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Belgian Wit 2026

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I enjoy Belgian witbier, as a flavorful and highly drinkable summer beverage. I’ve brewed the style semi-frequently, especially in my early years of all-grain brewing, and sometimes as a base for a hibiscus-infused beer. I haven’t touched witbier recipes in awhile (most recently in 2022), though, and wanted to give the style another round.

My current recipe is patterned after the 2022 version, but following the notes from that I added more oats to round out the mouthfeel. I also dropped the Munich malt, which was only two percent of the original recipe anyhow. From a liquid yeast, I switched over to Lallemand’s wit dry yeast. My previous version of the witbier didn’t have as much yeast character as I wanted (using a fermentation at 64°), so I also decided to ferment at 70°.

Recipe Name

  • 5.5 lb. Synergy Select pilsen malt (Briess)
  • 5 lb. flaked red wheat (Briess)
  • 1 lb. flaked oats
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, in mash
  • 1.5 oz. Tettnang hop pellets (2.4% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 9 g chamomile flowers, 5 minute boil
  • 1.5 oz. fresh navel orange plus Meyer lemon zest, 5 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. coriander seed, slightly crushed, 5 minute boil
  • 2 pkg. LalBrew Wit dry yeast (Lallemand)

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 149°, full volume mash
  • 1.047 o.g., 1.007 f.g., 5.2% abv, 13 IBU, 4 SRM
  • Blend of RO water and Claremont tap water (neutralized with lactic acid), to hit 81 ppm Ca, 6 ppm Mg, 71 ppm Na, 55 ppm sulfate, 81 ppm Cl, 7 ppm bicarbonate
  • 5 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I mixed 5.5 gallons of tap water (with 5.3 mL of 88% lactic acid) and 2 gallons of RO water, to hit my water profile. I heated the strike water to 155° before adding the grains.
  • I held the mash, with recirculation, at 149° for 60 minutes. Then, I removed the grains and brought the runnings to a boil.
  • In total, I collected 6.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.042, for 67% mash efficiency.
  • During the 60 minute boil, I added hops and finings per the recipe. For the citrus, I used two navel oranges and one Meyer lemon from our yard.
  • After the 60 minute boil, I turned off the heat and chilled to 75°. At this point, I transferred to the fermenter and pitched the yeast. I finished the chill down to 70° in the fermentation chamber, and held this temperature for fermentation.
  • I brewed this beer on 23 May 2026, and had a starting gravity of 1.049.
  • The beer had vigorous fermentation by the morning after pitching, less than 18 hours into fermentation.
  • I kegged the beer on 5 June 2026, using an open transfer into the keg with the addition of 6 oz. of corn sugar boiled in a cup of water. I figured the natural carbonation would help the quality of the beer (and foam), and also scrub any oxygen introduced during transfer. Belgian styles seem to do well with an open transfer and natural keg carbonation.
  • Final gravity was 1.014, for 4.6% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Hazy, light straw colored beer, with a creamy and persistent white head
  • Aroma
    • Medium chamomile aroma, and a fresh breeze-like aroma from the yeast
  • Flavor
    • Doughy malt at a medium level, with medium herbal chamomile notes. Light tartness. Light spicy hop flavor. Very light, fresh fruitiness in the yeast.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-high carbonation, light body, slightly dry yet smooth finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a good recipe from the yeast and grain end. Oats were an excellent addition to the grain bill. The chamomile should be dialed back to let the coriander shine through; despite using fresh coriander and citrus peel, both are just overwhelmed by the chamomile flavor. I might even consider ditching chamomile entirely, or dialing it back by 50 percent. That would get the recipe more into line with BJCP style–without considering style factors, this is a really great (and quaffable) beer! The yeast character is surprisingly mild; I think it might be fun to try in a gose-style sour or fruited sour.
  • Overall
    • 7/10

Mosaic SMaSH Pale Ale

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Last year I did a Mosaic SMaSH pale ale, and was supremely happy with the combination of Maris Otter, Mosaic, and Stalljen kveik. The first version was a little light on gravity (1.043)–I learned the Thomas Fawcett branded malt doesn’t do well with only a 30 minute mash–which caused the beer to suffer from a thin body and slight astringency. I stepped up to a full 60 minute mash. I also wanted to amp up the Mosaic character, so included a dose of Abstrax Quantum Brite Mosaic at kegging. The end result is nothing short of amazing–it’s probably one of the best beers I have brewed recently!

