Recipe

Get Wit The Program

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.

Issue: July-August 2011

When crafting a 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.