Grainer - I've made a few Belgian Wits (even won a prize with one), but never a Specialty White IPA. It just doesn't appeal to me, so I've never bothered to research it. My comments on your swap beer were made based on what I read in the style guidelines:
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf . Page 41. What I was drinking just didn't fit with what I had expected, so I went & looked it up. I got the impression more of a Belgian strong ale (hence my question about the yeast you used) & I was spot-on, since you confirmed the use of the Westmalle strain.
The white/cloudiness it Witbiers comes from using raw (ie. unmalted) wheat & oats & using a brief boil (from memory) & low hopping rates, all meant to prevent protein coagulation. The alternative is to use malted wheat & add/sprinkle flour late into the boil (about the same time as the spices addition). There's quite a detailed description of the traditional brewing process (ie. using wicker baskets called "Stuykmanden" ) in Pierre Rajotte's Classic Series book on Belgian Ales if you want to do a bit of research (& can even find a copy!). Hope that helps!
Mofox1 - Yep! Starch = instability, which is one reason Witbiers were traditionally consumed within a week of fermentation, since they just didn't last.
