Article

Wit Bier

It may be hard for modern homebrewers to think of a time when witbier was virtually unknown. Today, it is one of the more popular Belgian style beers, if not the most popular Belgian beer style. There are many well-known commercial examples and it shows up quite frequently as a spring or summer seasonal at many brewpubs. Witbier has its own subcategory (16A, the first of five in category 16, Belgian and French Ale) in the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines and the methods and “mythology” of brewing witbier are widely discussed on internet brewing forums.

However, it wasn’t so long ago that this cloudy, tangy and delicately spiced beer was a bit of a mystery. And it wasn’t too long before that the style had ceased to be produced by any breweries in its native land and was unheard of in North America. In fact, this beer style that is now so popular could have disappeared completely if not for the efforts of one man (see the sidebar on page 41 for more).

Depending on who you ask, the original version of this style can be traced back from anywhere between 400 years ago to as far back as the 11th Century. Some beer historians even believe that its early recipes may have been the first to include hops as its primary bittering ingredient. Its production began in Northern Europe and eventually became localized to the city of Leuven, Belgium and its surrounding communities. As with many other brewing regions located in Europe, the mid 1900s were a rough time. World War II and its aftermath had lasting affects on the availability of raw materials needed to brew, not to mention any damage that may have been inflicted on the area itself. By 1955 the last of the breweries that produced witbier (Tomsin) had to close their doors and some feared that it may never be produced again.

Never say never. In 1966, a man named Pierre Celis brought the style back to life and began producing it in a hayloft located just outside of Leuven. This beer is still produced today and can be found in stores all across the U.S. carrying the name of the town he created it in, Hoegaarden.

At present there are many commercial examples that are readily accessible to us. Some of the better ones you can try that’ll give you an understanding of what a good witbier can taste like are: St. Bernardus Witbier (Belgium), Allagash White (US), Avery White Rascal (US), Hitachino Nest White (Japan), Blanche de Bruxelles (Belgium), Sterkens White Ale (Belgium), Celis White (US), Unibroue Blanche de Chambly (Canada) and of course Hoegaarden (Belgium). If you can’t find any of those, I’m sure you can get your hands on a Shock Top (AB-InBev) or a Blue Moon (SAB Miller-Coors).

What’s in Wit’s Name?

The origin of the name witbier is nothing fancy. Its literal translation from the Dutch language to English is “white beer.” You can also just refer to it as a wit and most beer people will know what you’re talking about. I guess the obvious question now is what makes the beer white? There are a couple contributing factors to this phenomena, which I will get into shortly, but first let’s discuss what characteristics the style brings to the goblet.

Witbier Characteristics

At first sniff, the aroma of a witbier should be slightly sweet, grainy, a little spicy with mild tartness. Citrus and floral notes are commonly present, as can be other intriguing background notes from the variety of specialty ingredients that can be used. Hop aroma should be very low to none and diacetyl levels should be non-perceivable. The important thing to remember that none of these characteristics should be dominant. Harmony is very important.

The flavor of the beer should also carry this idea of balance amongst the ingredients. Witbiers are traditionally light, refreshing and have just enough extra flavor components to keep things interesting. A little sweetness is expected, but it is kept in check by a bit of tartness. Other flavors that are common are that of citrusy fruitiness married with spiciness from coriander. Bitterness is typically very low (10–20 IBU) and hop flavor should be low to none.

The appearance of a witbier is as the name suggests, as close to white as you can get up to a pale gold color (2–4 SRM). The fact that the beer is intentionally made cloudy also enhances its “whiteness” so to speak. Head retention should be very good and won’t be a problem if it is brewed correctly. The mouthfeel of the beer is a bit of a brain teaser. It’s one of the only styles that makes an attempt to be light-medium in body, but also maintain a fairly noticeable level of creaminess to it. The high level of carbonation helps you achieve this by keeping those creamy unfermentables at bay with some extra tongue tingle. A little dryness in the finish can also be expected.

