I brewed two witbiers last year and changed only one element of the process – the fermentation temperature. The first one I brewed was fermented at 68°F or 20°C. The second one I fermented at 60°F or 16°C. The change made a difference in flavor and aroma. Watch this video where we taste and discuss the nuances of each of my homebrewed beer alongside a commercial version of the style.
The white beer that was brewed at the warmer temperature has a really off putting aroma. Interestingly enough, both my witbiers did ok in competition. They both got scores in the mid to upper 30s.
The thing that I do have problems with is keeping my white beers cloudy. The yeast likes to fall out of suspension after they are in the bottle for a while. I hear that maybe adding a little bit of all purpose flour right at the end of the boil will keep your beer hazy as the style calls for. I have yet to try it.
The lesson I learned from the experiment – Belgian white ales or witbiers should be fermented on the cooler side of the accepted range for the yeast strain. It really keeps the funk down in the aroma. Interestingly, we didn’t really sense a large difference in the taste of the beers but certainly in the aromas.
Here’s to salami and warm garbage aromas.
Rhen
I’ve been trying to decide what temperature to ferment some upcoming Belgian home brews at this spring. This is perfect information! Thanks for putting this up!