Witbier: how to brew it

A pale, cloudy Belgian wheat beer spiced with coriander and orange peel: light, creamy and refreshing, with very little bitterness.

Witbier at a glance

Original gravity: 1.044 – 1.052
Final gravity: 1.008 – 1.012
Bitterness (IBU): 8 – 20
Color (SRM): 2 – 4
Alcohol: 4.5 – 5.5%
Carbonation (vol): 2.6 – 3.4

Ranges from the BJCP 2021 style guidelines, category 24A.

A typical recipe

For 20 L (5 gal) at about 1.048: 50 % pilsner malt, 45 % unmalted wheat (or flaked wheat), 5 % oats. Light bittering to about 14 IBU. In the last 5 minutes: about 15 g freshly crushed coriander seed and 15 g sweet orange peel. Belgian witbier yeast, mash at 66 °C (151 °F), ferment at 19–21 °C (66–70 °F).

Brewing tips

Use rice hulls

High unmalted wheat makes a sticky mash: rice hulls help it drain.

Crush the coriander yourself

Freshly crushed seed gives a bright citrus spice; pre-ground coriander tastes dusty.

Go easy on the spices

They should be a background note, not the main flavour.

Brew your own Witbier

Start from the style in Mashwerk: it builds a recipe inside the ranges for your equipment, and checks every number as you tweak it.

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