Belgian Whit as light as Blue Moon

[flyby]

I know the 'Blue Moon Clone' topic has been beat with a stick over and over. But most responses that I have read of the Belgian Whit recipes is that the extract kits will produce a heavier bodied/darker beer, but will still taste fantastic.

Thing is my wife has chosen what the next batch will be, a Blue Moon Clone (I as well love Blue Moon so no argument from me). But I know she will want the beer to be light and crisp very similar to the original.. I don't want my 'Clone Kit' to come out too much more heavy bodied over the original.

This will be my second batch ever, so extract brewing with steeping grains, or a partial mash is what I am limited to. No all-grain for me. I am using a Northern Brewer Deluxe kit.

I was looking at Austin Home Brew's clone kit or the Northern Brewer Belgian Whit kit. Experience or thoughts?

 

[NTexBrewer]

If you are talking about "light" as the color you can use Dry Malt Extract which is usually lighter then Liquid Malt Extract. Also add half at the start of the boil and the remaining at flame out.

Or use liquid wheat malt extract at the start and Pilsner Dry Malt extract at flame out.

To dry the beer out you can also substitute a 1/2 to 1 pound of corn sugar.

This will lower the final gravity.

I'm on my phone so can only give general info. I can look at my recipes later and give more details

 

[NTexBrewer]

Here is my "House" recipe for my witbier. This will give you some ideas. I was modeling this beer after Blanche de Bruxelles. I like the bitter orange and coriander spice nose in my beer so I add a little more than most recipes.

I mash 5 lbs of grains which you can easily do as BIAB. The rest of my fermentables come from DME.

2lb Two Row Barley
2lb Unmalted Wheat
0.5 lb Flaked Oats
0.5 lb Malted Wheat

3 lbs Wheat Dry Malt Extract (Late Addition)
1 lb Pilsen Dry Malt Extract

0.75 oz Czech Saaz 60 Minutes (3.5 AA)
1.0 oz Czech Saaz 10 Minutes (3.5 AA)

0.5 oz Bitter Orange Peel 15 minutes
0.5 oz Toasted Cracked Coriander 15 minutes

0.5 oz Bitter Orange Peel - Fermenter
0.5 oz Toasted Cracked Coriander - Fermenter

Belgian Wit Yeast WLP400


With this recipe you mash the grains in 2.75 gallons of water for 90 minutes at 150 degrees. Then stir and raise the temperature to 170 and hold for 10 minutes at 170. Pull the bag out and let it drain into the pot. You then add the 1 lb of Pilsen DME and start your boil. Add hops and spices as indicated. Total boil time is 60 minutes. At flameout add 3 lbs of Wheat DME, stir completely and cool wort. Add to fermenter and top off with water to 5 gallons. Add additional spices to fermenter, aerate and pitch yeast. The last time I did this recipe I had a OG of 1.045 and a FG of 1.008 for an ABV of 4.86%

Let me know if you need more specifics about BIAB mashing.