Clarity Ferm - in a Witbier

Peter, you are an extract brewer, right? If so you will not obtain a cloudy Witbier using Wheat malt extract; you need to brew with raw wheat to obtain a cloudy look. You can mimic the flavors of a Witbier via extract brewing via proper selection of yeast and the spice/fruit additions (coriander and curacao orange peel) but you will need to mash with raw wheat to get completely there (including the cloudy aspect).

As to whether you need to use a double dose of clarity ferm I really do not know.

Good luck with your extract Wit.

Cheers!

P.S. I have read where some folks discuss adding some flour to the wort to 'increase' cloudiness in a beer like a Wit but I have no personal experience here. Even if you decide to do this the clarity ferm should 'counteract' this since it is a clarifying agent.

 

Peter, I am personally not a fan of American Wheat beers.

For the past 15+ years I have homebrewed a Belgian Wit for my summertime drinking. I have mashed used raw wheat (flaked wheat) to get the hazy appearance (along with Belgian Pilsner Malt).

I would guess that the Midwest Belgian Witbier kit would make a nice beer. A few thoughts:

• I have only had experience with 3944 so I can only recommend that yeast of the three mentioned.
• The spice/fruit amounts are much greater that what I use to brew my Wit beers. I use only 0.25 ounces of freshly crushed coriander (5 minutes before end of boil) and 0.5 ounces of curacao orange peel (20 minutes before end of boil).

Cheers!

Jack

 

Peter, spicing/fruit addition timing and amounts are personal choices. You should consider my input as guidance but you should ultimately make your own decisions in this matter.

I have the philosophy that the spicing/fruit in a Wit beer should be noticeable but subtle and I brew accordingly. As a homebrewer you can make differing choices to suit your tastes.

Cheers!

Jack

 

You should be able to use a little trick to still get a hazy Wit after using the Clara ferm. Do your normal procedures as you would with any beer you desire to serve your wife. Then at packaging add a tablespoon of Oat Flour and mix it in with your priming solution (if bottling) or to the keg (if kegging). This will provide haze, and it is still gluten free.