The Grist and Mashing

The grain bill for the style isn’t terribly complex, but if you want to brew it at home using traditional ingredients, it could end up being a little more work than you’re used to. Most old school recipes call for the use of 50% Belgian Pilsner malt, 45% raw wheat as the base grains and also a 5% addition of raw oats. The Pilsner malt is a non issue, but the other two can certainly gum things up a bit, literally. The raw oats will require you to boil (or cereal cook) them for about 15–20 minutes prior to adding them to the main mash. This is needed to gelatinize the starch so that the enzymes from the Pilsner malt would be able to act on them in the mash tun. The raw wheat does not need this treatment as the gelatinization temperature of wheat starch is below usual mash temperatures.

Also, given the high protein and starch content of these unmalted grains, a step mash with varying temperature rests would likely need to be used to break some of them down to keep the wort from being too viscous and provide more fermentable carbohydrates. Then there is lautering, which could take a while given the low level of husk material in the mash.

Thankfully we live in modern times and there are some simpler ways to accomplish our goal of making a tasty wit. If for some reason you couldn’t find any Pilsner malt, you can always use 2-row malt as a substitute. For the raw oats, you can substitute flaked oats, which is pre-gelatinized and can be added directly to the mash. Flaked wheat can also be used as a substitute for raw wheat if needed.

Remember that these are still huskless, unmalted grains and still contain a very high level of starch and protein. They can still give you some issues when it comes to running off the wort to the kettle. The solution I use is the same for all beers I make with a fair amount of wheat in them: rice hulls. They will provide you with extra space between the grains to allow for more efficient lautering. An addition of a half pound (0.23 kg) should be sufficient for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. If you really want to take the easy way out, then you can simply use malted wheat. It will certainly give you less of a creamy character and will likely yield a beer that’s a tad thinner in the end.

When it comes to mash time, you have the choice of whether you want to do a step mash or a single infusion. If you decide to use the traditional proportions of unmalted wheat/flaked wheat or oats/flaked oats and have the time, then a protein rest at about 122 °F (50 °C) for 15–30 minutes is a good idea. It will break down some of the protein matrix that surrounds the starch and help give the wort more total carbohydrates available for conversion to fermentable sugars. You’ll end up getting a higher extract efficiency and the body of the beer will be on the lighter side as the style guidelines call for. Just don’t overdo it or you may lose some of the cloudy whiteness that is a signature for the style. For single infusion and the saccharification rest of a step mash, a conversion temperature around 150–152 °F (65–67 °C) is ideal.

Extract Brewing Tips

In the case of extract brewing, I think the biggest hurdle is getting the proper mouthfeel into the beer. Pilsner malt extract and wheat malt extract will make a good base providing the right flavors and levels of fermentable sugars. To get some of that creamy texture and head retention into the beer, I would suggest steeping a small of amount of oat flakes and/or wheat flakes. 0.50–1 lbs (0.23–0.45 kg) of each per 5 gallons (19 L) of beer should do the trick. You want to be careful not to overdo it since there won’t be any enzymatic action taking place on all that starch. ‘

A better approach would be to add some base malt to it and conduct a mini mash if you want to play it safe. To do this, add approximately three parts base malt for every part raw or flaked grains in your mini-mash. For example, if you had 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of raw wheat and oats, add 3 lbs. (1.4 kg) of Pilsner malt. The enzymes from the Pilsner malt will degrade the starches from the raw grains if you hold the temperature in the saccharification range (148–162 °F/64–72 °C) and keep the liquid to grain ratio in the same range as a typical full mash. Anything from 1.25–3 qts./lb. (2.6–6.3 L/kg) will work well for a partial mash. For example, if you mini-mashed 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of combined raw wheat and oats along with 3 lbs (1.4 kg) of Pilsner malt, you should add between 5 and 12 qts. (4.7 and 11 L) of water for the mash. A small mini-mash will greatly improve your extract-based witbier, especially in the area of mouthfeel and achieving the right level of cloudiness.

Boiling and Spice Additions

The boil for an all-grain batch of witbier should last about 60 minutes. One or two early hop additions using European varieties such as Goldings, Hallertauer or any of their American counterparts will provide the low levels of hop flavor and bitterness (under 20 IBUs) the style calls for. Towards the end of the boil is where you get to choose whether you want to stick to tradition or add that little extra something to make your buddies rack their brains during a sampling session.

Most witbier recipes include additions of coriander and bitter orange peel. In a 5-gallon (19-L) batch, adding from 0.25–1 oz. (7.1–28 g) of each with 5–15 minutes remaining in the boil is appropriate. This will give you some wiggle room when it comes to the beer’s spicy and citrusy flavors.

