Brewing a Belgian witbier at home with coriander and orange peel

What makes a witbier

Belgian witbier, or bière blanche, is pale straw in colour, cloudy from wheat protein and yeast. It is light in body with a soft, creamy texture. It usually sits between 4.5% and 5.5% ABV with low bitterness, often 10 to 20 IBU. The aroma is citrus and spice from coriander and orange peel, plus fruity and gently peppery notes from the yeast. The finish should be dry and quenching. Our witbier style guide covers the history and how it differs from a German hefeweizen.

The spices support the beer. A good witbier should make you wonder what the citrus note is, not announce coriander from across the room.

The grist

For a 20 litre batch at an original gravity of about 1.048:

• Pilsner malt: 2.2 kg (50%)
• Unmalted or flaked wheat: 1.9 kg (43%)
• Flaked oats: 0.3 kg (7%)

Unmalted wheat brings the classic soft haze and a slightly tart, bready flavour. Flaked wheat is easiest because it is already gelatinised. Whole raw wheat kernels need cooking first or a much finer mill. Wheat malt works too, though the beer will be a little less traditional.

With this much unmalted grain the mash can turn sticky. In a bag that is manageable. In a mash tun with a false bottom, a handful of rice hulls helps the wort run. Mash at about 65 to 67 °C for 60 to 75 minutes. Pilsner malt carries enough enzymes to convert the unmalted wheat and oats.

Coriander and orange: how much and when

Start low. You can add more spice next time, but you cannot remove it.

• Coriander seed: about 15 to 20 g for 20 litres, freshly crushed just before use. Add it for the last 5 to 10 minutes of the boil.
• Orange peel: about 15 to 20 g of dried bitter orange (Curaçao) peel, or the zest of three or four fresh oranges, in the same late addition.

Indian kitchens are an advantage here. Whole coriander seed (dhania) is fresh and cheap in any market. Buy whole seed and smell it: it should be bright and citrusy, not dusty. Avoid pre ground powder; it is often stale and brings a muddy, vegetal note. Crush the seed lightly with a rolling pin or mortar so it just cracks.

For fresh peel, use only the thin coloured zest and leave the white pith behind, because pith is bitter. Nagpur oranges or mosambi give a softer citrus note than bitter orange. Some brewers add a little fresh zest from a lime or a gondhoraj lemon, which is worth trying in small amounts. Our guide to brewing with Indian spices has more ideas.

Hops and yeast

Use a low alpha, low aroma hop such as Hallertau or Saaz, enough for 12 to 16 IBU, mostly at the start of the boil. Hops here provide balance, not aroma.

The yeast does much of the work. Choose a Belgian witbier strain, liquid or dry. These yeasts give orange, light clove and peppery notes and leave the beer hazy. A neutral ale yeast will make a spiced wheat beer, not a witbier.

Fermentation in Indian conditions

Pitch at about 18 to 19 °C and let the beer rise to about 21 to 22 °C as fermentation slows. That brings out the yeast's fruit and spice without the hot, solvent notes you get above about 24 °C. In summer a water bath with frozen bottles, changed morning and evening, keeps you in range. In Bengaluru or Pune in winter you may manage in a cool corner of the house.

Witbier is best young. Bottle it after about two weeks, prime for a lively carbonation of around 2.5 to 2.8 volumes in sturdy bottles. Drink it within two or three months while the citrus is fresh.

When it goes wrong

Too much coriander gives soapy or ham like notes. Old ground coriander gives celery. Too much pith gives harsh bitterness. A hot fermentation gives nail varnish. Watery and thin usually means the mash was too hot or too few oats.

Fixing those faults in a style built on balance is a step up from following a recipe. It is the same skill used across Belgian styles, where yeast and spice need to agree with each other.