Critique my quick Wit please

[Alamo_Beer]

Dar tis.....whataya think? Using what I've got on hand.....I can still run to the LHBS if need be but I'd really rather not...

Style: Belgian White (Wit)
Type: All grain
Size: 11 gallons
Color: 3 HCU (~3 SRM)

Bitterness: 18 IBU
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.008
Alcohol: 4.2% v/v (3.3% w/w)
Mash: 85% efficiency
Boil: minutes SG 1.037 12 gallons

Grain:
6 lb. British pale
6 lb. Wheat malt
2 lb. Flaked oats



Hops:
2 oz. Hallertauer (4.25% AA, 45 min.)
1 oz. Hallertauer (4.25% AA, 10 min.)
1oz Bitter Orange Peel, 5min
1oz Coriander, 5min

 

[Chriso]

Taking advantage of that downgrade to Category 1, eh?

I think it looks like the textbook example of a nice pale session Wit (except mebbe the oats, do those belong there? i'm guessing that's the "using what you have" part), with nice low hopping levels. But I'm not an expert on Witbier by any means. Not a fan of the style.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Yup, textbook is kinda what I'm going for...I've never brewed one but I've been liking Hoegaarden lately now that it's stinkin' hot out.....SWMBO is a fan of Blue Moon and I thought a 'traditional' Wit would be something she'd go for....

Oats? Yeah, IDK...I've got an ass load of specialty grains TBH....I pretty much go to the LHBS every couple of weeks and buy a pound or two of whatever they've got

 

[Chriso]

Dont get me wrong - Oats sound like they'd go perfectly! Mouthfeel, haziness, graininess, mixes well with coriander - sounds like a perfect marriage! I just don't think they're "to style" was all I was sayin.

What about a tiny (4oz? 8oz?) portion of Caramel 10 or Cara-Pils or something light? Just a little bit of residual sweetness? Or Vienna would go well, too, maybe 8 oz of that?

Still think it looks tasty. I might even like it, and I don't like Hoegaarden *or* Blue Moon. (The local brewpub makes a Wit with chamomile in it that is delicious, though. I'll drink that wit any day.)

I pretty much go to the LHBS every couple of weeks and buy a pound or two of whatever they've got

Heh. I kinda do that whenever Forrest runs a HBT sale. Last time, in addition to my Oktoberfest, I wound up with 1# each Pale Choco, Acid malt, and Coffee malt. What a weird mix eh?

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Eh you could MAYBE use those three in a crazy stout.......i guess

I'm pretty sure oats are to style for a wit....

Ingredients: About 50% unmalted wheat (traditionally soft white winter wheat) and 50% pale barley malt (usually Pils malt) constitute the grist. In some versions, up to 5-10% raw oats may be used. Spices of freshly-ground coriander and Curaçao or sometimes sweet orange peel complement the sweet aroma and are quite characteristic. Other spices (e.g., chamomile, cumin, cinnamon, Grains of Paradise) may be used for complexity but are much less prominent. Ale yeast prone to the production of mild, spicy flavors is very characteristic. In some instances a very limited lactic fermentation, or the actual addition of lactic acid, is done.

 

[jrkettle]

Thats pretty close to my Wit that I'm drinking now, which turned out really well. Oats are to style for Wit's. I also used orange zest instead of the orange peel, about 4 large oranges for 5.5 gallons.

 

[Chriso]

Sweet!!!1 Do it!!! Sorry for the misinfo re: oats. I said I wasn't a wit person.

 

[Fat Guy Brewing]

I just recently made a wit. Sorry, I am an extract guy but I saw your post highlighted on the home page and had to read. Mine turned out great, not a clone of hoegaarden, but very very similar in a side by side taste test. For 5 gallons, I used 1 oz of hallertauer, half at the start, half for the last 15 minutes. Bag the bitter orange peal from the HB store. Get some real oranges and use the zest of the orange for the last 15 minutes (clean the oranges good before zesting). I used zest of 4 oranges which was about 1/2 cup. I also tossed in 5 tablespoons of coriander. Its definitely my proudest moment over the kettle.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Looks great.

Most of the wits I've had have oats. I brewed OhioBrewtus' Hooegarden clone a few weeks ago which didn't use any but it had a good portion of flaked wheat.

Best of luck

- Eric

 

[Thor the Mighty]

Yup, textbook is kinda what I'm going for...I've never brewed one but I've been liking Hoegaarden lately now that it's stinkin' hot out.....SWMBO is a fan of Blue Moon and I thought a 'traditional' Wit would be something she'd go for....

Oats? Yeah, IDK...I've got an ass load of specialty grains TBH....I pretty much go to the LHBS every couple of weeks and buy a pound or two of whatever they've got

if you like hoegaarden then check http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_43_252&products_id=1939 out, because its austin home brew's interpertation of hoegaarden and you can get it in mini mash or all grain order. so try it out. i just did the extract version of it.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

There is nothing quick or witty about your post. It simply appears to be a recipe for beer.







Ok, now you can critique my quick wit...

Actually your recipe looks fine, but it may turn out a bit darker than you prefer. British pale tends to add more color than other malts. Many wits use pils malt to keep things light. Also, look for Belgian wheat, as it's usually a little lighter in color. I like the oats. I would avoid the late hops addition, but it's not necessarily wrong.

 

[DaleJ]

Oats are appropriate for the style (http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.html#1a)

Hops should pretty much just be for bittering
What yeast are you using?

...
Ok, now you can critique my quick wit...
...

Ahhh, Yuri....you're just all the rage, aren't you?

 

[AnOldUR]

1oz Coriander, 5min

Could be a bit much if crushed fine. 1/2oz is the most I'd use, less if you use a coffee grinder.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

I'm using WLP400 Wit yeast.

I've got 100lb of "pale malt" and figured I'd start using it I do have about a half sack of 2row though so I'll probably use that instead for this wit. One of my concerns is about the wheat malt....I see lots of recipes with flaked wheat and very little wheat malt. I've got a full sack of wheat malt so thats why I was using it in this....

As for the spices....this is a 10gal recipe. Is it still too much?

Lastly, the hopping. Just my opinion about wits and reading about them lends me to believe that there isn't any late hopping.....but, I read a bunch of recipes that had it so I put it in mine.....I'm easily, easily swayed on this one

 

[Chriso]

Could be a bit much if crushed fine. 1/2oz is the most I'd use, less if you use a coffee grinder.

1/2 oz in 5 gal or 1/2 oz in 10 gal? Alamo's brewing a 10g batch.

 

[AnOldUR]

1/2 oz in 5 gal or 1/2 oz in 10 gal? Alamo's brewing a 10g batch.

Oops, missed that

A recent podcast suggested using a coffee grinder. Tried it with my last white at .3oz instead of the usual .5oz and it still was a bit stronger (but still OK.)