Belgian Wit

scrapsmac

Thinking of doing up a Belgian Wit with a good citrus flavour to it. What do people think of the following extract recipe?

1.5kg Light DME
0.5kg Wheat DME
1kg Torrified Wheat (not able to get flakes)

40grams East Kent Goldings (5%) 60mins

20grams coriander seed (Boil 10mins)
20 grams orange peel (Boil 10mins)

and some WLP400

mayto

You are gonna have to mash the torrified wheat with a base malt as it does not have enzymes to convert by itself. Maybe you could use 1.5kg of both wheat and light dme instead? . I tasted an all-grain wit recently which had cascade hops along with coriander and orange peel, it was one of the best beers I ever tasted. The cascade was added at 60 min and 5 min, worked a treat- an american witbier :

scrapsmac

Cool! Do you think I should add some speciality grains?

mayto

Its a while since I did an extract beer, forgetting wheat dme contain roughly half wheat and barley dme. So just use about 3kg of wheat dme for a 23L batch I think. I found a recipe posted below with flaked oats and wheat for steeping, maybe worth a go? Probably a 19L recipe,so scale accordingly.

Malt Base: 6 lbs Wheat Dry Malt Extract OR 7.2 lbs Wheat Liquid Malt Extract
Specialty Grains: ½ lb Flaked Oats, ½ lb Flaked Wheat
Hops: 1 oz Styrian Golding Hop Pellets(bittering), 1 oz Saaz Hop Pellets(flavor)
Other: 1 oz Coriander Seed, 1 oz Dried Orange Peel
Yeast: White Labs 400 Belgian Wit, Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit

Coriander prep: Coriander seeds are round, you will need to break them to get the flavor. Use a rolling pin to gently break into halves, be careful as they jump as you roll them. If you cannot find coriander seed, use ¼ tsp ground coriander.

Steep grains in muslin bag in 2 gallons water heated to 160 degrees for 20 minutes, remove and discard grain bag. Stir in malt extracts, return to heat and bring to a boil. Add bittering hops and boil 45 minutes. Add flavor hops, orange peel and coriander and boil 15 minutes longer. Put 3 gallons very cold water into fermenter then pour in hot wort. Cool below 80 degrees, then pitch yeast, attach cover and attach air lock. Ferment until final gravity remains constant 2-3 days apart, then bottle.

scrapsmac

I read up on partial mashing tonight. Am I right in saying that all I really need to make the step up from extract is a grain bag and the extra time to do the mash?

Martyn1989

You will need to figure out a way to sparge the grain (just rinsing the last sugars out and bringing your volme of wort up to the 5 gallon or so mark).

I do my mash on the hob in a stock pot with all the grain in a grain bag, at the end of the mash I remove the grain bag and pour the wort into the boiler, I then place the top part of a veggie steamer (its just a pot with holes drilled through the bottom that I'll call the strainer from this point on) on top of my boiler (which balances nicely due to its handles), the grain bag sits in the strainer while I slowly pour my heated sparge water over it. By the end the water is running fairly clear and you can go forward as if it was an extract recipe.

I'm sure theres an easier way but thats just what I have and what I've been using. I still havn't had time to test out my mashtun, soon though.

scrapsmac

What size Stock pot do you use Martyn?

I've read a good few guides but am still slightly lost by water volumes.

Martyn1989

I have a 14 litre stockpot, it cost me about €50 - €60 from Sweeney O Rourkes in Dublin. I should have shopped around more.

When I was doing the Oatmeal Stout my grain was just under 2kg, I had to mash in about 8l of water that left me with very little headspace to add 3 litres of boiling water during the mash but I got away with it.

I have some pics from the first partial mash I did, there where some problems with my method and it was messy but heres some pics of the parts that worked well and I used successfully in following brews.

I probably won't be doing any more partial mash recipes as I'm all set to do an all-grain and the results from extract are great and its so easy to put one of them together.

scrapsmac

Am I correct in saying that you add the mash wort and steeped water to the boiler, then simple top up with tap water/hot water and carry on like a normal extract?

