Witbier Recipe-- Please Critique

[BostonHomeBruin]

Hi all,

I'm going to be brewing my first Belgian Wit. I haven't gone all-grain yet, so this will be an extract recipe. I'd like this to resemble an Allagash White, Harpoon UFO White, or Hoegaarden. I came up with this recipe on Brewtoad and I'd love to get some input. According to Brewtoad the FG is a bit too high to be considered a proper wit, and I could get it low enough if I switched to White Labs yeast, but I went ahead and got the Wyeast smack pack because it's so easy to use and it's received better reviews on here.

I got really excited and ordered all of these ingredients, and I'm planning on brewing this weekend, but I was wondering if there was anything I overlooked or any tweaks I should make.

I have a few questions:

- I'm planning on adding the crushed coriander seeds and orange peels to the boil at 15 minutes. Should I keep them in hop bags when I add them to the boil? Should I strain them out before the wort goes to the fermenter?

-How balanced does this look? According to Bewtoad the IBU range is 10-20. I want this to be crisp and refreshing, but not bitter.

Any other thoughts would be really appreciated.


Type Extract
Batch size 5.0 gal
Boil time 60 min

Fermentables
Bavarian Wheat DME 5.0 lb
Oats, Flaked 8.0 oz
White Wheat 8.0 oz
Wheat, Flaked 8.0 oz
Pilsen Light DME 8.0 oz

Hops
Styrian Golding 1.0 oz, 30 min
Saaz 1.0 oz, 5 min

Yeast

Belgian Witbier 3944 Wyeast

Extras
Bitter Orange Peel 1.0 oz, 15.0 min
Coriander Seed 1.0 oz, 15.0 min

Predicted Stats
1.047 OG
1.012 FG
18 IBU
4.6% ABV
4 SRM
0.37 IBU/OG


Thanks!

 

[blackflagbrew]

Don't forget the chamomile, 1/2 to 1 oz at the end of you boil should be good. Get the loose dried flowers if possible. Not sure if you can steep oats and wheat.

 

[drainbamage]

I just made a witbier this spring and have a few suggestions:

* Add most of your DME toward the end of the boil, probably at the same time that you add your spices. I did mine for full boil and it turned out a little darker than intended when the LME caramelized.

* I also shot for 18 IBU and it seemed like a bit much (even though the style guidelines go up to 20). If I did it over, I'd probably try to keep it at 15 or under.

* You can steep flaked oats and get some mouthfeel contributions, but I don't think steeping wheat will do much for you (somebody correct me if I'm mistaken on that). The wheat DME should be enough to do the trick.

 

[NTexBrewer]

My recipe that I have been trying to perfect has IBU at 13. I also use saaz for bittering and late addition. I add .5 oz each of coriander and bitter orange peel with 15 minutes and then add .5 oz of each to the primary. If you use a hop bag for your spices it would be easy to transfer them to the fermenter. My first batch only had spices in the boil and most of the spices stayed in the brew kettle with the trub.

I do a mini mash but I do add 1 lb of pilsner DME at start of boil and then 3 lb of wheat DME at flameout. This helps keep things light. If you do late addition of your DME it will affect your bittering rates.

I'm on my iPad now so it is hard for me to post my recipe. If you are interested in seeing it let me know.

My last batch was awesome and compared very well in color and flavored to Blanche de Brussels. Mine had a little more spice not which I proffered.

 

[NTexBrewer]

Ok figured out how to share recipes.

This is a MiniMsah but will give you an idea.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/42389/blanche-de-franche

 

[stpug]

Thoughts I had:

-1lb of DME at start of boil; the other 4.5lbs at 5 min to the end. The purpose is to keep the brew as light as possible and also keep the sugars as fermentable as possible.

-White wheat and flaked wheat won't do much for you without something to convert them; though they might add some haze producing proteins which is "to style".

-I'd move the spicing closer to the end; 5 minutes or less (2 minutes would be good). The purpose is to get the aromatics out of them which happens quickly AND without boiling the aromatics away.

-An ounce of bitter orange peel is probably fine (on the heavy side). An ounce of coriander is a lot in a wit beer; consider using MAX 0.75 oz (or even a little less 0.6 oz). This is all ESPECIALLY true if you boil them for 15 minutes - the longer you boil bitter orange peel the more bitter the beer becomes.

-Chamomile can be good in a wit but not in the quantities mentioned above. A quarter ounce would be PLENTY at flameout.

-I like your hops and hope schedule. 18 IBUs is fine from my perspective.

-4-6 oz of acidulated malt would serve a wit beer good in most cases, but may vary depending on the water you use (4 oz should be safe though). The purpose is to give a little added acidity (and tartness) to the beer which helps create the "crisp" character.

 

[blackflagbrew]

Yes, sorry, I was going off memory this morning when I posted. I just took a look at my recipe and I used 1/2 oz of dried chamomile flowers at 1 minute. Definitely enough.

 

[BostonHomeBruin]

Thanks guys! We brewed on Sunday. I tweaked the recipe a bit- I kept the grains, but used 3 lbs wheat DME and 3 lbs extra light DME. I added one lb of the extra light at the beginning, and added the rest towards the end to keep it lighter. I also added the orange peels and coriander late in the boil. The OG was 1.047. It took a little over a day for the fermentation to start, but I'm seeing some bubbles now.

 

[BostonHomeBruin]

Update: we bottled on 9/29, and I popped my first one this past Sunday. I'm very happy with this beer. I had read that it's hard to get a light color from extract brewing, but I heeded the advice and added most of the DME late in the boil. It had a nice foamy head, it's good and cloudy, and I can get a good taste of the coriander and orange peel. I think this is the best beer I've brewed so far. Thanks so much for your help. :rockin:

 

[stpug]

That's awesome!! Congratulations on a job well done!! I'm glad it all worked out well and resulted in a good beer.

I've been thinking about wits and cali commons lately. I may just have to brew one (or both) up this winter. I know that neither is a typical "winter beer" but I generally just brew what I like when I want it. You could say that I'm "seasonally ignorant"

Cheers