Dark Wit, a winter wheat beer. Help needed

[NYCBrewGuy]

I don't know if this fits a category per se (sort of dunkelweizen, sort of wit I suppose). I've got the urge to make an easy drinking winter beer, not too sweet, just enough alcohol to block out the cold. I put together this recipe as a blend of Belgian Wit and Dunkelweizen. The goal is to get some of the citrus and spice from the wit, some chocolate and caramel from the grain, and if possible a touch of banana and clove from the yeast. It's going to be tough to balance so I'm willing to go with a clean yeast, but thought maybe you all would have suggestions. Anyway, here's what I've got so far:

Grain Bill
3.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 30.00 %
3.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 30.00 %
2.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 20.00 %
0.75 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7.50 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.00 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.00 %
0.25 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 2.50 %

Hops
1.00 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 15.9 IBU

Spices
1.00 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
3.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc

Yeast?
Maybe WLP351, wlp320, wy3068

I really appreciate suggestions!

 

[wcarter1227]

i like the idea as I brewed a few wits over the summer and now I have been playing with doing wheat porters/ dunkelweizen.

Im not sure how much orange flavor you are looking for but Id back that bitter orange peel to 1 oz or less. Maybe even back the coriander to .50 oz.

The last wit I did I used 1 oz of each and it was undrinkable for 3 months. Finally starting to mellow out.

Good luck

 

[NYCBrewGuy]

Wow, thanks. I've never brewed a wit (done a few unspiced wheat beers though). I think I stole the amounts from a wit recipe on here but maybe it was a 10 gallon batch.

 

[bknifefight]

3 oz Orange peel is too much, as wcarter1227 said. I usually grate fresh orange peels and I use 4 medium oranges worth.

Other than that, it looks good. I love a good dark wheat ale!

 

[wcarter1227]

as for yeast I am a big fan of 3068. Safbrew t58 might be interesting in this as well.

If you dont want many esters Id use notty or us-56 or their liquid equivalents

 

[NYCBrewGuy]

I think I want some esters, but want to focus on clove and minimize banana/bubblegum. Thinking maybe WY3068 and keeping the temp on the low-side.

I was picking up bottle caps and some priming sugar to bottle my first lager and free up the fermentor for this. Since Whole Foods Beer Room in NYC is a homebrew store now, I also picked up a bottle of Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Oak Dunkel. If I like it, maybe I'll oak this as well. Orange, coriander, clove and oak with some chocolatey sweetness from the malt - makes me think of rum (guess I know what to soak the oak cubes in!)

Maybe a split batch, bottle half and then oak whats left.