Help me with this Hoegaarden clone

[linusstick]

Got this from Beer Captured. I’ll tell you what the recipe calls for and what I changed:

Specialty Grains:
80z Flaked wheat
8oz Belgian Aromatic malt
4oz Flaked oats
4oz rice hulls

5.5lbs Muntons Wheat DME

1oz EKG 45 min

1/2oz EKG, 1/4oz bitter orange peel, 3/4tsp crushed coriander seeds 1/8tsp crushed cumin seeds all for 13min

1/oz Czech Saaz, 1/2oz bitter orange peel, 1/2tsp crushed coriander seeds, 1/8tsp crushed cumin seeds

Wyeast Forbidden Fruit

I left out crushed cumin seeds completely as I only have ground cumin (and have never heard of brewing with it). I also switched the Wyeast for White Labs Belgian Wit Ale Yeast. I have a few days before brew day so what are your suggestions (if any)? Is the cumin going to make any noticeable difference? I know what it is because I cook a lot but the kids at my lhbs never heard of it so I assume this is odd for brewing with

 

[Bonde]

IMO you need a lot more flaked wheat or unmalted wheat. And some pilsner malt too, at least that’s what I do. I do not believe a Hoogarden is all wheat. More like 50/50 or 70/30.

I would also cut down the bitter orange a bit, maybe add lactic acid or at least acidulated malt.

Maybe up your coriander a bit to 15g depending on the freshness of the seeds of course.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

I would add more flaked wheat, more oats (but no more oats then 1 lb). The small amout of flaked wheat you have here won't make any differance in taste. For every 1 lb. of flaked wheat and oats you need 1 lb. of pilsner (or 2-row) for some diastatic power (you can't just steep flaked wheat and oats). Aromatic malt is not needed here, that's more for Belgian Doubles.

Now this is gonna be a partial mash, so you can't just steep those grains, you need to do a mini-mash. I would do 1.5 qt. of water for 1 lb of grain, ~150F, for 60 min.

So:
1.0 lb. Flaked Wheat
1.0 lb. Flaked Oats
2.0 lbs. Belgian Pilsner
4.0 oz. rice hulls
3.5 lbs. Wheat DME

Mash the grains in 1.5 gal water at ~151F for 60 min.

 

[weirdboy]

For all intents and purposes if he steeps the stuff around 145-165F he's going to get some conversion. The aromatic will help a bit. And I believe it needs to be mashed as well anyway.

I question about the grain bill just because there is no Pilsner in the base malt. I don't think Hoegaarden is a 100% wheat beer. But I also think maybe they didn't produce Pilsner LME or it wasn't as widely available when Beer Captured was written.

I'm sure the beer will taste good, but I don't think it will taste like Hoegaarden either.

 

[linusstick]

For all intents and purposes if he steeps the stuff around 145-165F he's going to get some conversion. The aromatic will help a bit. And I believe it needs to be mashed as well anyway.

I question about the grain bill just because there is no Pilsner in the base malt. I don't think Hoegaarden is a 100% wheat beer. But I also think maybe they didn't produce Pilsner LME or it wasn't as widely available when Beer Captured was written.

I'm sure the beer will taste good, but I don't think it will taste like Hoegaarden either.

I'm not naive enough to think it will taste like Hoegaarden...as long as it tastes good, that's all I care about