# RecipeDB - Josh's Witbier



## Josh (14/12/08)

Josh's Witbier  Ale - Belgian White (Wit)  All Grain               5 Votes        Brewer's Notes Step up the unmalted wheat, oats and 500g pilsner malt 50C, heat to 64C, then boilAdd back to rest of pilsner malt for 68C rest24g coriander seeds300g zest (4 x navel oranges, 2 x lemons, 1 x red grapefruit)both added at flameoutFermented 16-18COG 1.050FG 1.012   Malt & Fermentables    % KG Fermentable      3.2 kg Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner    2.9 kg Flaked Wheat    0.28 kg Flaked Oats       Hops    Time Grams Variety Form AA      24 g Cascade (Pellet, 5.5AA%, 30mins)    12 g Saaz (Czech) (Pellet, 4.0AA%, 5mins)       Yeast     2500 ml Wyeast Labs 3944 - Belgian Witbier       Misc     300 g Orange Peel    24 g Corriander         24L Batch Size    Brew Details   Original Gravity 1.051 (calc)   Final Gravity 1.013 (calc)   Bitterness 11.8 IBU   Efficiency 65%   Alcohol 4.94%   Colour 8 EBC   Batch Size 24L     Fermentation   Primary 14 days   Secondary 7 days   Conditioning 4 days


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## samhighley (15/12/08)

Wow, that's a lot of orange and coriander.


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## jonw (21/6/09)

I finally got round to collecting my case, and this is one of the first bottles I've opened. This is really good stuff - good carbonation, that 'wit' aroma, and just the right amount of zest.

Your recipe says 300g - that sounds like quite a lot - I wouldn't have thought you'd get that much of a few oranges, a lemon, and a grapefruit!

I'm a bit confused about your mach process - is it basically a decoction? How do you calculate your temps to hit 68 degrees?

Cheers,

Jon


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## Josh (21/6/09)

jonw said:


> I finally got round to collecting my case, and this is one of the first bottles I've opened. This is really good stuff - good carbonation, that 'wit' aroma, and just the right amount of zest.


Cheers. You might not have liked it had you had it at the time of the swap. Probably settled down a little bit.



> Your recipe says 300g - that sounds like quite a lot - I wouldn't have thought you'd get that much of a few oranges, a lemon, and a grapefruit!


300g of zest was from about 5 oranges, 2 lemons and a red grapefruit from memory. You can pretty much use any citrus fruit for this. My current Wit just used red grapefruits and a lime. These are wet weights, not dried. So you need to use a lot more to get the same flavour from dried zest. But I quite like the zing you get from fresh zest vs dried.



> I'm a bit confused about your mach process - is it basically a decoction? How do you calculate your temps to hit 68 degrees?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Jon


Basically a decoction, but just for the unmalted wheat and oats with about 500g of Pilsner malt to do the conversion during the decoction. Once it's added back to the main mash the temp should sit at 68C for a sacharification rest. The temp of the boiled grains in the decoction should get you close, if it's not at 68C you can adjust with cold or boiling water.

I got this process from the Jamil Show on The Brewing Network. You can download the show from their site or itunes.


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## mattbrewer (21/6/09)

Very similar to the recipe I have decided to keep using, except the 300g of peel!! I combined mine from many opinions voiced on the web.

I also am suprised at the amount of citrus peel you use. I use 30g (orange/grapefruit/lemon) at the 10 min mark and that gives it a nice fresh feel. I would be hesitant to use much more than that. I suppose the 10 mins of boiling brings out alot of the flavour.

For a nice change I put 25g of ginger at 10 mins and 25g in the primary. 'The Brewery' in Townsville has a nice ginger wit that they call a Belgian Blonde. Well worth a try.

Matt


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