Belgian Wit Recipe, Also first time step mashing

[jlgroves1]

So this weekend will be my first witbier and my first time step mashing.

5 gallon

Harvest Moon (Heavily modified blue moon recipe)

6lbs pale malt
4lbs flaked wheat
1lb white wheat malt
1lb flaked oats
1lb rice hulls

.5oz cascade at 45 min
.5oz cascade at 15 min

1oz coriander at 5min
.75oz bitter orange peel at 5min

S-33 dry yeast

Doing a rest at 125 for 15 minutes and then raising to 153 for 60 min mash.

Boil for 60 min.

My question is, do i take into account the 1 lb of rice hulls when calculating mash volume, as they will not absorb any liquid? Anyone have any tips to step mashing, i.e. hitting temperatures (I mash in a 13gal cooler)? I know the most common is adding boiling water but are there other methods that work better. Also I'm taking constructive criticism on the recipe; it is my first time tinkering with a wit recipe.

 

[LouBrew13]

I made my first ag last weekend and it was a wit. I was told not to account the rice hulls into my strike volume. All went well though and it's fermenting currently. My recipe was similar with an addition of a lb of orange blossom honey. I didn't step mash so someone else can interject. Good luck.

 

[duboman]

Step mashing will help with conversion, IMO 125 is a little low, I would shoot for 135 for 30 minutes for the first and 155 for the second. The water added to raise will not and should not be boiling. To go from the 135 up it should only be about 156 or so and the second addition around 188 and then the sparge water will need to be higher to get the mash out temp around 168-170 to really rinse the sugar. I will assume you already have your volumes calculated. You may also want to add 10-15 minutes to your mash time to account for the temp adjustments needed

 

[Rev2010]

Step mashing will help with conversion, IMO 125 is a little low, I would shoot for 135 for 30 minutes for the first

122 is a standard protein rest temp, I do it often and have done it on my Belgian Wits. It seems to also have increased my extraction efficiency with my Wits since I used flaked wheat and oats which are unmalted. Nothing wrong with his temp listed.

The water added to raise will not and should not be boiling

I do boiling water infusions whenever necessary, have done it many times and never have any problems with it. The enzymes take a little time to denature so if you pour it in and quickly stir there really is no issue.

OP, rice hulls DO absorb water. What I do is add them in my mash tun and rinse them with hot water and drain the water out to cleanse them off. Then I leave them in while I add my mash tun preheating water. This lets the hulls soak up what they are going to absorb from water rather than your wort. Also, 1lb is way too much. I typically only use a few handfuls, and I've never needed to use them for my Wit's, though I use a bazooka screen which seems to resist clogging up a bit better than some other options. Recipe looks good too, but the grain bill is on the heavy side. Most of my Wit's for 5 gallons are within 9-10lbs, 9.25lb for my main recipe.


Rev.

 

[jlgroves1]

OP, rice hulls DO absorb water. What I do is add them in my mash tun and rinse them with hot water and drain the water out to cleanse them off. Then I leave them in while I add my mash tun preheating water. This lets the hulls soak up what they are going to absorb from water rather than your wort. Also, 1lb is way too much. I typically only use a few handfuls, and I've never needed to use them for my Wit's, though I use a bazooka screen which seems to resist clogging up a bit better than some other options. Recipe looks good too, but the grain bill is on the heavy side. Most of my Wit's for 5 gallons are within 9-10lbs, 9.25lb for my main recipe.


Rev.

Thanks for the heads-up I will definitely take the weight into account and will probably only use about .5lb of hulls. My temps. are from a friend that has done Wits before so I was fairly sure about those but thanks for reassuring me.

I know the recipe is on the heavier side, I'm looking for something a little unique and I tend to lean more toward bigger beers than lighter so it may be a learning experience that needs tweaking but it may be just what I'm looking for. The experiment is half the fun.

 

[duboman]

Didn't mean to provide any misinformation, just providing the info I received from a friend that almost exclusively brews Belgians, thanks for the input as well!