RecipeDB - Bullshead Witbier

[Parks]

I had the exact same issue with my Wit that currently fermenting. I was supposed to hit 1048 but only got 1041.

It was 46% raw wheat. I must have simply milled it too coarsely as I set my mill to 1.5mm which has been working brilliantly until now. I was getting too much flour at 1.1 so opened it up.

Will try much finer on the raw wheat next time to see if that helps.

 

[seamad]

I too had my worst ever effecienccy with this wit. I set my mill up at 0.8 mm thinking that a finer crush might help too.
Turned out bloody good after a longer boil to get to sg.
Next time might set mill to 1.2 and allow for poorer effeciency.
Summer is coming so wit season is here

 

[Tony]

yeah my eff drops from 85% to 65 or 70......... but you get that with half the enzymes in there.

I too just allow fopr lower eff and use a bit more grain.

enjoy folks

 

[Parks]

yeah my eff drops from 85% to 65 or 70......... but you get that with half the enzymes in there.

I too just allow fopr lower eff and use a bit more grain.

enjoy folks

The question is, do you simply change your efficiency calcs or do you think it's the raw wheat not being converted.

ie, if I use 5kg of Pale malt and 5kg of raw wheat, I wonder if the pale malt still converts at 85% efficiency and the wheat at 50% so should we increase the wheat % more?

Are our assumptions of extract potential of raw wheat accurate?

 

[humulus]

yeah my eff drops from 85% to 65 or 70......... but you get that with half the enzymes in there.

I too just allow fopr lower eff and use a bit more grain.

enjoy folks

I ge the same eff probs too still tastes bloody great though,Tony do you reuse your Bel Wit yeast or smack a new pack each brew,i made a starter up for the last Wit and when it finished and was kegged it was not the same,lacking that typical banana,clove bubblegum notes i got from the fresh wyeast pack.
The starter was only 500ml would a bigger starter help??
cheers

 

[Tony]

firstly on eff calcs....... I have not counted the unconverted starch particled from wheat or pils but id say its fairly even.

In the mash the enzymes are washed into the liquid, hence why its good to mash thick..... more exposure of enzymes to starch. If you halve the enzymes in the mash, whats there is going to struggle to do the job on any starch...... and wheat or barley... its still starch, just less enzyme from all the raw wheat.

But we probably dont want full conversion....... if it all converted, the beer would be clear instead of that nice fluffy white colour from the haze. Low conversion also adds a certain mouth feel too i think.

So i say, cop the low conversion and fork out for an extra kg of malt


On the yeast....... i smack the pack and when its done and swolen, i collect 2 15ml vials to store in the fridge for later on, and stick the rest in a starter.

This way i get 3 runs from a smack pack and its fresh yeast every time.

cheers

 

[humulus]

Thanks mate got some unc tobys,wyeast bel wit and raw wheat(thats the key i think!!) and a few days off time to punch another "bullshead wit" out!! :chug:

 

[roger mellie]

Hey Tony

Have you ever made this with torrified wheat? I had a go the other at a very similar recipe with torr wheat (couldnt get raw wheat) and had to put about 4 Volumes of CO2 to get any appreciable head.

Which has made pouring interesting.

Flavours are good - think I will double the coriander next time.

How do you carbonate your Wit?

Cheers

RM

 

[lukasfab]

can weyermann pale wheat and weyermann pilsner be used in this???
maybe be obvious but still new to brewing

cheers

 

[Tony]

Hey Tony

Have you ever made this with torrified wheat? I had a go the other at a very similar recipe with torr wheat (couldnt get raw wheat) and had to put about 4 Volumes of CO2 to get any appreciable head.

Which has made pouring interesting.

Flavours are good - think I will double the coriander next time.

How do you carbonate your Wit?

Cheers

RM

Roger...... i used unmalted wheat becasue thats what is used in a Witbier.......... its the main contributing factor to the beers apperance, aroma, flavour and tartenss.

I have not used torefied wheat, it may work but why use something thats not the true ingredient if your going to go to the trouble of brewing a beer like this?

