Witbier Extract Recipe- Thoughts?

[BostonHomeBruin]

Hi all,

I'm going to be brewing my first Belgian Wit. I haven't gone all-grain yet, so this will be an extract recipe. I'd like this to resemble an Allagash White, Harpoon UFO White, or Hoegaarden. I came up with this recipe on Brewtoad and I'd love to get some input. According to Brewtoad the FG is a bit too high to be considered a proper wit, and I could get it low enough if I switched to White Labs yeast, but I went ahead and got the Wyeast smack pack because it's so easy to use and it's received better reviews on here.

I got really excited and ordered all of these ingredients, and I'm planning on brewing this weekend, but I was wondering if there was anything I overlooked or any tweaks I should make.

I have a few questions:

- I'm planning on adding the crushed coriander seeds and orange peels to the boil at 15 minutes. Should I keep them in hop bags when I add them to the boil? Should I strain them out before the wort goes to the fermenter?

-How balanced does this look? According to Bewtoad the IBU range is 10-20. I want this to be crisp and refreshing, but not bitter.

Any other thoughts would be really appreciated.


Type Extract
Batch size 5.0 gal
Boil time 60 min

Fermentables
Bavarian Wheat DME 5.0 lb
Oats, Flaked 8.0 oz
White Wheat 8.0 oz
Wheat, Flaked 8.0 oz
Pilsen Light DME 8.0 oz

Hops
Styrian Golding 1.0 oz, 30 min
Saaz 1.0 oz, 5 min

Yeast

Belgian Witbier 3944 Wyeast

Extras
Bitter Orange Peel 1.0 oz, 15.0 min
Coriander Seed 1.0 oz, 15.0 min

Predicted Stats
1.047 OG
1.012 FG
18 IBU
4.6% ABV
4 SRM
0.37 IBU/OG


Thanks!

 

[Homercidal]

The wits I've done have been about 50% Extra Light DME and 50% Wheat DME.

I'm not sure if the flaked goods and White Wheat are going to do much without a mash. They may add some flavor, but I don't recall using them in my extract recipes. I am not real good at remembering which grains need conversion and which are just flavor adds. I'd wait until someone with more knowledge chimes in on that.

Other than that, the recipe looks fine. I usually use .75 ounces of coriander and fresh orange zest, but 1 ounce isn't outside the realm of possibility. If you want to lower the gravity a bit, just back off on the 5 lbs some. Either way it will be fine.

IMO it's really hard to screw up a Witbier. You may find you will want to tweak it to suit your own tastes after it's done, but I bet it will still be pretty tasty.

 

[ArizonaDB]

Belgian Wits get most of their character from the yeast, so pick the yeast with the characteristics that you want and ferment at the suggested temp for that yeast. Also do your best to consume it fresh. Wheat beers are best when fresh.

Your grain bill looks good. Not sure what the 8oz of pilsner DME is gonna do for ya, though. Maybe omit that to streamline it a little, or replace with wheat DME. Good luck and enjoy. I love a nice, refreshing wit, too.

 

[BostonHomeBruin]

Thanks guys! We brewed on Sunday. I tweaked the recipe a bit- I kept the grains, but used 3 lbs wheat DME and 3 lbs extra light DME. I added one lb of the extra light at the beginning, and added the rest towards the end to keep it lighter. I also added the orange peels and coriander late in the boil. The OG was 1.047. It took a little over a day for the fermentation to start, but I'm seeing some bubbles now.