# My First Wit Using Biab



## redalert (2/4/09)

Hey Mates,
I will be brewing my first Wit using BIAB method and would just like your thoughts/opinions on this recipie. 

1.36 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)Grain 30.30 %​1.36 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)Grain 30.30 %​1.36 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)Grain 30.30 %​0.41 kg Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM)Grain 9.09 %​​35.44 gm Fuggles [3.70 %] (60 min) Hops​15.3 IBU​0.75 ozCoriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min)​Pkgs Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944)Yeast-Wheat​

30 min Protein Rest 50.0 C
75 min Saccharification 65.6 C 
10 min Mash Out 75.6 C


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## SumnerH (2/4/09)

redalert said:


> 0.75 ozCoriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min)​



What's with the oz measure here?

I'd add some bitter orange peel (do not use sweet orange peel!) if possible, and I might slightly up the ratio of wheat but it looks pretty good.


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## Bizier (2/4/09)

I think that this fine BIAB brewer is from the US.


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## SumnerH (2/4/09)

Bizier said:


> I think that this fine BIAB brewer is from the US.



I just found it amusing that he converted everything else to kg/grams but had one lone ingredient measured in oz.  

But, yeah, the exactly converted equivalents for 3 lbs of various grains, 1.25 oz of hops, etc are a red flag that we're working in Stone Age measurements over here (I'm an American here, too, joined up to get help cloning Matilda Bay's Redback for SWMBO).


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## seemax (2/4/09)

Sounds pretty good, personally i wouldn't use fuggles for a wit but that's just me.

Read the other posts on wits in regards to pitching temp and fermenting temp in order to determine which flavour in particular you like eg banana, clove, there seems to be quite an art in wheat beers.


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## redalert (2/4/09)

yeah I am American. Sorry I missed the oz. conversion. Thanks for the feedback. One more thing, I would like to use lemon peel or grapefruit but I'm not sure what the typical dose for a 19L batch.


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## hosko11 (2/4/09)

As well as the bitter orange peel, I'd suggest adding some flaked/rolled oats as well - maybe around 0.75-1lb.
Cheers,
Hosko


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## hazard (2/4/09)

redalert said:


> Hey Mates,
> I will be brewing my first Wit using BIAB method and would just like your thoughts/opinions on this recipie.
> 
> 1.36 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)Grain 30.30 %​1.36 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)Grain 30.30 %​1.36 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)Grain 30.30 %​0.41 kg Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM)Grain 9.09 %​35.44 gm Fuggles [3.70 %] (60 min) Hops​15.3 IBU​0.75 ozCoriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min)​Pkgs Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944)Yeast-Wheat​
> ...



Hi red alert,
a traditional wit recipe would be:
malted barley 50%
raw wheat 45%
oats 5%
hops - saaz and styrian goldings (which are similar to fuggles I believe)

So - can you replace malted wheat with raw wheat? Torrified and/ or flaked wheat is acceptable substitute (since you are already using torrified wheat, just replace all the malted with more torrified). I believe that Pierre Celis used oats in the original Hoegaarden, but InBev have since taken it out (to reduce manufacturing costs no doubt). i made a wit beer, with oats recently, and the oats gave it a more satisfying mouth feel - my beer tasting buddy said it tasted "thicker" than my previous wit (which was made without oats). Because of all the raw wheat and oats I would recommend some rice hulls to avaoid stuck sparge.

Hazard


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## SumnerH (2/4/09)

redalert said:


> yeah I am American. Sorry I missed the oz. conversion. Thanks for the feedback. One more thing, I would like to use lemon peel or grapefruit but I'm not sure what the typical dose for a 19L batch.



A wit needs bitter orange peel. Believe it or not, the citrus taste in a wit comes from the coriander, while the orange peel is used more for bittering--don't think about using another citrus fruit (be it sweet orange or grapefruit/lemon/etc) unless you're willing to move away from a wit's taste and add some hops to compensate for the lack of bittering from the peel.

If you want lemon/grapefruit notes, consider using Warrior or Sorachi Ace hops instead (along with the bitter orange peel). You're moving outside the realm of a traditional wit then (which is fine, I'm a big fan of brew what you like rather than brew to style--though sometimes it's easier to improvise if you've worked to style a couple of times first.


