Steve Bader’s Belgian Wit

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.012 IBU = 20 SRM = 5 ABV = 4.7%
Steve Bader is the owner of Bader Beer and Wine Supply in Vancouver, Washington and is BYO’s ex-Replicator. Steve says, “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.” “The wit is slightly cloudy, with a very light color since there are no grains with any color used to make this beer. The wit yeasts help to give the refreshing flavor with a bit of “spicy” phenolic and tart flavors. The wit yeasts also can handle slightly warmer fermentation temperatures to 74 °F (23 °C), making this a good beer to brew in the late spring or early summer.”

Ingredients

6.6 lbs. (3.0 kg) Coopers Wheat liquid malt extract (unhopped)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Belgian wheat malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Belgian Pilsner malt
5.4 AAU Hallertau hops (60 min)(1.5 oz./42 g of 3.6% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) coriander seed (crushed)
1 oz. (28 g) bitter orange peel
White Labs WLP400 (Belgian Wit Ale) or Wyeast 3944 (Witbier) yeast
0.75 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step

Steep the crushed malts in 3 gallons (13.5 L) of water at 152 ºF (67 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from wort, add the malt syrup and bring to a boil. Add the bittering hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add the spices for the last 15 minutes of the boil. Cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C), transfer to fermenter, top off to 5 gallons (19 L) aerate the beer and pitch your yeast. Ferment at 70– 74 °F (21–23 °C) until fermention ends, then bottle and enjoy!

All-grain option: Replace the 6.6 lbs. (3.0 kg) of malt syrup and both grains with 5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) of Pilsner malt, and 5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) of wheat malt. Mash at 152 ºF (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Collect approximately 7.0 gallons (32 L) wort to boil for 90 minutes and have a 5 gallon (19 L) yield. Lower the amount of the hops to 1.25 oz. (35 g) ounce to account for higher hop utilization.