Wit

Classification: wit, Belgian ale, wheat beer, all-grain

Source: Martin Lodahl (malodah@srv.PacBell.COM), r.c.b., 7/8/94

Well, here's my best attempt so far.

Ingredients:

4 lbs DeWulf-Cosyns "Pils" malt
3 lbs brewers' flaked wheat (inauthentic; will try raw wheat nest time)
6 oz rolled oats
1 oz Saaz hops (3.3% AA)
0.75 oz bitter (Curacao) orange peel quarters (dried)
1 oz sweet orange peel (dried)
0.75 oz coriander (cracked)
0.75 oz anise seed
one small pinch cumin
0.75 cup corn sugar (priming)
10 ml 88% food-grade lactic acid (at bottling)
BrewTek "Belgian Wheat" yeast

Procedure:

Mash-in to 3 gal water @ 100F; rest 10 minutes

Protein rests: 20 minutes @ 117F
20 minutes @ 122F
20 minutes @ 126F

First decoction; thickest 40% of the mash
Heat to 160F; rest 15 minutes
Boil 15 minutes, then return to rest mash

Adjust to ~145F; hold 10 minutes

Second decoction, thickest 35% of the mash
Heat to 160F; rest 10 minutes
Boil 10 minutes, then return to rest mash

Adjust to 162F, rest at least 15 minutes, check starch

Mash-out @ 170F; 10 minutes

Sparge: 5 gallons at 170F

Boil 60 minutes, adding hops at the beginning and spices at the end.

Add lactic acid to taste, at bottling. The mash is very bizarre, turning to a thinner gruel with each decoction. Low apparent extract seems to be due to a much greater quantity of starch than this malt can convert. I plan to try domestic 2-row, which is ~25 degrees Lintner higher in diastatic power.

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.038
F.G.: 1.009