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## redalert (2/4/09)

hmm thanks for the feedback. Darn I wish I had purchased the raw wheat instead of the malted wheat. Will malted wheat make that big a difference versus raw wheat? Secondly, there is no substitute for bitter orange peel then? Thanks again


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## hazard (2/4/09)

redalert said:


> Secondly, there is no substitute for bitter orange peel then? Thanks again



I saw a recipe once (from Grumpy's Brewhaus) which recommended a jar of bitter marmalade in lieu of bitter orange peel. Never tried it myself so cannot vouch for this, you would need to read the label and see what's in it (mostly sugar I would guess).


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## Thirsty Boy (2/4/09)

I've never used bitter orange peel in a Wit - I usually use fresh zest - usually from a few oranges or mandarins.

I have used "mixed zest" from oranges mandarins and grapefuits - and it was fine, still tasted like a Wit. As has been said - a lot of the "orange" flavour is actually the corriander.

I would - 

use less corriander - about 1/2 an ounce
use about 1-2 ounces of fresh zest. Mainly orange.
Use about a pound of flaked oats (leaving out some of the pale ale malt to keep your OG)
Not stress about the fact that you have wheat malt instead of torrified/raw wheat - it'll still work fine. Use the raw wheat next time and see if you like it better.

I am unsure of using lemon peel ... its pretty strong. However, styrian goldings have a lemony aspect to them and they are appropriate for style. So, maybe a touch?? but keep it subtle
I used lime peel in Wit once - it was nice enough, but people did keep using the phrase "Dishwashing Liquid" when they described the aroma, wich was a little off putting

TB


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## hosko11 (2/4/09)

As a replacement for raw wheat some people have used weetbix before - Linky. Can't say I've tried it but could be another option if you want. But as TB said don't stress it, just go with what you've got.

In case you don't know what weetbix are - weetbix. I'm not sure whether you have something similar in the US.


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## SumnerH (3/4/09)

Ppp said:


> As a replacement for raw wheat some people have used weetbix before - Linky. Can't say I've tried it but could be another option if you want. But as TB said don't stress it, just go with what you've got.
> 
> In case you don't know what weetbix are - weetbix. I'm not sure whether you have something similar in the US.



We have "Weetabix" which are basically the same thing (same people invented them but for some reason there's an extra "a" in there), but they're not all that common. Organic food stores often have raw wheat (I know the local Whole Foods does here).

If you start adding a bunch of zest or other citrus stuff, you're going to get something that's closer to an American wheat crossed with a wit (e.g Blue Moon) than a true wit (e.g. Allagash White, St Bernardus Wit, Hoegaarden). Which is fine if that's what you're going for, it's a more summery beer. A real wit needs bitter orange peel (Seville or Curacao).


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## A3k (3/4/09)

hazard said:


> I saw a recipe once (from Grumpy's Brewhaus) which recommended a jar of bitter marmalade in lieu of bitter orange peel. Never tried it myself so cannot vouch for this, you would need to read the label and see what's in it (mostly sugar I would guess).



I use to work with a guy who made this recipe several times with the marmelade. He made a partial version though. It was real good, but i never did a side by side comparison.

I think his name on here is mashdog if you want to PM him to see what he thought.


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## Thirsty Boy (3/4/09)

SumnerH said:


> We have "Weetabix" which are basically the same thing (same people invented them but for some reason there's an extra "a" in there), but they're not all that common. Organic food stores often have raw wheat (I know the local Whole Foods does here).
> 
> If you start adding a bunch of zest or other citrus stuff, you're going to get something that's closer to an American wheat crossed with a wit (e.g Blue Moon) than a true wit (e.g. Allagash White, St Bernardus Wit, Hoegaarden). Which is fine if that's what you're going for, it's a more summery beer. A real wit needs bitter orange peel (Seville or Curacao).



I disagree - When I am brewing a Wit, I am aiming for a Wit as typified by a Hoegaarden. I would not have mentioned fresh zest if I was talking about a variation of the style, without also mentioning it was a variation.

Hell, I usually put chamomile in my witbier - I think you cant brew a proper Hoegaarden clone without it.

So as with all things beer, there is no really unanimous solid answer - it a matter of taste. You will be forced to use your own taste buds to decide and may have to consume much beer on your quest - shame really


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