The spices should be fresh. If you cannot find a decent source of bitter orange peel, use the peel of any variety of orange that you enjoy.
Grains of paradise, cardamom and chamomile are a few specialty ingredients that some brewers add to provide a shroud of mystery to their witbier. If you decide to use them, remember that this isn’t a Belgian strong holiday spiced beer. If you haven’t brewed beers with any of these ingredients in the past, take a look at a few recipes and use them as a guideline.

A witbier cannot be ruined by adding too little of an herb or spice, but it sure can be by using too much of it. In this case, less is better. When brewing your witbier, smell your spices and be ready to adjust the amount you add downward if you think they smell espcially pungent.

Fermentation and Beyond

At the end of the boil, your target original gravity should be in the range of 1.044–1.052. There are a wide variety of Belgian yeast strains out there that are capable of making a perfectly good witbier. There is however, an added bonus if you use one specifically cultured for this style of beer. They can provide a slight tartness to the beer during fermentation, which is one of the style’s signature flavors. That means less work for you, as the finished product will not require any additional ingredients to provide that flavor prior to bottling. A couple strains that fit into this category are White Labs WLP400 (Belgian Wit Ale) and Wyeast 3944 (Belgian Witbier).

Whatever yeast you choose, just make sure that the strain is on the cleaner side of the spectrum. You don’t want there to be an overabundance of spicy, fruity or phenolic character in a witbier. The estimated attenuation of the strain you use should be anywhere from 72–77%. Try not to pick one that has the capability of going above 80%, which would make the body of a beer of this strength way too thin and will produce higher levels of ethanol than are appropriate. Belgian yeast tends to like warmer fermentation temperatures, but I believe it’s best to keep the wort in the 70–72 °F (21-22 °C) range. That way your beer will have an unmistakably Belgian flavor without going overboard. The target final gravity you’re shooting for is from 1.008–1.012, which will yield a beer that is 4.5–5.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

If you aren’t able to get your hands on some witbier yeast, I would recommend tasting the beer at the end of fermentation to see if there is any tartness to it. If not, you can always add just a touch of lactic acid to the beer prior to bottling. Make sure not to overdo it, as the tart edge is only meant to complement the beer’s sweetness.

Circling back to the origin of the witbier name, the white aspect of its appearance will not only be provided by the proteins/starch from the wheat and oats, but also the yeast. Most Belgian yeasts have fairly low flocculation, so finding one that’ll stay in suspension all the way through should be fairly easy. The use of fining agents and extended periods of crash cooling are completely counterproductive in this style of beer. That and the fact that this is a relatively low gravity beer should guarantee that the overall “grain to glass” time will be fairly short in comparison with other styles of beer. Once it tastes good, you can get the carbonation/conditioning phase ASAP.

When it comes time to bottle or keg your witbier, remember that this style requires a little more carbonation than your standard ale. The usual 3⁄4 cup (~150 g) of priming sugar for a 5 gallon (19 L) batch bottling won’t be enough. If you step it up to 1–1.25 cups (200–250 g) of corn sugar, you’ll get just the right amount of dissolved carbon dioxide. For those of you that like to use forced keg carbonation, you’ll want to shoot for around 3 volumes of carbon dioxide.

The Witbier End

When crafting your witbier, avoid overdoing any one aspect of it. Don’t go crazy with the spices. Keep the hopping level restrained. Don’t let fermentation temperatures rise too high. Don’t sour the beer excessively. Your beer should be flavorful, but all the flavors should be balanced. When it’s all said and done, you’ll have a beer that has the ability to pair with a wide variety of lighter foods such as chicken, fish, salads, mild cheeses, fruit . . . the list goes on and on. If you like to make a beer for special occasions, this should be at the top of your list. It appeals to a wide range of beer drinkers and may even convince a few winos to come over to the dark side.

