Luckyeddie's AG#7 - Wither Belgium?

[luckyeddie]

Basically, now my brother in law has done my mash tun plumbing to my specification (although he drilled the manifold holes instead of cutting slots), I have decided to test it out with a brew - a witbier.

I'll post some piccies tomorrow, but I've started the preparation - I have prepared the orange peel (couldn't find any Curacao orange peel so I picked up 3 large Seville oranges from the market and shredded the outside 1 mm of the peel - the bit that contains the bitter taste - into flakes) and spent a few minutes coarsely grinding the coriander seeds in the mortar and pestle (very satisfying and such a wonderful smell.

Anyway, here's the recipe I have come up with (20 litre batch)...

Grainbill
Belgian Pale Malt - 2.25 kg
Wheat Malt - 1.75 kg
Torrified Wheat - 0.20 kg
Flaked Oats - 0.15 kg

60 minute boil

Hop Schedule and stuff
Hallertauer Hersbrucker 20g @ 30 mins
Saaz 20g @ 15 minutes
Protafloc tablet @ 10 mins
Coriander 20g @ 10 minutes
Bitter Orange peel 20g @ 10 minutes

Yeasties
Brewferm Blanche Dry Yeast

For those of you who have done witbiers before (Aleman, Aleman, Aleman) - do I need to perform a stepped infusion mash or is it not worth it (there's only a smidge of torrified wheat - the rest is malted)?

 

[luckyeddie]

We're cooking.

I got interrupted by an agent (I'm a business analyst 'between contracts') and my mash temperature ended up at 69C before I noticed. If it's a bit malty and low in alcohol - well, that's tough. I had used the same strike temperature as when I was BIABing (73C) then as soon as I'd doughed in, the phone rang with a possible contract - and the rest is history. 20 minutes before I noticed the temperature. I had deliberately used 3l of water per kilo deliberately because it's a witbier and I was trying to avoid a stuck mash/sparge. I've brought the temperature down to 65 - 66C by sticking in another half a kilo of wheat malt and 2litres of cold water and will now mash for 90 minutes, but .....

That'll teach me. The mash tun is obviously VERY efficient.

:nono:

Hopefully I haven't just got coriander and orange flavoured pop.

 

[luckyeddie]

And now - the porn...

The new mash tun - totally home built (thanks to my brother in law who did the plumbing). The inner shell is a crystal storage box from Wilkos, the insulating layer is an expanded polystyrene box that aquariums use to move koi carp around and the outer shell is 10 mm pressed chipboard held together with 60 screws and a 2mm drill bit Total cost £16 (and about 6 blooming hours work).

Really boring grainbill shot....

The mash....

Collecting the mash runoff....

 

[luckyeddie]

Batch sparge (I haven't designed the sparge sprinkler yet to fit inside the lid)....

In with the Hersbrucker....

Orange and coriander present and correct sir....

Break material (and my thumb)....

 

[luckyeddie]

Yeasties....

Much better cold break shot....

1048 - hit my numbers spot on....

 

[mickeyt69]

Looking good eddie fancy a bottle swap when my Dubbel is ready( let me know how one should really taste :lol: )

 

[luckyeddie]

Looking good eddie fancy a bottle swap when my Dubbel is ready( let me know how one should really taste :lol: )

I'm sure that it will be fantastic. I've got a few more Belgian beers planned, but the next brew (probably Saturday) is going to be a lager for my brother in law to say thanks for the mash tun plumbing.

 

[mickeyt69]

He's done you proud by the looks of it better keep him sweet! i'll PM you when mines ready for the swap prob be a while yet anyway oh and cheers again for all the advice on my various posts! :thumb: