Out of the Bottle: My Wit's End

My Belgian Wit is ready. It's time to see what my friends and family have to say about it.

It's my beer, so I'll go first. Let's start with the pour. The beer is appropriately cloudy and has a nice hue. The head; however, is small and doesn't like to stick around. Very disappointing. The look could definitely be better, but I suppose taste and aroma are what really matter in beer.

The lightness I was expecting is there. There are no overpowering flavors or aromas at work. Instead, everything is nice and subtle, with a very refreshing overall picture.

Having used sweet, rather than bitter orange peel in addition to Malted Wheat, the beer leans toward the sweet side of the Wit spectrum. The coriander is restrained, but just noticeable enough. Even though I didn't use a traditional Wit strain, the yeast still has a "Belgian" quality to it that brings a little lemon and sourdough to the party. The grains are on the bready side, with a bit of a cracker quality. The beer's body is light and smooth. A little more effervescence from the bubbles would be nice.

And now, as promised, are some quick thoughts from friends and family:

Kim: I really like this.

David: I like the lemon and the orange peel. This is the first Wit I've had that I didn't want to add a slice of orange to.

Chris: Reminds me a little of Blue Moon.

Comments

Out of the Bottle: Insert clever use of the word Wit here

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Who says you can't have everything? Well, I'm doing just that by creating a beer that combines the best aspects of eight big beer styles: Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Doppelbock, Barleywine, Weizenbock and Wee Heavy. But wait, there's more! The beer will be aged for year with everyone's favorite bacterias to make a Sour. On top of that, Sherry infused oak cubes will provide that little extra something. A massive grain-bill, plus a healthy dollop of Candi Sugar should push the alcohol content up over 11%. Compensating for the strength is a biting combination of Noble, English and American hops. A Decoction Mash gives the beer an extra bit of German character. Heavily caramelizing the First Runnings provides more depth of flavor than a standard boil. For that extra push over the cliff, 11 malts are working to make the beer one louder. I'm giving this one at least a year of fermentation before I even touch it. Here's the five gallon recipe: Grains: 4 ...

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