Wit Wedding

[jmcnamara]

you guys were a big help with the last wedding beer, so i thought i'd post our second wedding beer recipe for any more advice you all can give. I already brewed this once, but without the 6 row and Columbus hops. I wanted just a bit more ABV and IBUs, but didn't want to go crazy. This is our main beer, and we want as many people as possible to enjoy it. I'm hoping to brew 2 batches this weekend, any help is appreciated.

Thanks!


Wit Wedding v2

Method: BIAB
Style: Witbier
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons
Boil Size: 4 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.077
Efficiency: 75%
OG 1.056
FG 1.012
ABV 5.74%
IBU 13.07
SRM 4.26
Fermentables
Amount Fermentable Bill %
4 lb German - Pilsner 34.8%
4.5 lb Flaked Wheat 39.1%
1 lb Flaked Oats 8.7%
1 lb German - Munich Light 8.7%
1 lb American - Pale 6-Row 8.7%
11.5 lb Total

Hops
Amount Variety AA Time IBU
1 oz Domestic Hallertau 2.7 60 min 7.33
4 g Columbus 15 60 min 5.74

Other Ingredients
Amount Name Use Time
1.5 oz Citrus zest Boil 5 min
11 g Coriander - crushed Boil 5 min
2 g Chamomile Boil 5 min

Yeast
White Labs - Belgian Wit Ale Yeast WLP400

 

[jmcnamara]

while the first batch was pretty good, the head didn't last all that long and the body felt a bit thin. with that much wheat in there, not sure if adding any dextrine would do anything. Maybe mash a little bit higher this time?

also, not sure if the oils in the orange zest had anything to do with it. on top of that, i tend to shoot for the low end of the CO2 volumes. I've had some gushers and only 1 or 2 bottles explode so far, but I'm a bit timid on that side of things ever since then

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

if you just want more body add some carapils, 1/2 pound should do it, I think that recipe looks good

 

[Nosybear]

And why the six-row? I don't see any need for it. If you want haze, add a tablespoon of cornstarch in the last few minutes of the boil.

 

[jmcnamara]

now how did i know it would be the two of you to respond first?

the 6 row is just to boost the abv a bit, it wasn't in the original recipe. I guess i could just bump up the pilsner malt a bit instead, but i was slightly worried about not enough diastatic power with all that flaked wheat and oats.

and good tip on the cornstarch, don't think i've heard that before

thanks!

 

[Nosybear]

I didn't notice the wheat was flaked wheat, sorry. You should get enough haze out of the recipe as written. It looks lilke a pretty near thing on converting all those adjuncts, a good enough reason to keep the 6-row in. 5.6 ABV is pretty big for a Wit. I shoot for a 50/50 mix of pilsner to wheat and other stuff when I do a Wit. Another tip, if you can find it, is bitter orange or curacao orange (the same thing). Tastes better in the Wit than a sweet orange zest.

 

[jmcnamara]

No worries, it's always good to hear that what I'm doing at least makes a little sense to other people and I'm not going crazy

for the bitter / curacao orange, do you mean an actual whole orange that I'll zest, or the bagged stuff the homebrew store sells? while my arm was a bit sore after zesting 4 oranges, somehow in my mind that's "better" than using the dried stuff. i'll have to poke around some asian and indian grocery stores around here, i don't think giant or safeway will carry those types of oranges.

 

[Nosybear]

Look for the oranges. Barring that, pick up the zest at a spice shop. The chunky stuff they sell in the homebrew shop has the pith which is bitter and adds no flavor.

 

[jmcnamara]

I'll be looking high and low for them today. I took a look at Radical Brewing (because that book is awesome) and it had a few substitutes in case i couldn't find those exact oranges. Mosher also mentioned putting orange marmalade at the end of the boil. I think it was about a tbsp or 2. Any thoughts on that?
i know it'd be a bit more hazy because of the pectin, but that shouldn't really matter for this style

 

[Nosybear]

You anticipated my thoughts - haze from the pectin in the jam. If you have a Savory Spice Shop around, I believe they have the dried Curacao orange zest.

 

[jmcnamara]

haha, the apprentice is now the master (not by a long shot really)...
i went to penzey's the other week for some cocoa powder / hot chocolate mix. i'll definitely try there again if i can't find the whole oranges. from what i could tell, bitter / curacao oranges originated from vietnam, so hopefully the local asian market will have something. at the very least, i can pick up some delicious lunch
i did a little digging online, and some other people didn't really get a lot of orange flavor from the marmalade. plus, who knows what else is in it to keep it shelf stable.

thanks again for the quick responses!