I was going to brew an AG Witbier tomorrow using the NB recipe. I had a Witbier kegged last summer for my friends who come over but are still being weaned off of Lite and such.
I have the grains and also Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit ready to go. But the recipe calls for 2 oz of Hersbrucker and I don’t have any.
I do have: 2 oz Hallertau, 1 oz Saaz, 1 or Perle and 1 oz Fuggle. I was going to use the Hallertau as a substitute. Any suggestions?
That may be the same as you have, or close enough you may not taste the diff. Check Hopunion.com
for profile.
Hallertauer or Saaz. This style, hops don’t really matter all that much, its more about the adjuncts and manipulating the ferment to get the yeast to throw off the flavors you want. All you want from hops is a little bitterness and maybe a bit of grassy hop flavor.
Could you post the recipe? Just want to see when they have the additions and how much.
[quote=“Pietro”]Hallertauer or Saaz. This style, hops don’t really matter all that much, its more about the adjuncts and manipulating the ferment to get the yeast to throw off the flavors you want. All you want from hops is a little bitterness and maybe a bit of grassy hop flavor.
Could you post the recipe? Just want to see when they have the additions and how much.[/quote]
+1 to this ^^^^. Hallertauer or Saaz will work fine. You’re probably only looking for 15-20 IBU and not much if any late additions.
Third vote for Haller or Saaz. You’re not going for much in the way of hop flavor, let alone bitterness. You want to have a nice clean space for the yeast and other stuff to co-mingle and create their Witty goodness.
Personally, I prefer Saaz as I think it marries nicely with the “other stuff” that I’ve settled on for making the perfect Witbier. I wouldn’t think twice about using Haller if Sazz was unavailable.
This is the NB recipe. I might skip the protein rest.
MASH INGREDIENTS
3.5-lbs.-Weyermann-Pale-Wheat
3.5-lbs.-Belgian-Pilsner
1-lbs.-Flaked-Oats-
MULTI STEP
Protein Rest: 122°F for 20 minutes
Sacch’ Rest: 152 F for 60 minutes
Mashout: 170°F for 10 minutes
BOIL ADDITIONS & TIMES
2 oz Hersbrucker (60 min)
1 oz Coriander (10 min)
1 oz Bitter Orange Peel (1 min)
LIQUID YEAST OPTION: Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit.
Apparent attenuation: 72–76%. Flocculation: medium. Optimum temp: 62°–75° F.
if you are interested, A book on brewing with wheat by Stan Heronimus [ sorry my spelling] I found very informative. When it comes to oats I use instant oatmeal, and I make a starter for the 3944. I also keep ferm temps to around 68, but that’s the way I like them.
I would NOT skip the protein rest, but maybe shorten it to 10 minutes. Oats create a gloppy mess to lauter, and a protein rest and/or beta glucan rest really help make it easier.
Also, move the coriander to flameout (try to get Indian coriander), skip the bitter orange peel, and zest 3-4 oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and/or tangelos right before flameout and use those instead. I also like chamomile at flameout.
[quote=“dannyboy58”]I think the Hs are the same hops.
http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productc ... -p3168.htm[/img][/quote]They may or may not the same hop - in the US hops are often sold with a different nane than they are in Europe. In Germany, hops are labled by the variety preceeded by the region where they are grown. I use a lot of Hallertau Mittelfruh hops, those being varietal Mittelfruh grown in the Hallertau region. I can also get Hallertau Hersbruker, Hallertau Northern Brewer, Hallertau Perle, etc.
To the OP: these are for bittering, and any noble hop will work equally well.
Thanks to everyone for the advice.
You have unmalted wheat? Thats key to witbier.
Dah! Was going to suggest unmalted wheat!
Lennie rocks.
Yes, sir, gotta have it.
The key to making a good witbier is making an unlauterable mash, then successfully lautering the damned thing.
Yes, sir, gotta have it.
The key to making a good witbier is making an unlauterable mash, then successfully lautering the damned thing.[/quote]
Rice hulls, lots of rice hulls. And prayer.
Yes, sir, gotta have it.
The key to making a good witbier is making an unlauterable mash, then successfully lautering the damned thing.[/quote]
Rice hulls, lots of rice hulls. And prayer.[/quote]
Or BIAB 
My Forbidden Wit on tap right now is 50% Pale, 42% flaked wheat, 8% flaked oats. It was a trub monster, but with BIAB, no mashing/sparging issues. One major plus for BIAB.
That’s pretty cool! Hadn’t thought of that aspect of BIAB.
But it’s kinda like doing electrical repairs with the power turned off. Just not as much fun.
see I BIAB’d my last one, and it was still a hot mess of a workout to get the wort out of the bag…with a pound of rice hulls. I think my method next time will be rice hulls with a decent beta glucan rest.
