Belgian Wit Tasting with Joe

[@chrisdreier4135]

First off just wanted to say thanks for the very informative videos. Have been watching them since September. Second thanks for chronicling of the build process of your 2 vessel RIMS system. It inspired me to build an identical system using Spike Brewing kettles, just ordered two 15 gallon kettles with an identical port lay out. Third, for anyone who has been watching these videos and sitting on the fence about custom ordering kettles from Spike, do it! Customer service top notch and custom configured kettles are more reasonable than you think. Thanks again Joe!

[@terpsichoreankid]

Very nice Chris! Thank you for sharing! Yes, Spike is awesome and their equipment is top notch. I do not regret in any way going to this system, it has been such a treat to use. Thanks again for the awesome comments about my videos! Cheers!

[@mikeslostworld5178]

You have inspired me to brew a Belgian Wit for my next batch of home brew.

[@terpsichoreankid]

Awesome! I hope it turned out well for you!

[@bexarnakedbrewingcompanyma646]

Nice vid! Nothing wrong with extra gallon of beer

[@terpsichoreankid]

Right! LOL

[@iwannabrewchris2767]

Now that sounds a good beer 👍 Love a Hogarden! i only ever experience headaches with Belgians like Leffe, not sure why either lol Cheers 👍

[@terpsichoreankid]

Me either, still trying to figure that one out... Cheers Chris!

[@TheFlyingotto]

Forget the brew, let's see a video of your office music setup and you rocking out with the ke-tar!

[@terpsichoreankid]

LOL That would be a sight!

[@Stian1342]

Love that intro man! The beer looks great too, never brwed a wit beer. I dont know why, but. Someday :-) Cheers

[@terpsichoreankid]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@andyschannel88]

Hello fellow Iowan. I don't have the headache problem with any homebrews unless I just drink tons of it without drinking water(dehydration headache). I do not think the headaches come from certain styles because I have gotten the headaches that you describe from almost all kinds of commercial beers. My theory is that the headaches are more caused by something in the brewing process...maybe a chemical, maybe stressed yeast that produce unwanted byproducts. If I drink water before and after my beers and still have a headache, I know something is wrong with the beer and its not just my hydration level. cheers!

[@terpsichoreankid]

Good point! Will have to keep that in mind next time I"m drinking on a big Belgian or several easy-drinking hefes. Cheers Andrew!

[@rimmersbryggeri]

YOur onto soimething. Certain esters like Acetate cause problems for some people. The difference in sensitivity is marked though. It's the same as some peole can't drink certain wines for the same reason. A wine bar keeper friend cant drink pinot noir for example. Since wheats and bellgians contain more of these esters than most beers joe is probably not imagining things.

[@terpsichoreankid]

That could certainly be my case then... Which is a bummer, because I do like those styles, I just can't handle the aftermath.. LOL

[@DarrenLoranger]

Headaches usually are a result of fusels, or fermenting at too high a temp. Typically, you would start at normal fermenting temps, for Belgians, and then ramp up the temp to finish. No headaches necessary!

[@terpsichoreankid]

Definitely makes sense! I didn't get headaches with my wit, so it's got to be something with the commercial makers... Only headache I got was when I drank too much of it... :-)

[@TheFlatulentCow]

Here's my tip. Instead of Orange peel, take whole oranges (and maybe a lime) and just slice the skin with a knife then drop into the boil 5 mins before the end then drop into the fermenter. You'll get a lovely fresh flavour from your witt. Did you go to Bruges when you were in Europe?

[@terpsichoreankid]

Oooh, that sounds delicious! I will have to give that a try the next time I do this brew. I didn't make it to Bruges unfortunately... I need to get back across the Atlantic one of these days!

[@redpiper1]

FIRST !!! :-) nice review sir

[@terpsichoreankid]

Thank you very much! Cheers!

[@TheFlyingotto]

The headache could be from the refined sugars they use to boost ABV and residuals in Belgiums. Like sulfates some chemical properties can be sensitive to some and cause a mild allergic reaction, like a headache or hives, etc.

[@terpsichoreankid]

Interesting... I hadn't thought of that!

[@matthewn8172]

Joe, could you let us know what you did to improve your efficiency with your set up?

[@terpsichoreankid]

Absolutely! For me, it was dialing my grain crush down a mm or so. The slightly finer grist seemed to help efficiency tremendously!

[@matthewn8172]

Thanks for the response...Look forward to another live brew cast day with you!!!

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I think the calculated efficiency on beersmith is kind of off for this kind of setup. Beer looks a little dark for a wit. But probably very tasty all the same.

[@terpsichoreankid]

Yeah, I've noticed a few things are a bit hairy, but for the most part it is pretty close. The beer looked a bit dark in this video, but compared to commercial brews, it was pretty spot on in the color department in real life.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Have you tried white rascal from avery. If not it's woth a sip.

[@enobale]

I wonder if headaches are due to sulfates. Do you get headaches from certain wines? I think that they have a moderate amount of sulfates in Belgian water.

[@terpsichoreankid]

I don't get headaches from my homemade wine (where I do use sulphates in lower amounts), but almost always do from commercial wines. Thing is, I get these headaches with just about all wheat and belgian style beers, so I'm trying to figure out what that trend is...

[@DANTICO6645]

Hi Joe, I got one question I'm a first time brewer and my beer stop fermenting. can i add more sugar to activate the yeast and get a higher alcohol level?

[@bexarnakedbrewingcompanyma646]

DANTE FLORIAN in most cases just pitch another package of yeast. Us05 works like a charm. Also did you take a gravity reading ? It maybe done fermenting. Also it could of got to cold in that case a cheap heat belt from any hbs will get it back up to ale temps

[@terpsichoreankid]

Yeah, I would make sure you pitched the right yeast for the ABV you are shooting for, and make sure your air temp is where the beer needs to ferment (too cold and they stall out, which sounds like that might be what happened to your batch)

[@alcapone5272]

Your intro music sounds like 1970's porn music bro!!!! Cheers!!!

[@terpsichoreankid]

LOL That's my beer tasting music! (which I guess for beer junkies, that smooth pour could be like porn... LOL)

[@homebrewhobby6197]

Love me a simple Belgian Wit. I literally just kegged 10gal of the stuff...sigh, need to edit some videos...doh!!

[@PornoCorner]

Say "Bubblegum" damn it. Most people say "Cloves" I've eaten cloves before. Banana/Bubblegum is a far more solid description than Banana/Cloves! :P

[@terpsichoreankid]

Interesting... You know, I do not really get a bubblegum flavor, it's a bit spicier... But then again, all taste is subjective, so who knows what we're really tasting! LOL

[@PornoCorner]

My girlfriend was painting her nails one day and the scent hit me. There it was: A brief hint of that sweet acetate chemical. Nail polish uses butyl acetate or ethyl acetate. I searched ethyl acetate and found this in Wikipedia: "The aroma of ethyl acetate is most vivid in younger wines and contributes towards the general perception of "fruitiness" in the wine."Crazy chemicals, man. :)

[@rimmersbryggeri]

If a wit is fermented on the cold side it will get very clovy if its fermented hot it gets bananay but you can also get those spicy notes from the Coriander.

[@andyschannel88]

I love cold fermented wheat beers. I drank all mine already and they were for spring time...now they are all gone....crap....

[@terpsichoreankid]

Right! Chemicals are crazy, especially how smell and taste can be so different. PLUS, taste and smell are subjective! LOL