Wyeast & Wit

[SoxyinMO]

Hey guys, I have a question. My daughter & her English gentleman are getting married early next year. I would like to make some Belgian Wit for the reception.

Neither Al nor I have used the Wyeast, but I understand that it not only works quickly, but can also alter the taste of the beer.

My question, then is : is there a good wyeast that will help make an excellent Wit kit exceptional? I'd like to try a batch or two ahead of time to get an idea; so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

[danno]

check out Wyeast 3944... I've used it a couple of years ago, made a tasty wit, IIRC... I made Northern Brewer's Wit kit, this yeast is what they package... but I bet you'll get similar results from WLP400, but I haven't used it...

Neither Al nor I have used the Wyeast, but I understand that it not only works quickly, but can also alter the taste of the beer. um, that's how most yeasts work, not just Wyeast. esters, phenols, etc. are all produced in varying degrees by different yeasts.

[SoxyinMO]

I do understand that all yeasts add to the flavor, but I was under the understanding the Wyeasts were somehow more so.

I'll check out the one you suggested, though. Thanks

[BeerMeShorty]

Originally posted by SoxyinMO
Hey guys, I have a question. My daughter & her English gentleman are getting married early next year. I would like to make some Belgian Wit for the reception.

Neither Al nor I have used the Wyeast, but I understand that it not only works quickly, but can also alter the taste of the beer.

My question, then is : is there a good wyeast that will help make an excellent Wit kit exceptional? I'd like to try a batch or two ahead of time to get an idea; so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

I just put a Belgian Wit into the keg and it tasted wonderful with the Wyeast Forbidden Fruit (#3463) strain. My target beer was Hoegarden and I think I got pretty close. Most kits that I've seen include Curacao (or bitter orange), and coriander which are spices usually steeped at the end of the boil. The forbidden fruit yeast seemed to emphasize those esters nicely. A lot of the Belgian Wit's yeast strains I've seen have a heavy banana and clove ester, which I didn't want in mine. It's a matter of taste and what your target is.

Shorty...

[kevin]

What is IIRC?

[BeerMeShorty]

Originally posted by kevin
What is IIRC?

If I Recall Correctly ( I think )

Shorty...

[SoxyinMO]

The forbidden fruit yeast seemed to emphasize those esters nicely. A lot of the Belgian Wit's yeast strains I've seen have a heavy banana and clove ester, which I didn't want in mine. It's a matter of taste and what your target is.

This sounds JUST what I was looking for. A nice, crisp beer with the spices accentuated, but WITHOUT the whole banana thing.

Thanks, Shorty!

We want to make three separate batches, each its own self. I just thought the Wit mainly because we really liked it and (as per a previous thread) it seems wedding-ish. And of course we need to make it now just to get an idea of what it might be like(separate batch identities not-withstanding).

But the date has been set : 6 May 2006, so we should be able to get in a few practice batches (just for scientific purposes of course) before we really go for it!


Appreciate the input!

[kevin]

are you planning on doing an extract or all grain?

[danno]

Originally posted by BeerMeShorty
A lot of the Belgian Wit's yeast strains I've seen have a heavy banana and clove ester, which I didn't want in mine.

Shorty...
Shorty, you been seeing Wit's made with Hefe yeasts? banana and clove are signature hefe properties...

[guildofevil]

Danno has a point. Banana and Clove esters belong to German Weizen yeast. They do not belong in a wit, which should have a citrus and spice nose, from the peel and coriander.

I made a pretty successful wit beer recently, using a Trappist Ale yeast, which I cultured from bottles of Chimay.

Séan

[BeerMeShorty]

Originally posted by danno
Shorty, you been seeing Wit's made with Hefe yeasts? banana and clove are signature hefe properties...

The short answer is yes I have seen and tasted beers labeled Wit, but smell like a Hefe at local homebrew competitions. Some people enjoy the esters that a Hefe yeast integrates, but I'm not one of those people. Each his own though.

[guildofevil]

I enjoy Banana and clove esters... but in a Weiss Bier, where they belong, not in a Wit, where they are as far off style as they would be in a pale ale.

The people who think they are brewing Wit with Weiss Bier yeast they are fooling themselves. It's not a wit beer, it's a Weiss Bier they have (presumably) added peel and spices to.

The most you could argue is that it is some kind of hybrid style, but they should not be labelled Wit.

Wow. This idea really bothers me. I need to relax a bit.

Séan

[SoxyinMO]

are you planning on doing an extract or all grain?

Extract, Kevin. Our LHBS has a really nice Wit, very crisp, very gently spiced.


The most you could argue is that it is some kind of hybrid style, but they should not be labelled Wit.

Wow. This idea really bothers me. I need to relax a bit.

Terrifying thought, Séan! Well, you can be assured that there will be no Hefe-Wit at this wedding ;)

[danno]

Originally posted by BeerMeShorty
The short answer is yes I have seen and tasted beers labeled Wit, but smell like a Hefe at local homebrew competitions. Some people enjoy the esters that a Hefe yeast integrates, but I'm not one of those people. Each his own though. I hope you dinged them but good on their scoresheets... "nice weizen, but you entered it IN THE WRONG CATEGORY... 17 points..."

[BeerMeShorty]

Originally posted by danno
I hope you dinged them but good on their scoresheets... "nice weizen, but you entered it IN THE WRONG CATEGORY... 17 points..."

I wasn't judging at this one, I was only there as a consumer. But had I been judging, you're exactly right!