Wit Bier Recipe

Get Wit The Program

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.012
IBU = 15 SRM = 5 ABV = 4.8%

Ingredients
5 lbs. 2 oz. (2.3 kg) Belgian Pilsner malt (2 °L)
2.25 lbs. (1.0 kg) wheat malt
2.25 lbs. (1.0 kg) flaked wheat
0.50 lbs. (0.23 kg) flaked oats
0.50 lbs. (0.23 kg) rice hulls
1.8 AAU Saaz Hops (60 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 3.6% alpha acids)
3.6 AAU Saaz Hops (15 min.) (1.0 oz./28 g of 3.6% alpha acids)
1 tsp Irish moss or 1 Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
0.50 oz (14 g) bitter orange peel (10 min.)
0.25 oz. (7.1 g) ground coriander seed (10 min.)
White Labs WLP400 (Belgian Wit Ale) or Wyeast 3944 (Belgian Witbier) yeast
1 cup (200 g) priming sugar

Step by Step
Mill the grains with the exception of the rice hulls, flaked wheat and the flaked oats. Dough in using 3.5 gallons (13 L) of water with a target mash holding temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold the mash temperature for approximately 60 minutes or until the conversion is complete. Raise the temperature of the mash to 168 °F (76 °C) and begin sparging with 170 °F (77 °C) water until you collect 6 gallons (23 L) of wort in the kettle. The total wort boiling time for this recipe is 60 minutes. At the onset of a full rolling boil, add your first scheduled hop addition. When there are 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add the second hop addition along with your Irish moss or Whirlfloc tablet to help with precipitation of the hot break. At 10 minutes remaining, add both the ground coriander seed and the bitter orange peel.

Cool the wort to 70 °F (21 °C), transfer to your fermentation vessel and aerate the wort adequately. Add the contents of your yeast starter to the chilled wort. Ferment around 70 °F (21 °C) until the final gravity is reached, which should be in 5 to 7 days. Rack to a secondary vessel and allow the beer to mature another 5 to 7 days around the same temperature. Your beer is now ready to rack into a keg or bottles along with the priming sugar.

Get Wit The Program

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.012
IBU = 15 SRM = 8 ABV = 4.8%

Ingredients
2.75 lbs. (1.25 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
2.75 lbs. (1.25 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) Belgian Pilsner malt (2 °L)
0.25 lbs. (0.11 kg) flaked wheat
0.25 lbs. (0.11 kg) flaked oats
1.8 AAU Saaz Hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 3.6% alpha acids)
3.6 AAU Saaz Hops (15 min.) (1.0 oz./28 g of 3.6% alpha acids)
1 tsp. Irish moss or 1 Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
0.50 oz. (14 g) bitter orange peel (10 min.)
0.25 oz. (7.1 g) ground coriander seed (10 min.)
White Labs WLP400 (Belgian Wit Ale) or Wyeast 3944 (Belgian Witbier) yeast
1 cup (200 g) priming sugar

Step by Step
Mill the Belgian Pilsner malt, but be sure not to mill the flaked wheat or the flaked oats. Place them all into a grain bag and steep using 3 quarts (2.8 L) of 152 °F (67 °C) water for 45 minutes. Rinse the grain bag with an additional 2 quarts (1.9 L) of water and allow it to drip into the kettle for about 15 minutes. Add enough water for a pre-boil volume of 6 gallons (23 L). Stir in both malt extracts and begin the boil.
The total wort boiling time for this recipe is 60 minutes. At the onset of a full rolling boil, add your first scheduled hop addition. When there are 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add the second hop addition along with your Irish moss or Whirlfloc tablet to help with precipitation of the hot break. At 10 minutes remaining, add both the ground coriander seed and the bitter orange peel. [If you can’t manage a 60-minute, 6-gallon (23-L) boil, try to boil at least 3.5 gallons (13.0 L) for 60 minutes and withhold half of the malt extract until late in the boil.

Cool the wort to 70 °F (21 °C), transfer to your fermentation vessel and aerate the wort adequately. Add the contents of your yeast starter to the chilled wort. Ferment around 70 °F (21 °C) until the final gravity is reached, which should be in 5 to 7 days. Follow the remaining instructions for the all-grain recipe.

The Father of Modern Witbier

By Chris Colby

When I moved to the Austin area in 1999, it was a beer oasis in the middle of Texas. There were plenty of brewpubs — including Waterloo, The Copper Tank and The Bitter End. There were two homebrew shops and there was a world-class brewery — Celis.

