Would love some feedback, was requested by a coworker to go for something wheaty/Belgian. Grain bill is adapted from a few different Weissbier / Witbier recipes I’ve reviewed, I’ve also had great success with the Ardennes yeast so would like to have another batch with it. Have never used Vanguard hops but they sound like they should fit the bill. Have never made a wheat based beer before. Fire away! Thanks peeps. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1233085/freaky-deaky-witbier
Most wheat beers are meant to be cloudy. So other than getting large particle out of it. Wouldn't fin it or crash it overly long
Thanks Minbari, any insight on concerns with bottle conditioning, I only ask because I have done a few NEPA NEIPA that tasted great and looked just amazing coming out of the fermentor but didn't do well (colour wise) during bottling. Any concerns with that with hazy wheats?
Only ever bottled one batch of hefe. Unlike commercial hefes, i don't recommend the swirl and pour method, lol Usually more than just yeast on the bottom of homebrew
Just a minor detail, but I think your recipe projected Mash pH of 5.8 should be lowered to around 5.4 to 5.5, either by adding some acidulated malt or some other source of acid.
Yeah I think it's from the hops in NEIPAs that cause this horrible looking oxidation browning. I don't bottle though but havnt herd of a badly oxidized wheat beer on the forums.
Bottling a NEIPA requires some special attention to O2 mitigation, this brew will be far less susceptible, but avoiding contact with O2 should still be something to shoot for. Can't comment on your recipe having no experience with witbier, good luck with it!
I got it to 5.56 with a little gypsum, calcium chloride and lactic acid using my (not so) good old Calgary tap water. Assuming I’m actually using this water calculator correctly.
Personal preference for me is 50/50 wheat/pilsner. I generally have about 20% of the wheat as raw, though I don't think it matters that much. Actually, after brewing about a dozen of these now I'm sure the recipe is the least important thing. It's all about the yeast and the fermentation. And every time I brew one I change my mind about what to do. If you go down the rabbit hole on the wheat beers you'll get endless advice on how to handle the fermentation. Some will say over pitch, others, under pitch. Then they'll talk about how to handle the temps with endless variations. Currently I think the more important thing is a healthy pitch at whatever temp and pitch rate the manufacturer recommends. At least that's going to be my focus for this years batches.
I would skip or lower the amount on the Caravienne. There's enough going on in a Wit that any extra sweetness may get in the way. Many Witbier recipies use a portion of unmalted wheat as an adjunct to increase protein cloudiness. Definitely the wrong yeast. Just use one of the many good Witbier strains. You've got a highly flocculent yeast in a style known for it's lack of flocculation. Keeping some of the yeast in suspension rather than dropping it clean is a hallmark of Wits and Hefes. Don't know anything about the hops but as long as they don't clash with or take away from the spice and fruit notes generated by the yeast, it should be fine.
It'll be a good beer. Probably won't retain the yeasty/hazy character of a good Wit but that's not the end of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if you got higher attenuation. Let it run a little longer and boost the temp up toward the end and see if you can get it just a little more boozy and crisp-finishing. That'd be a good outcome for a Belgian like this
