It is tricky to make a great extract witbier. If you over do it, the flavor becomes too strong and works against the soft grainy background. Added with restraint, Munich, aromatic or melanoidin malt gives a nice little complexity to the beer. This is one of the ingredients that could be left out, but I like the way it adds a slight bready note that is warmer in character than the base malts. Munich malt is a common ingredient in many witbier recipes. The unmalted wheat and oats also add to the cloudy white color of the beer and the persistent head. Some describe the character of oats in beer as having a “silky” feel and I agree. They not only give a slight background complexity to the malt character, they also add quite a bit to mouthfeel. I think the addition of 5 to 10% oats is critical for brewing a great witbier. Additional grains often include oats and a melanoidin rich malt like Munich. If you can’t get those ingredients, you can try malted wheat and domestic two-row malt, but the flavor, aroma, mouthfeel and appearance just won’t have that soft, slightly sweet and gently grainy character. It requires unmalted wheat and continental Pilsner malt as the base. The grain bill for a witbier is not as flexible as many other beer styles. Held to the light, they are quite cloudy from starch haze, with a very light straw to light golden color in the background. These are moderate alcohol beers in the 4.5 to 5.5% ABV range. The flavors and aromas come together to form a light and refreshing beer with a slightly dry and fruity finish. Witbeer has gentle perfumey, spicy, herbal, citrusy notes with none boldly standing out. The best examples of the style always seem to have a soft, creamy feel without being cloying or heavy. The Blanche de Bruges I enjoyed in Paris is a fine example of the Witbier style, with a very light sweetness balanced by a citrusy orange fruitiness and a fairly crisp, refreshing finish. Luckily, Pierre Celis revived the style with Oud Hoegaards Bier, later known and popularized as Hoegaarden in the United States. Eventually witbier popularity waned and after World War II the style became virtually extinct. Of course, as it has been with many unique European beer styles, the damage done during two World Wars and competition from modern lager brewers have had a great impact on smaller breweries.
The breweries in Leuven and Hoegaarden, 15 to 30 miles (24 to 48 km) east of Brussels, supplied witbier to Brussels and other European cities. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, witbier (bière blanche in French) was the dominant beer style in Brussels.
Ah, it was beer magic for a weary traveler. On draft, this beer has a huge, white head, which persists until the last drop. We wandered down to the local café to have a bite to eat and I found a fluffy pillow of another sort to ease my exhausted state, Blanche de Bruges. I was looking forward to a bed with a cool, fluffy, white pillow, but our room wasn’t ready. Having just arrived in Paris, I was exhausted.
Mash Profile: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Full BodyĪllen's Water adjusted to 50ppm CaCl 5.5pHĭried chamomile flowers (or 3 tea bags per 5 gal) (Boil 5 min) Jamil's Blanche Oreille Belgian Wit added cherries All Grain Recipe Submitted By: Allen (Shared)Įquipment: Allen's Mash Keggle (10 Gal/37.8 L) - All Grain