Cherry Wit Recipe thoughts?

[grico]

Thinking winter time release, but something lighter for the ladies.

Recipe: Cherry Wit
Brewer: grico
Asst Brewer:
Style: Witbier
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 14.88 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.18 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 10.04 gal
Bottling Volume: 9.30 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 3.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 10.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.6 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2.01 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 1 -
1 lbs Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 2 4.5 %
10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 45.5 %
10 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 4 45.5 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.5 %
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 6.8 IBUs
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 2.6 IBUs
2.01 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 8 -
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 1.2 IBUs
2.02 g Seeds of Paradise (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 10 -
1.0 pkg Belgian Wit II (White Labs #WLP410) [35. Yeast 11 -
6.00 oz Cherry Extract (Secondary 5.0 days) Flavor 12 -

[lexuschris]

Don't know much about wit bier...but the idea sounds tasty!

Have you ever used the fruit extracts before? Not sure how much is enough/too much, etc.

Happy brewing!

--LexusChris

[brahn]

IIRC Witbier is usually brewed with unmalted wheat. I would sub in flaked wheat for the white wheat malt. Otherwise I think it looks good. I like to see a light hand with the spices, too often these beers are over-spiced.

[DrDually]

Watch your sparge water pH. Light malts do not have the pH lowering ability like darker malts
You may want to try this spreadsheet https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/ to check water additions. You will also need to visit your cities website and obtain the water report for your area

[brahn]

Watch your sparge water pH. Light malts do not have the pH lowering ability like darker malts
You may want to try this spreadsheet https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/ to check water additions. You will also need to visit your cities website and obtain the water report for your area

+1, Or have some lactic acid ready to lower the mash pH.

[bwarbiany]

I usually use a little bit of gypsum in beers with only very light-colored malts... Acid malt might be another option... Using up to 5% in a beer won't affect flavor, but will help to keep the mash properly acidified...

I'd just be leery of using high-concentration lactic acid unless I actually had a pH meter -- I'd be worried about using way too little or way too much.

[nevery]

I'm assuming you'll go thin with it? I would suggest a tiny bit of lactose (0.25#) if the cherry you are using is at all tart. Reason being is that a dry beer with a tart cherry will be almost acidic and bitter. Dextrose or a mashing higher will add that mild sweetness that is usually associated with cherries, and balance out the bitter a little. But I'm still a n00b, so take it with a grain of salt.

I read a tip that if you have an extract that is synthetic based or tasting, you can put it into primary after high krausen and it rounds it out a little more, making it taste less fake. It does require a little more extract to compensate for yeast and trub absorption, specially with the excess wheat proteins.

But it sounds fricken good though! Good luck.