First Wit Bottled, How's it look?

[Grizzly299]

Here is my first ever attempt at a Belgian wit, it tasted nice whilst bottling, albeit flat.It was my own recipe too, I'll share it if the beer turns out nicely when carbed.

The only problem was the FG at 1.013, which was a little high for the style.

Only bottled a few in clear bottles to keep an eye on them, the rest are in brown.

 

[Dutto]

That looks okay so well done!

A FG of 1.013 is a bit high but with normal carbonation sugar added there shouldn't be any "bottle bombs"! However, it may be wise to open a bottle each week for the next three weeks just to make sure!

The cloudiness is quite normal so never worry about "clarity" at any stage. If time doesn't clear the problem, you might not win any prizes in a competition but it can still taste great.

Enjoy (in about three weeks) and keep us posted on how it turns out! :thumb:

 

[Grizzly299]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, some of the haze is settling out now and it's actually quite clear at the top of the bottle, it's a very pleasing pale straw colour.

It was quite reminiscent of a flat Hoegaarden pre-bottling which is what I was going for, rather than the blue moon flavour.

Quite impressed by Mangrove Jacks M21 so far, it's certainly produced that Belgian character and is like no other dried yeast I've tried.

I'll reserve full judgement until I've tried the final product.

 

[Grizzly299]

So I cracked one open and it gave a nice hiss. Probably between 2 and 2.5 volumes of CO2 from the feel on the tongue(Shooting for 3.5, but we're less than a week into conditioning). Tastes a tad young or raw but that's about it.It's got a slightly drying quality with a delightfully balanced spice character with a mildly tart finish.

A little maltiness, no apparent hop aroma and very little bittering.The head was okay, not quite the lovely dense foam you'd expect but it lasted the 5 minutes that it took me to neck the 275ml sample.

Overall a lovely refreshing beer, tasting good at this stage fills me with confidence for the next couple of weeks of drinking.

I'll post a pic of the next pour, cheers.

 

[Grizzly299]

Well here it is, couldn't resist another sample.Getting a little more bittering with this one but other than that it's beautiful. Recipe to follow!

 

[Grizzly299]

Okay so I tried this up against a Hoegaarden tonight and it's pretty close, slightly less perfume and a little more bread/yeast and clove character but it's great!

So pleased with this one!

 

[Keats]

Looks really good and sounds like it has turned out just about perfect. Looking forward to seeing the recipe!

 

[serum]

Nice! Bet you're chuffed with that. The head seems to develop slowly over time with Belgian beers. When I've stashed one away a bit longer it seems to get that real dense head.

 

[Covrich]

Looks a lot like mine.. nice.. fresh orangy and a corriander.. I find them refreshing

 

[Grizzly299]

It's definitely not as perfumy as a Hoegaarden and the yeast character is slightly different, more pronounced.Nothing like the corriander and orange soup that blue moon offers , but then blue moon doesn't use Belgian yeast.

I'd be interested in trying the recipe again with M21 and a liquid yeast strain like WLP400, splitting the batch.

Not nearly as impressed with M21 as I am with M20.

Final notes;

Appearance:Cloudy,Pale, Straw coloured

Aroma: Wheat,Malty, Slight citrus.

Taste:Wheat,Spicy yeast,Bread, low levels of orange/citrus and coriander.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium

Finish: Short and slightly tart.


I'll post the recipe on Sunday night, at a wedding all weekend.

 

[Grizzly299]

So just after a month on the bottles are starting to be over carbed, at least if they are opened at room temp. Gushing everywhere, so I bottled a little soon.

Just cracked one open and I can confidently say that despite the over carbonation, this is the best beer I've ever made.

As promised here is the recipe;

OG: 1.044
FG: 1.012 ish (I bottled at 1.013 and it over carbed)
Volume: 19 litres in fermenter
Efficiency: 64%


Grains;

2 Kg Unmalted Wheat
2.6 Kg Pilsner Malt
87g Acid Malt (Depends on your water, mine is very hard)
230g Oat Husks

Mash Schedule(Multi Infusion);

45°C for 20 mins - 8.8 litres @ 51.2°C
65°C for 60 mins - 6.2 litres @ 100°C
76°C for 10 mins - 7.8 litres @ 100°C

Hop and other additions;

12.5g Perle @ 36mins (11.6 IBU)
12.5g Perle @ 12mins (5.8 IBU)
5g Orange peel @ 12 mins
12g Orange peel @ 5 mins
15g Corriander @ 5 mins


Fermentation;

Yeast- Mangrove Jacks M20
One Sachet Rehydrated and pitched at 20°C
Allow to climb to 26°C during fermentation.

Once primary fermentation is complete store beer at ambient temperature of 22°C Until it attenuates.

Leave in primary for at least two weeks, I should have left it for three to get it to attenuate.

When priming aim for 3 volumes of Co2, I have ended up with about 3.5 which is pushing it a little with standard bottles.

Condition for two weeks at room temperature and then move to a cool place and condition for a further two weeks.Obviously have a cheeky sample at your discretion :whistle:

Enjoy!