Belgian Witbier
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This beer won runner-up Best-in-Show in the 2006
Pacific Brewers Cup
First Place in the Belgian & French Ale Category.
Ingredients for 11 Gallons
Malts
- 10 lb. Unmalted Wheat
- 7 lb. German Pilsner malt
- 3 lb. American 6-Row Malt
- 1/2 lb. Oat Hulls
Hops
- 2.1 oz. Tettnang Loose leaf, 4.0% (60 min)
- 1.0 oz. Hallertau Loose leaf, 3.9% (20 min.)
- 1.5 oz. Saaz Loose leaf, 2.5% (5 min.)
Spices
- 0.6 oz. Curacao Bitter Orange Peel
- 1.0 oz. Coriander, cracked.
- Add at the 5 minute mark with the Saaz hops
Yeast
- Wyeast #3944 Wit Yeast
- Make 1 qt starter with 1.020 gravity using dry malt extract
Procedure
Sprinkle about 1/4 lb. of rice hulls onto the false bottom in the mash-tun.
Blend the remaining 1/4 lb. with the rest of the grains.
Mash-in with 18 Qt of water at 142°F. Target temp 128°F.
Protein rest for 30 minutes.
Step infuse with 12 Qt boiling water and stir. Target temperature 152°F.
Mash for 1 hr 20 minutes.
Sparge with about 40 Qt water at 170°F.
Skim very thick creamy white hot break prior to first hop addition.
Rapid chill with immersion chiller.
Ferment at 70°F for 9 days.
Fill three 12 oz bottles directly from primary for PBC. Rack the rest into secondary
for 20 days at 66 to 70°F.
Prime and bottle 5.2 gallons with 155 gm priming sugar. Keg and force carbonate
the rest.
O.G. 1.040
F.G. 1.006
18 IBU
Judges' Comments (41 points)
Delicate well balanced wheat graininess and citric spiciness; lingering fruitiness
makes the beer intriguing and enjoyable. Huge fluffy white head, a bit overcarbonated.
Could I have the recipe? (Here you go, Jim.)
Brewers' Comments
I had to rush this beer to get into Pacific Brewers Cup before the deadline. I
took a chance that the carbonation would be OK without priming the three bottles
directly from the primary fermenter. The gravity was 1.010 at the time, and the
wort was still quite gassy. It settled out at 1.006, leaving a bit too much carbonation,
but the flavor couldn't be fresher. (Bottles out of the secondary scored 33.5
in the California State Homebrew Competition 2 months later.) Thanks to consultations
from Dan on his West Adams Wit and Greg for his Tritbier. These two beers helped
me dial in the spice profile. Oat husks were added to aid sparging. The one thing
I might change next time is to use a higher portion of 6-row malt with higher
diastatic power to improve the starch conversion efficiency. The starting gravity
was supposed to be 1.048.