hoppy belgian wit?

[beanbagz1]

Brewer: JD Email: -
Beer: White ipa Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Type: Extract w/grain Size: 5 gallons
Color:
7 HCU (~6 SRM)
Bitterness: 28 IBU
OG: 1.055 FG: 1.014
Alcohol: 5.3% v/v (4.2% w/w)
Grain: 3 lb. Belgian Pilsner
2 lb. Wheat malt
1 lb. American Vienna
Boil: minutes SG 1.092 3 gallons
4 lb. Light malt extract
.5 lb. Honey
.5 lb. Corn sugar
Hops: .75 oz. Centennial (10.5% AA, 60 min.)
.5 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 10 min.)
.5 oz. Saaz (3.75% AA, 10 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (aroma)
1 oz. Chinook (aroma)
1 oz. Saaz (aroma)

1 ounce pulverized lemongrass in secondary?

does this recipe sound like it would work?

 

[brewski08]

Brewer: JD Email: -
Beer: White ipa Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Type: Extract w/grain Size: 5 gallons
Color:
7 HCU (~6 SRM)
Bitterness: 28 IBU
OG: 1.055 FG: 1.014
Alcohol: 5.3% v/v (4.2% w/w)
Grain: 3 lb. Belgian Pilsner
2 lb. Wheat malt
1 lb. American Vienna
Boil: minutes SG 1.092 3 gallons
4 lb. Light malt extract
.5 lb. Honey
.5 lb. Corn sugar
Hops: .75 oz. Centennial (10.5% AA, 60 min.)
.5 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 10 min.)
.5 oz. Saaz (3.75% AA, 10 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (aroma)
1 oz. Chinook (aroma)
1 oz. Saaz (aroma)

1 ounce pulverized lemongrass in secondary?

does this recipe sound like it would work?

looks good to me if you're going for a hoppy belgian wit.

when are you adding the honey and corn sugar?

 

[beanbagz1]

i was thinking the last 15 minutes or so... i think i will try putting the LME at 30 mins into the boil.

 

[brewski08]

i was thinking the last 15 minutes or so... i think i will try putting the LME at 30 mins into the boil.

the later the better for the LME if you want to keep your beer at a low SRM (recommended for the style).

are you adding the honey for a gravity boost? or are you looking to gain some honey flavor out of it?

SIDE NOTE: i've been discussing honey a lot on these forums lately...hm.

 

[beanbagz1]

thank-you for reminding me of that! should i add the lme at the at the same time as the sugar and honey? i just felt like the honey and sugar would be something more for the yeast to groove on and straighten out some of the sweetness. i ideally would like something along the lines of a blue moon and a refreshing ipa combined. too crazy to try?

 

[beanbagz1]

wont the more refined sugar and honey be a bit more fermentable than the lme? i am sorry if that is absolutely wrong.. i am still trying to wrap my head around all of this. do you think lemongrass in the secondary would be the best way to add some aroma and flavor? or should i kick some into the boil as well?

 

[beanbagz1]

what yeast's might i consider? i have a room that i can usually keep in the low to mid 60s range.

 

[brewski08]

thank-you for reminding me of that! should i add the lme at the at the same time as the sugar and honey? i just felt like the honey and sugar would be something more for the yeast to groove on and straighten out some of the sweetness. i ideally would like something along the lines of a blue moon and a refreshing ipa combined. too crazy to try?

that's what brewing beer is about, my friend.

in my experience, yeast will chow that honey up and simply ferment it all to alcohol. i've never picked up on honey flavors when i add liquid honey to my boil. some people say they have got flavor from honey when they add it to their kettle at flame out (when they remove the heat source), but i've never tried that. now, i just stick with 0.5-1 oz of honey malt when i want a honey flavor.

wont the more refined sugar and honey be a bit more fermentable than the lme? i am sorry if that is absolutely wrong.. i am still trying to wrap my head around all of this. do you think lemongrass in the secondary would be the best way to add some aroma and flavor? or should i kick some into the boil as well?

i'm not exactly positive on this. hopefully an expert can chime in, but i think LME and honey are equally appealing to yeasts. honey is usually made up mostly of sucrose, fructose, glucose, and maltose...which are all relatively simple disaccharides and monosaccharides that yeast love to eat and convert to alcohol. LME on the other hand is mostly maltose and other dextroses. dextroses are big sugars that yeasts have a hard time turning into alcohol. dextroses contribute to the body of the beer (meaning they give the beer flavor and fullness).

so basically, yeast eat simple sugars making them into alcohol. however, they do not have the utensils (enzymes) capable of converting dextroses into alcohol. because of this, the dextroses remain in the beer as sugars and give the beer flavor.

what yeast's might i consider? i have a room that i can usually keep in the low to mid 60s range.

i'm really lacking in my yeast knowledge, but i would recommend a simple ale yeast. US-05, Nottingham, or WL001 work well for me. they won't contribute too much flavor to the beer. attenuate in the 70-75% range. flocculate well (not really an issue in a wit though).

 

[beanbagz1]

great information! i love these forums! thankyou

 

[beanbagz1]

anyone care to chime in on the ferment-ability of corn sugar/honey, in comparison to dme/lme? i really would appreciate the information