"West Coast" Wit Bier recipes/suggestions?

I get pine from Simcoe. But I think Amarillo would be fantastic all by itself.

 

I haven't made a beer like this myself, but you might want to search BA (or Google) for "White IPA"

 

I would personally make an american pale wheat ale instead of a belgian witbier. I think the fruity hops taste better without the belgian yeast flavors. I've made one with citra and it was very tasty and refreshing.

 

Old sock did one here with galaxy hops, sounds interesting:

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2013/03/hibiscusgalaxy-wit-recipe.html

 

I made a couple hoppy beers with Wit yeast earlier this year, one with all Belma hops, the other with ample Columbus and Centennial hops. Very simple malt bills (not trying to be Wit like) so only the yeast was Wit (white labs version). They were both decent "Hoppy Belgian Ales" but as often seems to be the case getting the Belgian yeast to play nicely with the American hops is the challenge of that sort of beer. Wit yeast was OK but not stellar in that regard, the more amply hopped Columbus and Centennial (and the more assertive flavors of those two hops relative to Belma) was the nicer of the two.

 

One of my favorite commercial Saison beers is Stillwater Cellar Door:

“Cellar Door

“Over the ages the term ’cellar door’ has numerously been referred to as the most beautiful term in the English language. Upon setting out to create the first summer addition to the Stateside line up of ales; the feeling that almost instantly came to me was that of beauty & cleansing. Many summer offerings tend to lack the complexity of their bigger, colder season counterparts; so my goal was to craft an ale of extreme balance with a delicate complexity that allows for contemplation while also providing quaffable refreshment. Starting with a base of German wheat & pale malts this crisp slightly hazy foundation was then accented with a blend of Sterling & Citra hops providing a intricate blend of herbal grass & tangerine citrus flavors and aroma. To pull this all together and to complete the ’cleansing’ aspect of my vision i gently finished the ale off with a touch of white sage, lending a mild earthy spice character to the blend. of course let’s not forget our house Saison yeast that brought all the elements together leaving a dry yet intricate finish.”

So, using a citrusy American aroma hop (Citra) sure makes for a tasty Stillwater Cellar Door Saison beer! Seems like Citra would ‘work’ with a Wit too?

Cheers!

 

A new brewpub here in Raleigh did a BPA hopped delicately with Nelson. Yes, not a wit, but I found the Belgian yeast characteristics worked nicely with fruitiness of the hops.

 

IMO the blossomy hops don't go we'll with belgian yeasts. Same with fruity, and to a lesser degree pine. I think Belgian yeast strains bring thier own "ethereal delicacy" to the party and end up getting muddy when put next to Amarillo, citra, sim or, etc.

I like the harsher "earthy," "spicy", and "green" hops in hoppy Belgians. No need to bring more fruit to the table so to speak. CTZ seems like the ideal choice for a BIPA to me... Maybe blended with something spicy.

 

I used to think that this is what a White IPA was as well, but it seems most of the ones I have been exposed to are just Wheat IPAs with American/English yeast. I guess either will be correct until they become the next black IPA.

 

I recently had anchorage's galaxy white ipa. Wit yeast, wit grain bill and adjuncts, american ipa hop bill. For me, it was almost a drain pour. The esters from the yeast with the kumquat and the metric ton of galaxy was just waaaay to much. I do think that if one were to use a more delicate hand, like chad did with the crooked stave st bretta witbier, it would be amazaing.

 

Yeah, the BPA with Nelson that I referenced was most definitely a very restrained, delicate use of the hop that yielded nice results. Really enjoyed that one, but I could easily see a hop bomb with belgian yeast being a mess.

 

I really like the NZ hops with Belgian yeasts. Some are just fruitier/more floral versions of classic German hops. Those more floral/fruity hops would pair well with wits.

 

I have an all amarillo witbier in primary right now and it smells awesome.