Brewing Witbier at home
Belgian white beer with coriander and orange peel.
Base recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal), calculated with the Brauwerkstatt beer creator. With one click you can adapt it to your batch size, bitterness, colour or alcohol content.
Typical figures
| Alcohol | 4.5–5.5 % |
| Bitterness | 8–20 IBU |
| Colour | 5–10 EBC (3–5 SRM) |
| Carbonation | 6.5 g/l (3.3 vol) |
| Yeast | LalBrew Wit (top-fermenting wheat beer yeast) |
| Fermentation temperature | 17–22 °C (63–72 °F) |
| Brewing water | soft, for pale beers |
Recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity: 12.1 °P (SG 1.049)
- 5.0 % vol
- 14 IBU
- 7 EBC (3.6 SRM)
- Final gravity: 2.9 °P (SG 1.011)
Grain bill
| Pilsner malt | 2.49 kg (5.49 lb) | 48 % |
| Flaked wheat | 2.42 kg (5.34 lb) | 47 % |
| Flaked oats | 284 g (10.0 oz) | 5 % |
Hops
| Saazer 3.5 % α | 31 g (1.09 oz) | 60 min |
Yeast
LalBrew Wit: 10–16 g (0.35–0.56 oz) for 20 L (about 5.3 gal) (50–80 g/hl)
Other ingredients
- Coriander seed (freshly crushed) · 20 g (0.71 oz)
- Dried bitter orange peel · 14 g (0.49 oz)
Mash schedule
66 °C (151 °F) · 60 min
Brewing water
| Mash water | 18.0 L (4.76 gal) |
| Sparge water | 11.5 L (3.04 gal) |
| Total water | 29.5 L (7.79 gal) |
Brewing steps
- Clean and sanitise everything that touches the wort after the boil.
- Measure out 29.5 L (about 7.8 gal) of water and treat it with the brewing-water calculator. For a pale beer: soft water, mash pH 5.4–5.5.
- Split the water: mash water 18 L (about 4.8 gal), sparge water 11.5 L (about 3 gal).
- Heat the mash water to 69 °C (156 °F) and mash in 2.49 kg (5.5 lb) Pilsner malt, 2.42 kg (5.3 lb) Flaked wheat and 0.28 kg (0.62 lb) Flaked oats (gives about 66 °C / 151 °F).
- Rest: 66 °C (151 °F), 60 min. Iodine test at the end: no blue colour = starch converted.
- Measure mash pH 10–15 min after mashing in (cool the sample to 20 °C / 68 °F). Target 5.4–5.5.
- Mash out: heat to 78 °C (172 °F) and hold for 10 min.
- Rest 10–20 min, lauter slowly and sparge with 11.5 L (about 3 gal) water at 78 °C (172 °F).
- Boil the wort for 60 min. At the start of the boil add 31 g (1.1 oz) Saazer.
- 5 min before the end of the boil add 20 g (0.71 oz) Coriander seed (freshly crushed) and 14 g (0.49 oz) Dried bitter orange peel.
- After the boil stir a whirlpool and let it rest for 15 min.
- Chill to 17 °C (63 °F), measure original gravity (target 12.1 °P), run 20 L (about 5.3 gal) into the fermenter, aerate well and pitch the LalBrew Wit (amount see yeast).
- Primary fermentation 5–7 days at 17–22 °C (63–72 °F).
- Measure final gravity (target about 2.9 °P). Priming sugar per bottle from the carbonation calculator (target 6.5 g/l), then bottle.
- Bottle-condition for 2 weeks at room temperature, then keep cool.
Notes
Created with the beer creator (brewhouse efficiency 70 %, final gravity about 2.9 °P).
More in the glossary: Witbier
Typical in: Belgium · Netherlands