Belgian White Gone Wrong

[CiderJoe]

Ok, I thought I was following the instructions correctly. Corky gave me a recipe and and told me use 2 cans of Liquid Wheat Extract instead of the grain bill he had. He's an all-grain guy, and one day I hope to be doing that as well. Anyhow, I brewed today, after finally finding Orange Peel Spice and Coriander, not east where I live. Pretty simple recipe I think.

2 cans of Liquid Wheat Extract (60% wheat - 40% Barley) from Brewferm. Boiled it with 6 liters of water, total boil of 8 liters I think. Used 28 grams of Saaz hops (2.7% alpha) in the boil for a 1 hour boil. The last 10 minutes I added 14 grams of Coriander Seed Spice and 29 grams of Orange Peel Spice. Finished with another 28 grams of the Saaz hops for about 1 or 1.5 minutes.

I used a yeast starter and the Brewferm Blanche yeast. I think I'm going to have a slow start despite the vigor of the yeast in teh starter because it took so long to cool it down. Still perfecting that technic. Anyhow, That's the an issue.

The problem is I have a S.G. of 1.062 which is rediculous. I was supposed to have at most 1.052. My batch size is 20 liters. Other than knowing I should ahve used more hops (in the resipe I just noticed that he had 3.5% alpha, So I'm going to be on the maltier side I guess. Well, with that SG, I'm afraid I'm going to have something way to sweet and completely out of season. My goal was to have a nice summer beer. And it looks like I'm going to have a higher alcohol, malty, and from to looks of it, very very amber beer, Not pale at all.

Can someone point out what I did wrong? Please?

[markaberrant]

2 cans of LME in 20 litres should have given you an OG of 1.045.

To have an OG of 1.062 with 2 can of LME, you would have used only 14.4 litres.

So one of your measurements is obviously wrong. Either your volume of water is wrong, or your gravity reading is way off (either due to temperature of the wort at time of reading, or your hydrometer is inaccurate).

I think the bigger issue is the lack of bittering hops. You are going to have a beer with just 5 IBU. The problem isn't so much due to the AA% (using 3.7% would have only given you 7 IBU), but rather the small boil volume.

[Mad Scientist]

I might note that the deep color you note coems from the extract, where I alomst always tend to find that extract come sout a bit darker than the all grain equivilent. Is the very amber color you note from looking at the beer in the carboy/bucket, or your sample in the hydrometer cyclinder?

I wouldn't worry about the higher starting gravity, the yeast will chomp through it just fine.....

[CiderJoe]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I've been thinking about the situation. Maybe my hydrometer is wrong. I made the temp conversion because my first reading was at 30 degree Celcius, and that made it worse it seemed. I mean, 2 cans shouldn't equal 1.062 in 20 liters. But you're right, the yeast will eat through it just the same. I just won't have a belgian white, I'll have something different with a lot a alcohol.

I used the Brewferm Liquid Wheat Extract. Do you guys have any experience with this product? It says 8 EBC on the lable. Is this a colour reference?

The dark colour I'm noting is from the bucket and the hydrometer. It's the same colour as the bitter I made last time (which came out wonderful). But this beer is supposed to be light in colour.

Alfter the summer, I'm going to go all-grain. Hopefully with more control, I'll be able to get what I want in the end instead of being a slave to what's inside the can.

Thanks,
Cider

[Mad Scientist]

I'll wager that you are getting some extra carmelization that you do not want as a result of the extract, and going all grain will help that.

If your gravity was truly that high over what the styles guildelines suggest ofr a wit, just call it a special wit or an imperial wit, and be don't worry b/c it is a homebrew, then when you drink it you'll be happy....this is a great circle, ain't it?

I'm just glad you can read through my cruddy typing.:)

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by Boerne Brew
If your gravity was truly that high over what the styles guildelines suggest ofr a wit, just call it a special wit or an imperial wit, and be don't worry b/c it is a homebrew, then when you drink it you'll be happy....this is a great circle, ain't it?

If you're entering this beer in a competition, you have cause for concern. Otherwise, don't worry. Your beer will indeed be satisfying. Most homebrewers are far from the conformist type. The conformists are off sucking on the tap of the mega-breweries.

[CiderJoe]

Yeah, I agree, it'll probably taste fine. Just not what I was aiming for. I'm not exactly a comforist, but I do put a lot of pressure to get what I'm aiming for. But that'll come in due time with experience.

Boerne Brew - I think you're right about the carmelization. I remember in the opening minutes of my boil, I was measuring out the hops, coriander and orange peel, while going back and forth to check the boil. Anyhow, there was some extract scorched on the bottom of the kettle. I stirred and scrapped to keep it from buring to the bottom of my pot. That probably sent it back into solution, thus the higher gravity. I probably should have left it, but I'm boiling on an electric stove (it's all I've got right now), and I really have to watch the boil. There's not alot of temperature control with the stove I have.

This board id great. I now know why it's both too dark, and why it has such a high gravity.

On a side note, I'm going to work in a small brewery this summer, so when I get back in the fall, it'll be all-grain brews from there on out.

Thanks,
Cider

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by CiderJoe
On a side note, I'm going to work in a small brewery this summer, so when I get back in the fall, it'll be all-grain brews from there on out.

Excellent, we should all be so lucky.

[CiderJoe]

Yeah, 350+ emails ot every viable brewery in England I could find. I got 4 offers in the end, not back really considering I have no experience and am a complete novice.

Not getting paid alot, but then that wasn't the point. I have the time off and just wanted experience. 100 pounds a week, room and board, and the use of his delivery van to get me around. Pretty generous I though considering. Beautiful area in England to boot.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have found it. But considering how things went on saturday, I'm not sure the brewer who hired me is so lucky.:confused:

[corkybstewart]

Hope your beer comes out good. Remember that a Belgian wit doesn't really have much hops bitterness to it. Mine that I made has no noticeable hops character but I love it. Mostly I taste the pepper and coriander. My next attempt, probably next week will have more citrus.

[CiderJoe]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
Hope your beer comes out good. Remember that a Belgian wit doesn't really have much hops bitterness to it. Mine that I made has no noticeable hops character but I love it. Mostly I taste the pepper and coriander. My next attempt, probably next week will have more citrus.

I figured that. But like we figured out, I've probably got to much carmalized sugars (from scorching I think) and the Liwuid Wheat Extract was too dark. You know of a company that makes a lighter coloured Liquid Wheat Extract?

[CiderJoe]

I just transferred to the secondary this morning. Gravity is at 1.007. Had a taste, seems to be lacking something. Taste alittle watery to me. Was thinking about using the Saaz hops I have to Dry Hops the last 2 weeks in the secondary. Maybe it would at least add a nice nose to it.

One of the interesting things is that the colour has lightened up quite a bit. Still not quite what I would expect for a blanche, but at least in the right zone for a Hefewiezen or other wheat beer.

So what do you think? Toss in some hops for aroma? I love the way the Saaz hops smell.

[Vienna Lager]

Yeah throw some hops in.