Belgian Witbier

Also called "witbiers," Belgian white ales are brewed using unmalted wheat and malted barley and are spiced with coriander and orange peel. These very pale beers are often bottle-conditioned and served cloudy. The style is further characterized by the use of Noble-type hops to achieve a low to medium bitterness and hop flavor. This beer has low to medium body, no diacetyl, and a low to medium fruity-ester level. Mild acidity is appropriate.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces flaked oats

• 4 pounds wheat extract

• 3 pounds light malt extract

• 2 ounces Hallertauer hops

• 1-1/2 ounces ground coriander seeds

• 1 ounce dried orange peel

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 3944 Belgian Witbier yeast

• 1 cup corn sugar

Instructions:

1. Place the crushed specialty grains in a nylon hop bag and steep them in 1 gallon of preheated 150º water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain and discard the spent grains.

3. Bring at least 3 gallons of liquor to a boil, remove the brew kettle from the heat source then stir in the extract and the hops.

4. Return the brew kettle to the heat source and boil for 45 minutes, then add half of the orange peel and crushed coriander seed and the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 15 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

6. Once the wort has cooled to below 77º F, take an original gravity reading, pour the wort into a primary fermenter through a funnel with a strainer and add enough cool water to create 5 gallons.

7. Once the wort has been transferred to the primary fermenter, pitch the yeast, stir the wort vigorously, seal the fermenter with an airlock and ferment at 70º-73º F for a week.

8. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter, add the remaining orange peel and crushed coriander seed and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

9. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corn sugar and bottle and condition as usual.