My First Belgian Wit; Question?

[Curry]

Hey Guys,

Just about to do my first Belgian Wit and I was wondering if someone could please advise me if anything special needs to be done to get that real cloudy look in the bottle at the end of the whole process?

I will be using a kit and a mini-mash combo with some wyeast.

Any thoughts would be very appreciated.

Regards

Curry

 

[warrenlw63]

Hi Curry,

I tend to find that wits wind up naturally cloudy due to their light colour and use of unmalted wheat.

I've heard (though note have not yet tried) that a tablespoon of wheat flour added to the last 15 mins. of your boil will help with the cloudiness as well.

All this said I've found that although any wit I've ever made winds up nicely cloudy at first, gravity and time tend to make it turn pretty close to crystal clear over several weeks.

If this happens maybe just agitate your bottles by carefully rolling them on a table before pouring.

Hope this helps -
Warren

 

[kitkat]

aren't wit typically cloudy? That's my recollection from Hoegarden.

If they're clear like a lager, aren't they more like german wheat beers?

 

[Snow]

Curry,

I just made a wit with 50% wheat malt and 50% Pilsener malt and it didn't turn out as white as i wanted, but it is cloudy. The secret for the right "whiteness" is raw wheat, or wheat flour. I couldn't crack my raw wheat, so I had to go with the wheat malt as a last resort. Turned out a nice wit, just not as white as I wanted.

Cheers - Snow.

 

[Wreck]

I don't use whirlfloc either.

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Kitkat is correct - the Begian Wit should be cloudy from the raw wheat. My last has cleared perfectly in the keg - if it was a german lager I would be proud of how clear it is. I will try shaking the keg up before I pour the next one to see if I can get some cloudiness back.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[Asher]

Curry,
Next time instead of trying to mill your own raw wheat. get a hold of some 'Coarse Ground Semolina Flour'.... Available at most Italian type markets. Its a flour with about a 0.5mm grain size.... I've used it in amounts up to 45% without rice hulls. The sparge runoff was slower but no signs of sticking...
Asher for now

 

[warrenlw63]

Anybody ever tried Bourghul in a Wit?

It's described as being a steamed, cracked wheat. Easy to find and not all that expensive either.


Warren -

 

[Darren]

I mix my raw-wheat with my barley and crack in my mill.
I too have extra clear beer made with raw wheat!

 

[Wreck]

Warren,

I've tried bourghul a few times. Came out pretty good. Wasn't game to go 40-50% with it though and used half wheat malt/half bourghul for the wheat as well as pale malt.

Probably will try it without the wheat malt next time.

 

[Ray_Mills]

Curry
I think you are going to have trouble making a wit beer from a kit, There is no kit out there that gets to the right colour. The only way to make a wit is a full mash.
I dont have a answer for you right now other than try a german wheat from a kit.
Ray

 

[kitkat]

Have a look at http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/BeerOTMonth/riggers_wit.htm for kit/extract/AG recipes.

Check out also grumpy's AG recipe:
http://www.grumpys.com.au/r1.php3?recipeid=16

 

[Ray_Mills]

Hi
What can I say, give the recipes a go, I can only advise
Ray

 

[Curry]

Thanks for the input guys.

I am going to use the kit I have with some extra wheat - see how we go.

Off to smack the Wyeast now

Cheers

Curry

 

[morry]

Ive had a go at making a wit using extract. It came out pretty good. It wasnt the right colour and it was a bit clear, but it tasted pretty good. The yeast makes a big difference.

Now I have my mash setup nearly done, I will be attempting a full mash wit.

 

[Curry]

Hey Guys,

Coming to the end of secondary and I am starting to turn my attention towards bulk priming for the first time.

I think I have got my head around the process and required carbonation level (high?), but my question is:

What is the best 'sugar' to use in the bulk prime - is it dextrose, DME or something else?

Any thoughts.

Regards

Curry

 

[barfridge]

We were discussing this last night, and the simple answer is that there is no simple answer.

Everyone in our group used something different, from white sugar, to castor sugar, dextrose, malt and wheat malt. They're all used in such small quantities that in reality it makes bugger all difference.

I personally prefer wheat malt, especially for kits, as it gives smaller bubbles, and a finer head.

 

[Curry]

Thanks Barfridge,

I actually should have been more specific, what i mean't to say was.

"What product is the best to bulk prime with for a wheat beer?"

Cheers

Curry

 

[Jovial_Monk]

For a wheat beer, wheat malt extract without a doubt

Jovial Monk

 

[Curry]

So i'm just about to bulk prime with some Wheat Malt Extract.

In terms of the amout of Extract, do I use the same amount if I was using Dextrose?

Thoughts?

Curry