just keep letting it do it's thing. Sometimes I have to remind myself that homebrew is very much a living thing and will change dramatically over time. Just give it a few months.
this is the batch you brewed in november? so it's been aged for ~6 months?
 
Cheesefood said:
Yes, 6 months did the trick. Now I wish I had made more!
How many times have I said to not rush things...now you know why I have so many brews going and "in storage".

I have my 11 mini-kegs in the fridge in the garage.:D When my O'fest beer is carbonated just right I'll be putting 2 cases of that in there too.:D :D :drunk:
 
Brilliant - Just the happy ending to this story that I was looking for. My wife and I as well just love Hoegaarden. So we will be brewing this asap for the late fall I guess. Good lookin cheeseman
 
NEPABREWER said:
Brilliant - Just the happy ending to this story that I was looking for. My wife and I as well just love Hoegaarden. So we will be brewing this asap for the late fall I guess. Good lookin cheeseman

Well, call me a fool and kiss me on the way out.

Over the weekend, I bought some Hoegaarden and gave it the side-by-side. Appearance wise it's not similar, but the taste is pretty close. Again, you need to let it rest for a few months but you'll be pleasantly surprised. I owe this beer an apology.
 
To really make a traditional Wit requires the use of unmalted wheat and a very strange mash procedure similar to a turbid mash. You'll also need to add or generate lactic acid. All-grain is the only way to really make the style.

It's probably one of the most difficult beers to make well and come up with a result like Celis. Plus it's very prone to spoilage because of the unconverted starches in the wort.
 
Was thinking of squeezing in a witbier (all grain) near end of summer. Can I effectively do this as batch sparge (as my set up is now), or do I absolutely need to do protein rests, etc.? Any recommendation for simplifying the procedure for batch sparge?
 
You can do a multiple rest mash and still batch sparge. You just have to start thick and infuse to your final volume. Decocting is also and option, but not as simple. Its really not so bad to do a protein rest, a sacharifcation rest, and a batch sparge as normal. Like I said just start out thick and in thin it out with the infusion of boiling water. Any brewing software will have a caluclator for it.

Matt
 
Using Beersmith, how do I calculate these different steps? Volume, temperature, etc.?
 
Does this make sense (for 7.5 gallon mash tun):

Protein rest 4 qt at 154.9F (super thick?)
Sacc 4 qt at 198.3F
Mash 6 qt at 196.6

Targeted total of 15 gallons per standard batch sparge single infusion batch. I clearly need help, as this is breaking new brewing territory for me.
 
Two Q's: Will be starting a hoegaarden clone soon. Do I need a secondary? And do I need to do a yeast starter?
Thanks
 
Janx said:
Heat 1 gallon of water to 155. Add:

8 oz. Flaked Wheat
8 oz. Belgium Aromatic Malt
4 oz. Flaked Oats
4 oz. Rice or Oat Hulls

Remove pot from heat and steep at 150 for 30 minutes. Strain grain water into brew pot and sparge with 1 gallon of 150 degree water. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add:

5.5 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 oz East Kent Goldings (4.3 alpha)

Add water to bring total volume to 2.5 gallons. Boil 45 minutes, then add:

1/2 oz East Kent Goldings
1/4 oz. Belgian Bitter Orange Peel
3/4 tsp crushed Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp crushed Cumin seeds

Boil 13 minutes then add:

1/2 oz Czech Saaz
1/2 Belgian Bitter Orange Peel
1/2 tsp crushed Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp crushed Cumin seeds

Boil 2 more minutes. Chill. Strain wort. Add water to bring to 5 1/8 gallons. Pitch yeast below 80 degrees.

Wyeast Forbidden Fruit (3463)
or, second choice
Wyeast Belgian Witbier (3944)

This recipe is from _Beer Captured_ by Tess and Mark Szamatulski. I have not tried it. It's a cool book that I just got. Lots of interesting clone recipes of Belgians.

If you make it, let us know how it goes. Cheers! :D

Leave out the cumin sead....... Trust me, I have 10 gallons of that beer sitting kegs hoping that crap fades out..
 
yeah, I thought cumin seemed like an odd flavor. Cumin is one of the dominant spices in Chili. Chili-beer, nasty. I used the cumin, but couldn't really detect the flavor at bottling, but I also have a cold. What was your Final Grav. FSR402?
 
yeah, I thought cumin seemed like an odd flavor. Cumin is one of the dominant spices in Chili. Chili-beer, nasty. I used the cumin, but couldn't really detect the flavor at bottling, but I also have a cold. What was your Final Grav. FSR402?

My OG was 1.050 and FG was 1.010
 
The extract version of this recipe came out pretty good, although I wouldn't say it tasted anything like hoegaarden. This recipe comes out with a very strong citrus taste. If you want my advice, tone down on the orange peel.
 
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