Batch #44 - The White Room

The White Room

 
Brewed - January 28, 2012

Style - Belgian Witbier

Ingredients:

• 10.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 10.0 lbs. White Wheat
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Wheat
  

• 2.00 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 0.75 oz. Hallertauer (5)
• 1.5 oz. Coriander (5)
• 1.0 oz. Dried Orange Peel (5)
• 1.15 oz. Dried Bitter Grapefruit Peel (5)
• 0.6 oz. Grains of Paradise (5)
• 0.25 oz. Lavender (5)

• Wyeast #3942 Belgian Wheat (2 packs / 750 ml starter)
• Wyeast #3944 Belgian Witbier (1 packs / 750 ml starter)

OG – 1.054
Primary – ?? days
Secondary - ?? days

Kegged - ??

FG - 1.009 (estimated)
Attenuation - 83% (estimated)
ABV - 5.9% (estimated)


Notes:

• This is a new batch of Lavender Wit and a slight variation from the White Rabbit, which I thought turned out great and was well received by others; I not only wanted a new batch to drink but to enter in some upcoming competitions
• Mixed the two Belgian Wit yeast together
• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 175°

Batch No. 35 - The White Rabbit

The White Rabbit

Brewed - July 9, 2011

Style - Belgian Witbier

Ingredients:

• 10.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 10.0 lbs. White Wheat
  
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Wheat
  

• 2.00 oz. Hallertauer (60)
  
• 0.75 oz. Hallertauer (5)
• 1.5 oz. Coriander (5)
• 1.0 oz. Dried Orange Peel (5)
• 1.0 oz. Dried Bitter Grapefruit Peel (5)
• 0.5 oz. Grains of Paradise (5)
• 0.2 oz. Lavender (5)
  

• Wyeast #3944 Belgian Witbier (3 packs / 1500 ml starter)

OG – 1.048
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 9 days

Kegged - August 1, 2011


FG - 1.008
Attenuation - 83%
ABV - 5.24%


Notes:

• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 175°

Old Tasting Notes #3

Old tasting notes from November 30, 2009:

Saison de Deux Médecine

• slightly over-carbonated with slow gush if not poured quickly
• muddy yellow with fizzt white head
• mainly yarrow with some sweetness of honey, dry malt and a touch of ginger/orange peel; really nice nose overall
• not overly earthy, but plenty of yarrow
• more sweetness could help here I think against the yarrow
• not much spice, but get some ginger
• yeast flavors are not present, which is a disappointment
• maybe a less “neutral” Belgian yeast next time?
• maybe the yarrow trumps the yeast?
• not exactly what I was going for, but far from the disaster I had feared at times
  

The Curtain Wit

• clear, light orange with bubbly white head to the edges
• ginger, coriander, oranges and a husky sweetness
• thin texture and fruity mouthfeel
• very balanced and drinkable
• a little bready too with lemons and grass
• nice, sticky fruity texture
  

Rêve de Wallonia

• light orange with slight haze; pale gold against the light; white head to the edges
• husky nose with lemons and faint spice
• drinks quite dry and a little flavorless at first
• mild yeasty texture with dry spice, some sweet malt and sugar
• lots of body and sweetness
• certainly not the typical saison that I was going for (Dupont)
• yeast notes are mild and finish is not as dry
• husky is an overall characteristic that I think is from the fermentation struggles and some of the specialty malts
• I want more grassy notes
• Two Medicine is a much more cohesive and rounded beer to me
  

Heavy Things

• nicely carbonated with thin tan head and ruby red color
• nutty caramel, fruity sweet aromas
• not as rich or meaty or sweet as I’d like
• thin body with sweet, dry malt; some candy flavors with dried fruit and brown sugar
• need more body for sure (as with all my beers)
• maybe too fruity and would like some slight smoke
• has a “cheap” candy sweetness to it

Old Tasting Notes #2

Old tasting notes from September 27, 2009

Saison de Deux Médecine

• slight gusher upon opening…doh!! First time I’ve had that problem
• hopefully an over-carbonation issue and not an infection of some kind
• this was different in terms of bottling b/c I estimated sugar based on 5 gallons and then adjusted to 2.5 gallons, but the finished product here was just over 2 gallons, so too much sugar seems like an issue here
• but wonder if dried wildflowers have strange impact on carbonation?
• anyway, back to the beer!
• dark gold, mostly clear with trace white head once in a glass
• floral, kind of dirty with ginger, obvious yarrow aromas
• lots of roots, yarrow stems, earthy
• very smooth and almost silky mouthfeel; vegetal finish and aftertaste
• not much Belgian yeast flavor or influence is one of my first impressions
• lots of yarrow and comes off a little “dirty” or dusty to me
  

The Curtain Wit

• clear light orange with trace white head
• aromas of honey, mild orange peel, ginger and coriander
• coriander comes out most on first sip
• light texture, smooth drinking with minor ginger zing
• not cloudy as I expected and maybe a tad darker as well
• dry, fruity finish yet not quite as flavorful as I had hoped
• some orange and light ginger; soft mouthfeel
• clean, tasty and super drinkable

Batch No. 19 - The Curtain Wit

The Curtain Wit

Brewed - August 2, 2009

Style - Belgian Witbier
Source - various recipes / Bob's HBS

Ingredients:

• 3.0 lbs. Wheat DME
  
• 3.0 lbs. Golden Light DME
  
• 2.0 lbs. Belgian Pilsner (partial mash)
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Wheat (partial mash)
  
• 1.0 oz. Saaz (60)
• 1.0 oz. Linden (0)
• 1.0 oz. Lemon Zest (0)
  
• 2.5 oz. Orange Zest (0)
  
• 1.5 tbsp. Powdered Ginger (0)
• 1.0 tbsp. Coriander Powder (0)
  
• Yeast slurry from Colin's Pro-Am Witbier
  

OG - 1.064
Primary - 14 days
Secondary - 14 days

Bottled - August 20, 2009

FG - 1.016
Attenuation - 75.0%
ABV - 6.29%

Notes:
- Spur of the moment brew as I had some extra ingredients around and was able to use the fresh yeast slurry from Colin's Pro-Am Witbier brewed at Rock Bottom Bellevue; unsure at the moment what the actual yeast was, but probably the standard witbier yeast
- More generous with orange zest and ginger than previous saison
- Partial mash a little easier second time around; need some equipment upgrades though

Batch No. 11 - Kinza Imperial Wit

Kinza Imperial Wit

Brewed - October 5, 2008

Style - Imperial Wit
Source - Northern Brewer kit

Ingredients:

• 9.15 lbs. Wheat LME
• 1.0 lbs. Honey
• 0.5 oz. Summit (60)
• 1.0 oz. Saaz (1)
• 1.0 oz. Corriander (10)
• 2 grams Paradise Seeds
• Wyeast #3463 Forbidden Fruit
  

OG - 1.072
Primary - 10 days
Secondary - 56 days

Bottled - December 10, 2008

FG - 1.022
Attenuation - 69.4%
ABV - 6.6%

Notes:
- first brew using a belgian yeast
- crush paradise / coridaner floated
- ran chiller before inserting / ice cold copper / seemed to help
- don't like using wheat LME / gives a stale taste