The Celis Brewery was the namesake of Pierre Celis, who could be called The Father of Modern Witbier. Celis’ brewing life is a study in changing fortunes — from the highs of reviving and popularizing an extinct beer style to the lows of losing not one, but two, breweries.
Celis came to Texas from Belgium, where he began brewing witbier in 1966, after other breweries had abandoned the style a decade earlier. Unfortunately, although things were going well for his beer brand — which eventually came to be called Hoegaarden White, his Belgian brewery (which was then called De Kluis) burned down in 1985. Celis was unable to reopen the brewery by himself because he was underinsured. So, he entered an agreement with Artois to reopen with them as a partner. Unhappy with the changes Artois made to Hoegaarden’s formulation, Celis sold his stake in the brewery in 1990 and was able to secure funding to open a brewery in Texas in 1992.
His Austin brewery produced Celis White, which was a world class beer — and it earned the medals at various commercial beer competitions to prove it. To top it off, the brewery also made a second world-class beer, Celis Grand Cru. (To be fair, they also made Celis Raspberry and Pale Rider, a beer advertised as having been brewed to the specifications of Clint Eastwood. But, with two home runs in Celis’ portfolio, it’s silly to spend much time on the bunts.)

Celis was thinking big when he set up shop in Austin, a kind of big that few US craft brewers were back in the 1990s. He came to Austin primarily because of the water, but he also knew that Austin put him between two of the biggest cities in the US (Dallas, to the north, and Houston, to the east), near a major seaport (Houston) and near a major US highway (the brewery was located right off I-35). Celis wanted his brewery to be huge; and, for awhile, it looked like that was going to happen. Sales of Celis White were initially strong. At its peak, the brewery was cranking out 22,000 barrels of beer a year. But then, Celis struck a deal that gave Miller Brewing a controlling interest in the brewery.

Now, I’m not the kind of homebrewer who thinks that every last thing “The Big Boys” do is evil. They make a neutrally flavored fermented grain beverage and sell it through intensive marketing. It’s not something that interests me, but good for them. However, Miller did bring about the demise of one of the best breweries ever. Miller insisted on cost-cutting measures, including using cheaper ingredients, and soon production at Celis dwindled to 15,000 barrels a year. (What they did was akin to buying Lamborghini, then putting inexpensive 4-cylinder engines under the hoods because that’s what worked for Toyota.) Then, because the brewery wasn’t selling enough beer, Miller shut down production in 2000. Contractually, Celis could have bought the brewery back, but he didn’t have the funds.

By the mid-2000s in Austin, Waterloo, Copper Tank and The Bitter End were also gone and one of Austin’s homebrew shops switched to selling only wine supplies. Currently, Celis White is still available, in the US and abroad, but it’s brewed by Michigan Brewing Company. And sadly, Pierre Celis died on April 9th, 2011, at the age of 86.

I’m a fan of alternative history novels — novels that ask, “what if the Germans won WWII?,” that sort of thing — and I sometimes wonder what the current craft brew scene would be like if Pierre hadn’t signed on the dotted line. Look at the shelf space dedicated to Blue Moon, Shock Top and other wit-like concoctions and imagine if Celis White had remained a world-class beer. The brand was growing quickly in the early Austin days. (Miller wouldn’t have been interested in a then-still-fairly-obscure Belgian style if it wasn’t.) What if the current “witty” shelf space was dominated by Celis White, with a row of Celis Grand Cru next to it? Might the craft brew explosion of the ‘80s and ‘90s have gone supernova for Celis White with a little clever marketing, some word of mouth and bit of luck? Celis might now be the largest US-based brewing company in the country. (On the other hand, a recurring theme in alternative history novels is the unforeseen effects of a single change in history’s path. Maybe in our alternate world, the Big Boys see the rising star of Celis and decide they need to go all in on the craft brew thing, crowding the supermarket shelves and blocking the growth of smaller breweries.)

With a spate of recent brewery openings, Austin, Texas is once again a beer oasis. There’s even an Austin-brewed witbier available — (512) Wit, made with 2-row pale malt, unmalted barley and oats, coriander and Texas grapefruit peels. Austinites miss Celis and his White beer, but Pierre’s brewing journey didn’t end in Austin. He returned to Belgium and did what he did best — brewed another incredible beer (in this case, Grottenbier Bruin).

 

Issue: July-August 2011
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