Wit's Up?

Belgian Ale

This is a 2004 BJCP style 16a beer.

Recipe: Witbier (based on Joe's recipe)
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Jan 9, 2005
Transfer to secondary: Jan 23, 2005
Bottling: Feb 6, 2005

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: WLP400 Belgian Wit Ale

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
5 lbs Mich Weyermann Pils 1 lb Quaker Oats 3 lbs Unmalted Wheat Berries	1.037 1.032 1.020	185.0 32.0 60.0
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	277.0 277.0 277.0	/ 5 gal = 55.4 >>> 1.055 * 70%/ 6 gal = 32.3 >>> 1.032 * 70%/ 5 gal = 38.8 >>> 1.039

Hops

1 oz Willamette - 4.5% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.048 = 23.5%	*IBU = 1 4.5 * 23.5 * 0.75 / 5 = 15.9**
0.5 oz Fuggles - 4.1% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.048 = 23.5%	*IBU = 0.5 4.1 * 23.5 * 0.75 / 5 = 7.2**
0.5 oz Saaz - 2.6% avg alpha Utilization: 10 minutes @ 1.048 = 8.5%	*IBU = 0.5 2.6 * 8.5 * 0.75 / 5 = 1.7**
0.5 oz Hallertauer - 4.2% avg alpha Utilization: 5 minutes @ 1.048 = 4.7%	*IBU = 0.5 4.2 * 4.7 * 0.75 / 5 = 1.5**
	Total IBU = 26

Other

1/2 oz Bitter Orange - 10 min
zest from 3 oranges (~1/2 oz) - 10 min
1 tsp Irish Moss (rehydrated) - 15 min

1/8 oz Black uncrushed Peppercorn - 10 min
1/20 oz Black crushed Peppercorn - secondary
1/8 oz White uncrushed Peppercorn - 10 min
1/20 oz White crushed Peppercorn - secondary

Coriander
- 1/2 oz uncrushed end of boil
- 1/2 oz crushed - secondary

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

Boiled 2 ounces of DME in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes and allowed to cool. Pitched yeast and fitted stopper and airlock. Foam filled the flask in 12 hours.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Using 10 gallon kettle with false bottom, heated 3 gallons of water to 126 f and mixed in grain (wheat berries uncrushed). Held at 122 f for 45 minutes. Raised to 150 f and held for 60 minutes. Raised to 170 f and held for 10 minutes. Sparged with 170 f water until 5 gallons were obtained.

Boil:

Added 1 gallon and brought to boil. Added first hops and boiled for 50 minutes. Added orange zest, bitter orange, white peppercorn, black peppercorn and second hops and boiled for 5 minutes. Added last hops and boiled for 5 minutes. Added coriander seed and removed from heat. Transferred through counterflow chiller into carboy. Took specific gravity reading of 1.040. Rocked carboy on bolded towel to aerate. Fitted with blow-off tube.

Fermentation (target final gravity = 1.010):

Observations of primary stage (14 days @ 65 f)

1 day: 2 1/2 inches of rocky foam, 13 glubbles per minute
switched to 3 piece airlock
1 1/2 days: 1 1/2 inches of rocky foam, 23 bubbles per minute
2 1/2 days: 1 inch of rocky foam, 15 bubbles per minute
6 1/2 days: 3/4 inch of rocky foam, 6 bubbles per minute, swirled to mix
10 1/2 days: 1/2 inch of foam, 2 bubbles per minute, swirled to mix
13 days: patchy foam, 1 bubbles every 131 seconds, swirled to mix

Boiled .5 oz of crushed coriander seed and .1 oz of crushed mixed black/white peppercorn in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes then poured into 5 gallon carboy. Siphoned from primary into 5 gallon carboy taking specific gravity reading of 1.010. Fitted with stopper and 3 piece airlock.

Bottling:

Boiled 4 ounces of corn sugar in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes, allowed to cool and placed in bottling bucket. Siphoned into 2 1 liter bottles and placed in fridge for forced carbonation. Siphoned 4 gallons from carboy into bottling bucket taking specific gravity of 1.009 which puts ABV at 4.2%. Filled and capped 40 bottles.

See Wit's Up labels here.

Results:

This beer was entered in the 2005 UKG Drunk Monk Challenge
Testimonials here