Ross, and im sure other retailers too, sells unmalted wheat.... always has it in stock so no excuse

Re carbonation........ i reved up the carb similar to what i do with a weizen. Perhaps the mash schedule you used didnt work with the torefied (pre geletinised) wheat. The mash schedules for wits are usually designed around difficult conversion and with a pre gelatinised malt...... this could go arse up.

can weyermann pale wheat and weyermann pilsner be used in this???
maybe be obvious but still new to brewing

cheers

I have not checked the numbers, but i have read weyermann pils does not have the dialastic power of other pilsner malts like BB or malt euro Pils for example

Malted pale wheat and raw whear only have their parent plant in common...... 2 different animals and if you want a "great" Wit..... use the propper malt and go with Joe White Unmalted wheat.

Its similar to asking if ale malt would be suitable to make a great Pilsner......... Its barley....... but its a differnt animal!

 

[humulus]

Tony im on 3rd gen 3944 belgian wit yeast and i just dont get the usual aromas and taste out of the fermenter that you originally get from a new smack pack.I used 30ml of yeast stepped up into a 2l starter.Do you use a new smack pack each brew?
Also i scored some raw Agrade wheat that they make bakers flour with,reckon that would go OK in your wit(got 40 bloody kgs of it!)
cheers Glenn

 

[Tony]

Hey Glenn.

I get the same issue with wheat yeasts like 3068 when repitched. They just dont perform the same.

I split the origional pack in 3, 2 vials for later and the rest of the smack pack in a starter. I then get 3 first gen brews from one smack pack, but i make 50 liter batches so thats 150L from a pack..... thats good enough value for money for me.

That wheat for bakers flour will have a very high protein content.... as is wanted in baking. Not sure how this will effect things, you can only try

cheers

 

[humulus]

Cheers Tony just waiting on my vials to arrive, before i open my wit and farmhouse ale, :icon_cheers: ill let you know how the raw wheat performs when i use it!!!! :icon_cheers:

 

[lukasfab]

got this one in the fermenter for 36hrs, I had a look this morning and got some sulphur smell?
is this normal using forbiden fruit yeat pack

 

[lukasfab]

google search reveals that it can give some sulphur

 

[Tony]

yeah it can be stinky

 

[lukasfab]

hey Tony, done this brew and first taste still undercarbed but tasted very sweet?
OG was 1.049 and FG about 1.011-12
from memory I did a step mash that recommended in here by yourself

any thoughts?

oh and I used malted wheat not raw

thanks

 

[Tony]

Making this again today.

Only difference is i am giving Wey premium pils a try (preys it works), added 1.5% wey acidulated malt to try and get some conversion help from pH correction and using Malted oats instead of the uncle toby's quick oats.

Milled the oats 3 times cause they are quite slender and the husks stayed completely whole, and ran the raw wheat through twice

Also going to slightly increase the orange and coriander.

I'm really looking forward to it

 

[Dan Pratt]

Made my first witbier yesterday on the 20lt braumiester.

Wheat Malt - 48%
Premium Pilsner - 33%
Rolled Flaked Wheat - 15%
Acidulated Malt - 4%

Saaz Pellets - 39g for 60 mins

Mash schedule mashin @ 32
52c for 20 mins
66c for 90 mins
72c for 30 mins
78c for 15 mins

Sparged 6.5litres at 76c, boiled for 90 mins.

Added 7g of both coriander and zest peel a 5 mins left on the boil.

Got 1.050 into the fermenter and added Forbidden Fruit Wyeast straight from the smack pack at 23c, it's bubbling away lovely this morning at 20c.

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

Making this again today.

Only difference is i am giving Wey premium pils a try (preys it works), added 1.5% wey acidulated malt to try and get some conversion help from pH correction and using Malted oats instead of the uncle toby's quick oats.

Milled the oats 3 times cause they are quite slender and the husks stayed completely whole, and ran the raw wheat through twice

Also going to slightly increase the orange and coriander.

I'm really looking forward to it

Tony - I've been using wey pils for this and works fine with a bit of acid. Efficiency is still shit for me due to ongoing raw wheat drama. Last batch (40L) was 40% wey pils, 30% raw wheat, 20% wheat, 7% rolled oats and 3% acid. I still cant get good dried orange peel so have been using angus park mixed peel (orange and lemon). I used 100g and gave it a smash in the blender to open it up. Used 25g of coriander seed roasted. Last batch was gone in a blink of an eye. The peel I used gave it a real citrus punch - no need to add slice of lemon
Cheers
BBB