Cheers for all the help lads. I think I'm going to give this a go next weekend. What do people think of this for a recipe?

Maris Otter 1200g
Wheat malt 350g
Flaked oats 500g
Wheat DME 1000g

East Kent goldings (5%AA) 23grams 60min.

Crushed corriander seed 21grams (10min.)
Valencia orange peel 21grams (10min.)

WLP400 or Safale US-05

Hopefully I get my water volumes correct!

Martyn1989

scrapsmac wrote: »

Am I correct in saying that you add the mash wort and steeped water to the boiler, then simple top up with tap water/hot water and carry on like a normal extract?

Cheers for all the help lads. I think I'm going to give this a go next weekend. What do people think of this for a recipe?

Maris Otter 1200g
Wheat malt 350g
Flaked oats 500g
Wheat DME 1000g

East Kent goldings (5%AA) 23grams 60min.

Crushed corriander seed 21grams (10min.)
Valencia orange peel 21grams (10min.)

WLP400 or Safale US-05

Hopefully I get my water volumes correct!

Yeh, you mash your grain, sparge it into your boiler, bring it up to boil volume and do your boil as normal.

I don't know anything about making a wit, but I put your recipe into beertools and presuming its a 19l batch your only coming in at 3.7%? I added 500g of extra light dme and you would have 4.6%. Even using the extra light dme its pushing the colour a little high but it might be a worthy sacrifice for the extra alcohol.

scrapsmac

I've modified the above recipe slightly. Now going with:

1.25kg Pale Malt
1kg Wheat DME
0.25kg Flaked Oats

I've reduced the grain bill as it is my first partial mash and I will see how I get on

Im keeping the EK Goldings and US-05.

I will probably put in a touch of Extra light DME as Martyn says to bump up the abv. Although Beersmith is telling me it will be 4.7% ish anyway.

Thoughts and comments are welcome!

oblivious

scrapsmac wrote: »

I've modified the above recipe slightly. Now going with:

1.25kg Pale Malt
1kg Wheat DME
0.25kg Flaked Oats

you many want to take into account that the wheat DME is actualy a 50:50 blend of pale malt and wheat malt

scrapsmac

I'll cut back on the Pale Malt and add some Extra Light DME instead. That should be okay right? I'm quite eager to get into mashing. I've read great things and i have a bit of extra time at the weekends now

oblivious

scrapsmac wrote: »

I'll cut back on the Pale Malt and add some Extra Light DME instead. That should be okay right? I'm quite eager to get into mashing. I've read great things and i have a bit of extra time at the weekends now

yep

or you could drop some of the DME and partial mash with some unmalted wheat

scrapsmac

you mean crushed wheat grain? along the lines of this?

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_73&products_id=145&zenid=b7ad358216d9652071b44fcea162cb11

Or torrified?

oblivious

scrapsmac wrote: »

you mean crushed wheat grain? along the lines of this?

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_73&products_id=145&zenid=b7ad358216d9652071b44fcea162cb11

Or torrified?

That wheat malt you can certainly use it, but wits need a good bit of unmalted such a flaked or torrified wheat. But your original method will be great as is, i was just giving out options

scrapsmac

I appreciate all the tips and advice I can get. I'm still very much learning! I'll go with the torrified. I'll let you all know how I get on

I read on another forum that I should be aiming for a 50% Pale malt, 40% Torrified, 10% oat ratio to get as closely to a Blue Moon.

oblivious

scrapsmac wrote: »

I read on another forum that I should be aiming for a 50% Pale malt, 40% Torrified, 10% oat ratio to get as closely to a Blue Moon.

depends on if yuo call blure moon a ture wit

But the ratio are right,

scrapsmac

Am I correct in saying that the pale malt will have enough diastatic power for the torrified in that ratio? (50/40)

As this is a partial, I will most likely up the abv with some light DME