Recipes
Beer-style: Belgian Wit Beer
Blanche Oreiller
Jamil Zainasheff provides BYO his best rendition for a classic Belgian-styled witbier recipe to provide a subtly complex, yet easy drinking ale. The perfect beer for summer or anytime you need a refreshing beer on hand.
Unibroue’s Blanche De Chambly clone
There are many Belgian witbiers. Most are shimmery and pale with a sprightly, refreshing orangey-spicy aroma. One of the best that I have ever tried comes from a medium-size brewery near Montreal, Unibroue, makers of La Fin du Monde (The End of the World) and Maudite (Damned), Belgian-style strong ales that have earned numerous international gold and platinum medals. I don’t know if the brewers use the same yeast in all their brews, but I have had great luck reculturing their yeast and brewing with it. They don’t reveal what particular combination of spices they use, beyond the traditional coriander and orange peel, but I like to add ginger.
Blood Orange Wit
A rich wit bier utilizing zested blood oranges to provide citrus kick. Recipe from professional chef and culinary consultant Mark Molinaro.
Steve Bader’s Belgian Wit
“This beer is a favorite hot weather beer due to its lighter body and refreshing taste from the coriander and bitter orange peel. Hop bittering levels are subdued to let the coriander and bitter orange peel come through in the bitterness.” – Steve Bader Bader Beer & Wine Supply
www.baderbrewing.com
Venkman’s Vit
You can think of this beer as a cross between a wit beer and and a schwarzbier, although it is not quite that dark. Venkman’s Vit is finished with Sterling hops (whose character is seen by some as a cross between Saaz and Mt. Hood hops) and spiced with the zest from an Oro Blanco Grapefruit (which is a cross between a grapefruit and a pummelo) and should appeal to anyone who thinks that “crossing the streams” might be a great idea.
Pelican Pub & Brewery’s Heiferweizen clone
Brewmaster Darron Welch provides the recipe for their witbier.
Apricot Harvest Wit
Recipe submitted by Ben Knoerdel formerly of Ben’s Homebrew in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. This is a light, crisp and wonderfully delicious beer Ben made for his wife who doesn’t like bitter, hoppy beers.
The Other Michael Jackson (Black Witbier)
According to recipe author Gordon Strong, “This is my normal witbier recipe with darker malts and a slight tweak in spicing. Darker malts were used, but again only during the sparge. I changed the usual coriander and orange peel to star anise and tangerine, since I thought those spices would match better with a darker grain bill. I was actually thinking about a Chinese red braised beef dish for the flavorings, and wondered how they would fit.”
Carissa Sweigart’s Cranberry Wit
One of the winners of Boston Brewing Company’s LongShot contest.
Belgian Wit
Belgian wit had all but disappeared when Pierre Celis began his brewing career in the 1950s. Celis is credited for reviving the style in Belgium during his stint at the Hoegaarden brewery; then he moved to Texas, launched his own Belgian brewery and kick-started the style in the United States.
Hoegaarden Original White Ale clone
Brouwerij De Kluis, Hoegaarden
This is the standard by which all witbiers are measured. Hoegaarden Wit is cloudy and very pale golden in color, with a restrained white head and aromas of coriander and wheat that are impossible to ignore.
Hazed & Confused
While originally brewed with a wit yeast, I thought a saison yeast might play nicely in the mix as well. The pepper hints from the Saaz and grains of paradise melded nicely while the orange provide a slight citrus character.
