Witbier Spices

[Dr_Jeff]

I followed the original recipe from @Wayne1 and made very few minor adjustments.

The first time I had brewed it, I brewed it because my wife said that a good friend of hers was coming to visit and his favorite beer was Blue Moon.
On the initial brew, I was a bit uncertain as to the taste, a client came by and I offered him a sample, he had told me that his favorite beer was Blue Moon, and he had a sample and told me that he thought mine was much better than Blue Moon, so I felt confident that I had hit it spot on.
I have varied that amounts of coriander and orange peel and have settled on peel from mandarin oranges, (the little cuties) and have tried White Labs WLP-400 Witbier yeast and WLP-530 Abbey yeast. Both yeasts make a good beer as does the US-05 recommended by @Wayne1.

I prefer the WLP-400 version, but it is not as versatile as WLP-530 in my opinion.
With the WLP-530, I can brew a Witbier and use the yeast as a starter for a bigger beer, such as Triple or a Quad.

When I had more time to brew, I usually tried to always keep it on tap.

I believe that in most Belgian beers, the yeast should derive/produce most of the flavors as the best recipes usually have a very simple grain bill.

 

[Sleepy_D]

Since there’s a lot of witbier brewers in here I figured I’d ask this here. I’m going to make a Belgian white cider. No boil so I’m not sure how much spice to add as it will be in the fermenter instead. Was thinking I’d go low, maybe 0.5 oz coriander and orange. What do you think?

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Since there’s a lot of witbier brewers in here I figured I’d ask this here. I’m going to make a Belgian white cider. No boil so I’m not sure how much spice to add as it will be in the fermenter instead. Was thinking I’d go low, maybe 0.5 oz coriander and orange. What do you think?

I've never considered one, but it sounds tasty, and I enjoy Belgian beers (my favorites).
Please report back on how it turns out, as I may give it a try.
I believe that the boiling helps to bring out the aromatics in the spice.

So you are planning on using a Belgian yeast? Which one?

That would be a good starting point, as you could always up the quantity on the next batch.

You said, no boil, but i believe that I would bring a gallon or so up to a simmer, add the spices, and simmer for five minutes or so, then add all of it to the fermenter along with the rest of the juice and whatever else.

Good luck, with a beer yeast, it should finish fast and clear up fast as well.


Great Idea

 

[Sleepy_D]

I've never considered one, but it sounds tasty, and I enjoy Belgian beers (my favorites).
Please report back on how it turns out, as I may give it a try.
I believe that the boiling helps to bring out the aromatics in the spice.

So you are planning on using a Belgian yeast? Which one?

That would be a good starting point, as you could always up the quantity on the next batch.

You said, no boil, but i believe that I would bring a gallon or so up to a simmer, add the spices, and simmer for five minutes or so, then add all of it to the fermenter along with the rest of the juice and whatever else.

Good luck, with a beer yeast, it should finish fast and clear up fast as well.


Great Idea

Thanks for the response!

I’m not 100% on the yeast selection yet as I haven’t used a Belgian on a cider before. A lot of people like belle saison yeast for ciders but I’m not sure if that character is what I’m going for. Looks like some people have had good success with t-58 but I haven’t found anyone who spiced it like a witbier too. I’ll probably end up going with the t-58 and if it’s overwhelming I’ll try again sometime with the belle saison.

I think boiling is generally a no no with cider as it can cause haze and off flavors. If boiling is really that important I’ll most likely do it in a small amount of water and add that to the juice. I don’t know a lot about the science of the importance of the boil in this so that is good information!

Also I can’t take all the credit on this, woodchuck used to do a Belgian white seasonal cider

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Thanks for the response!

I’m not 100% on the yeast selection yet as I haven’t used a Belgian on a cider before. A lot of people like belle saison yeast for ciders but I’m not sure if that character is what I’m going for. Looks like some people have had good success with t-58 but I haven’t found anyone who spiced it like a witbier too. I’ll probably end up going with the t-58 and if it’s overwhelming I’ll try again sometime with the belle saison.

I think boiling is generally a no no with cider as it can cause haze and off flavors. If boiling is really that important I’ll most likely do it in a small amount of water and add that to the juice. I don’t know a lot about the science of the importance of the boil in this so that is good information!

Also I can’t take all the credit on this, woodchuck used to do a Belgian white seasonal cider

Maybe boil some water and sugar, and add the spices to it, then add that mixture to the fermenter.

I've read about hopped cider as well, but never tried it.