Beer Forum

I'm going to brew a witbier soon and this will be my first wheat beer. I was listening to the witbier show featuring doc and I noticed some differences between his method and the one mentioned Crewing Classic Styles. Doc's process calls for unmalted wheat and some six row which he mashes seperately than brings to a boil before puring into the main mash this. The book calls for flaked wheat and one mash. Doc's seems a little more of a hassle. Plus he says to grind the wheat into a fine powder. Has anyone tried both methods? Is it really worth going through the hassle of another mash? Another difference is that Doc calls for grinding the coriander into a fine powder and JZ says to crush it gently. Any thoughts?

For your first wit, keep it simple. Go with the Crewing Classic Styles [sic] recipe. You'll like it. Does Doc's procedure add more flavor or different flavors? I dunno. Make your second wit Doc's recipe.

I'm going the second the KISS method. I'd even differ from BCS with a single infusion mash unless you are comfortable with step mashing. It still makes a tasty beer.

So my bizarre Wit Technique is t mash for 6 hours. Set the mash around 148F and let it sit. Go to kid's swim practice/church/bike ride and then mash out and boil. Last batch finished at 1.008, but had plenty of mouth feel from the oats.

I'm sure that Doc makes a fantastic Wit, but it's an advanced technique(which I've yet to explore). In thew last batch i used green coriander seed from the garden. Wonderful subtle flavor difference.

The Fool

I have assisted someone (SGTSatan) who did a cereal mash that you described. (SGTSatan's a purist who also believes that if one decoction is good, three is better.) It is a bit of a hassle the first time you try it. Once you have the process figured out, it gets easier. I would use flaked oats. Don't tell him. I'll have to listen to one of his "Authentic Brewing Method" speeches again.

The BCS recipe is easier and makes a great wit! I do recommend mixing up the citrus addition with a blend of grapefruit and other orange varieties you can find. It seems to kick this one up a notch!

brewinhard wrote:The BCS recipe is easier and makes a great wit! I do recommend mixing up the citrus addition with a blend of grapefruit and other orange varieties you can find. It seems to kick this one up a notch!

+1 on the grapefruit

Forgot to mention - do a single step infusion if you aren't equipped for step mashing. But it's a good reason to try a step mash if you've never done it before -- I've done it both ways and don't think it makes much of a difference.

I've made a few witts and they generally come out fairly well, I have used the BSC recipe more recently have started using 50% pale 2 row and 50% raw wheat, with the usual hops, zest and spices. I have used some oats and other specialty grains but I think this beer is 80% in the yeast.

my Witt tips are;
1. Use raw unmalted wheat if you can get it. My folks have a farm so I just grab some out of the silo.
2. Use rice hulls in your mash otherwhise it will stick like a bitch.
3. go easy on the zest and spices, but make them as fresh as possible. I use fresh orange zest.