Lemon Wit Update

The Lemon Wit is done. I let it ferment in the primary for seven days before moving it to the keg. I then force carbonated it for about 2-3 days. It turned out really well. It has a somewhat darker than normal amber color for a wheat-style beer, but everything else about it screams Belgian Wit. It has a great citrus aroma upfront followed by a nice smooth, crisp feel. It has a great lemon addition to the flavor, as well as just the right amount of spiciness. This is a great summer beer and is easily the best wheat beer I've ever made. I also really like the lemon flavor; it's something different as almost all wheat beers have an orange flavor accent. I'm very pleased.

OG: 1.043
FG: 1.013
ABV of approximately 4%

Until Next Time,
RHSC

Lemon Wit

I really like wheat style beers, especially Belgian wits. I've brewed two citrus wheats in the past (both recipes can be found on my blog), and they both turned out nicely. I decided to go down a little different path this time. Not only did I follow a more traditional Belgian wit recipe, but the citrus flavor I used was lemon instead of orange.

Ingredients:

• 6.6 pounds Bavarian Wheat LME
• 1 pound Flaked Oats
• 1 pound Pilsner Malt
• 1 ounce Dried Lemon Peel
• .4 ounce (11 g) Crushed Coriander
• 2 grams (.06 ounce) Dried Chamomile Flowers
• 1 ounce Hallertau Hops
• 2 packages liquid Belgian Wit ale yeast 

Instructions:

• Put the oats and pilsner in a mesh bag and perform a partial mash for 30-60 minutes at 160 F.
• Remove grains. Add half of extract and the hops to the wort and boil for 60 minutes.
• At 15 minutes left, add the remaining extract. 
• At 5 minutes, add the chamomile, coriander, and lemon peel.
• After 60 minutes, remove from heat.
• Cool wort and add to fermenter. Add water to get 5 gallons.
• Pitch yeast. *I used White Labs WLP400 and Wyeast 3944. You can use two packs of the same yeast, but I am curious as to how the subtle differences will affect the taste.
• Ferment for 7-10 days. 
• I will keg using CO2.

Notes:

The original recipe called for 1.5 ounces citrus zest, as opposed to peel. I went with 1 ounce of lemon peel because in order to get that much zest, you need a lot of lemons. The dried lemon peel is only about $3 at your local HBS. 20 lemons would be a lot more than that. Also, because it calls for unspecified citrus zest, you can substitute oranges if you like. Be careful with playing with the levels of the coriander. Coriander is very strong and putting in more than the 11 grams could really give it a stronger than desired aroma and taste.

OG: 1.043

Until Next Time,

RHSC