Belgian Strong Wit Advice

[TheBrewinator]

Hello all, my wife recently tried a Belgian strong wit at a brewpub and she really liked it so I am going to try to make something similar next. Here is the recipe I came up with after reading around.

7 Gallon Boil Volume
5.5 Gallon Batch
7 lbs Belgian Pils
6 lbs Flaked Wheat
1 lb Flaked Oats
1 oz Hallertauer (3.8%) 60 mins
1 oz Crushed Corriander 10 mins
1 oz Bitter Orange Peel 10 mins
Belgian Wit Yeast

Single infusion mash at 153 for 60 mins, standard batch sparge up to 7 gallons. Calculating at 75% efficiency, I should hit around 1.065 which should put me around 6.5% ABV which is a bit shy of the original (7%).

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks.

 

[GuldTuborg]

I haven't used all flaked wheat before in a recipe like this, so I can't comment on that aspect, but it looks solid otherwise. The spices will come through pretty strongly at that amount. If that's what you like, great, but I like mine slightly on the subtle side (roughly .3-.5oz per 5 gallon batch). You also might consider dropping the mash temp. When I think witbier, I think refreshing (even if it is a bit big), and I wouldn't want it to finish too high. Then again, something more substantial might be what you have in mind. If so, carry on.

 

[robtotten]

I'd up the hops to 20-25 IBU to match the increased gravity.

 

[TheBrewinator]

I had considered that but from what I have read, using bitter orange peel will help balance it out as the hops would. Anyone with experience using bitter orange peel know if this is true or not?

 

[GuldTuborg]

The BOP will provide something of a counterpoint to the residual sweetness, but it won't be the same as using hops. Whether you prefer it or not, only you can tell. Make sure you get at least 12-15 IBU, so there's some extra preservative effect (it never hurts, right?), but going up to 20 or so would only be good. Beyond that, it's all about how you want it to taste. 15-20 is a good starting point, and you can tweak it well in either direction from there.