Witbier Arwen Witbier

[bolus14]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

WLP550 & WY3522

Yeast Starter

Yes - 1qt

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.048

Final Gravity

1.012

Boiling Time (Minutes)

90

IBU

20

Color

3.2

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 days @ 70

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 days @ 65

Tasting Notes

Strong citrus character with slight peppery finish.

4lbs - 45% Belgian Pilsner
4lbs - 45% Flaked Wheat
.75lbs - 10% Wheat Malt

0.35 oz - Magnum (13.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) - 20 IBU

2 tea bags - Chamomile @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
1 oz - Coriander Seed @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
1 oz - Orange Peel @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

Yeast - WLP 550 & Wyeast 3522. See notes below. I always build a starter since this is washed yeast stored in a mason jar.

Single step Infusion at 153°F for 60 Minutes. Boil for 90 Minutes

Fermented:
70°F for 14 days
65°F for 14 days


The name came from a couple friends saying I should name my beers after Lord of the Rings characters. Arwen seemed to fit so that's where the name came from, if you're wondering.

This one is currently fermenting for me. It's based off of one of Biermunchers recipe's in the General discussion forum with a couple of changes of my own. Thought it deserved a presence in the recipes section! If this shouldn't be posted please feel free to delete it.

The original post is https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/just-another-brew-day-pics-99893/.

From the hydro sample after a week I get mostly orange with a little lemon and some slight spice. I didn't add the black pepper or flour mixture that Biermuncher had in his post.

The yeast combo I got from the Allagash Curieux clone post. I have used it in two other brews so far and this combination seems to give off some good citrus without crazy fermentation temps. It also gives just a hint of black pepper like spice. At some point this will be more of a "house yeast" than the combination since one strain will end up taking over the other, going by other forums about yeast "growing," but since it's only gen 2 I think it's still good to go.

 

[bolus14]

Well I checked the gravity on this today and the yeast must've like what they were eating, its down to 1.000 not what I was looking for. Thinking of dry hopping with some summit to try to bring out some orange smell and taste. Right now its hidden due to the dryness.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Home Brew mobile app

 

[bolus14]

Tried one of these a couple night ago. While my FG is very very low, the mouth feel and taste don't seem like it at all. To me it seems like it may be the same as what others describe what WY3711 does for Saisons, it's dry but it creates a fuller mouth feel than you would expect. I also had my wife try it who's not a beer drinker and she agreed that it was crisp but smooth, she just didn't like the "funky" Belgian taste that comes with some Belgian strains. That may not show up if you use a Witbier strain like WY3944 or WLP400.

The chamomile does add a nice floral note to the taste, I don't know that I would pick it out as chamomile if I was tasting it blind but it is there, just a light floral note in the finish.

To me it could use a little more orange zest. I don't pick up much orange and that could be due to my yeast choice. There's definitely citrus there, but more in the form of Belgian esters than orange zest.

Would I make this again as is, yes but I think it falls more towards being a Blonde than a Wit. I am more interested in doing a split batch, using WY3944 for both but add another oz of orange zest to 2.5gal.

 

[RedBeard08]

did you peel the oranges yourself? if so, was it just oranges or other kinds of citrus fruit too?

if you were to do it again, would you change the amount of coriander or chamomile?

 

[bolus14]

Yes peeled myself. Just be sure to only get the orange part, none of the white pith.

I think if I had used a Wit yeast it would have turned out much better. The yeast combo just didn't leave any sweetness to it which I think removed the orange, coriander taste. The chamomile was there for a while but like most spices of faded.

If you're thinking of doing this I would honestly stick with using a Wit yeast. The Ardennes is a beast and is better suited for something dryer like tripels.