Mosaic SMaSH Pale Ale

  • 10.75 lb. Maris Otter pale ale malt (Thomas Fawcett)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, in mash
  • 1.25 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), 20 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Kick Carrageenan tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1.75 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool at 190°
  • 1 pkg. Stalljen kveik (Kveik Yeastery #K.22)
  • 3 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), dry hop in fermenter
  • 2.5 mL Quantum Brite Mosaic, Abstrax, added to keg

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 152°, full volume mash
  • 1.050 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 4.9% abv, 43 IBU, 5 SRM
  • Claremont tap water neutralized and adjusted with water salts, to hit estimated profile of 145 ppm Ca, 16 ppm Mg, 97 ppm Na, 189 ppm SO4, 110 ppm Cl, 10 ppm bicarbonate
  • 5.25 gallon batch

Procedure

  • To create my strike water, I added 7.2 mL of 88% lactic acid to 7 gallons of Claremont tapwater, to neutralize carbonates. Then, I added 2 g of epsom salt and 4 g of gypsum salt, and heated the water to 158°.
  • I added the grains, and mashed at 152° for 60 minutes, before raising the temperature to 168° for a 10 minute mashout.
  • After removing the grains, I had 6.2 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.046, for 70% mash efficiency.
  • I brought the runnings to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe.
  • After a 60 minute boil, I chilled to 190° and added the whirlpool hops, for a 15 minute whirlpool. The Anvil Foundry makes it easy to maintain temperature during the whirlpool!
  • After the whirlpool, I chilled down to 95°, transferred to the fermenter, and pitched the yeast.
  • I brewed the beer on 10 May 2026. It had a starting gravity of 1.052.
  • A vigorous fermentation kicked off within three hours of pitching the kveik; I left the fermenter in the sun to keep the fermentation temperature up.
  • Fermenter temperature was 86° on the morning of 11 May 2026, and was down to 78° on 12 May 2026.
  • I added the dry hops to the fermenter, at ambient temperature, on 21 May 2026. I cold crashed the beer on 23 May 2026.
  • I kegged the beer on 5 June 2026, and used forced carbonation to carbonate.
  • Final gravity was 1.014, for 5.0% abv.
  • I added the Abstrax hop product three days after kegging.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Pours with a persistent and “sticky,” frothy white head that leaves abundant lacing. Hazy, straw-colored beer.
  • Aroma
    • Ripe tropical fruit at a high level; passion fruit, guava, blueberry, sweet orange. Abundant blueberry and clementine orange. An aroma of fresh-cut hay, also.
  • Flavor
    • Medium-high bitterness, clementine and a bit of passion fruit flavor on the hops; some blueberry. Light level of maltiness. Lingering bitterness on the finish.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a fantastic recipe! The hop character is absolutely perfect; everytthing plays together well. The persistent haziness is a mild annoyance, but I figure it is from the kveik. Overall, this is a phenomenal recipe as a hop showcase.
  • Overall
    • 10/10

Greg’s Red Lager

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My dad got me started in homebrewing (and he has been brewing for over 50 years!), so it’s always fun to brew together when I’m back home. Planning for a recent session, he mentioned that he would like to make a red lager following a recipe he had previously made. His old version, though, was extract, and he now brews all-grain, so a conversion was in order.

The original version, of unknown origin, called for the following:

  • Red Lager (extract version)
    • 8oz. dark crystal malt (75-85L)
    • 8oz. med. crystal malt (50-60L)
    • 5.5lb. DME
    • 0.75 oz. Cascade, 45 minute boil
    • 0.25 oz. Cascade, 15 minute boil
    • Lager Yeast
  • Notes
    • “I think it was the lightest DME I could get at the time. Starting gravity was 1.042. I think I would like the S.G. to be about 1.050.”
    • Hops are whole, homegrown Cascade hops – a past test showed around 5.5% alpha

The conversion was pretty straightforward. I subbed in pilsner malt for the DME, adjusting to hit the target gravity, and used crystal 60 and crystal 80. According to BeerSmith, the color was a little lighter than a “red” lager, so I added a tiny bit of roasted barley for reddish color adjustment.

Although Dad and I planned to brew a five gallon batch, I wanted to test it with a 2.5 gallon batch first.

Greg’s Red Lager (2.5 gallon batch)

  • 5 lb. Synergy Select Pilsen malt (Briess)
  • 4 oz. 80L caramel malt (Briess)
  • 4 oz. 80L crystal malt (Great Western)
  • 0.5 oz. roasted barley (Crisp)
  • 0.35 oz. Cascade whole hops (est. 5.5% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.25 oz. Cascade whole hops (est. 5.5% alpha), 10 minute boil
  • 0.25 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 0.5 Kick carrageenan tablet
  • 1 pkg. Diamond lager yeast (Lallemand)

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 149°, full volume mash
  • 1.051 o.g., 1.007 f.g., 5.8% abv, 16 IBU, 13 SRM
  • Claremont tap water; 110 ppm Ca, 8 ppm Mg, 97 ppm Na, 75 ppm sulfate, 110 ppm Cl, 132 ppm bicarbonate
  • 2.5 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I heated 3.9 gallons of water to .154°, adding a Campden tablet to remove chloramines. I then added the grains and 2 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust pH, and then held it at 149° while recirculating for 60 minutes. Next, I raised the temperature to 168° for 10 minutes before pulling the grains.
  • In total, I collected 3.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.043, for 72% mash efficiency.
  • I brought the runnings to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled to 85° before transferring to the fermenter, chilled to 68°, and then pitched the yeast. I continued to chill down to 53° in the fermentation chamber.
  • Starting gravity was 1.053. I brewed this beer on 8 May 2026.
  • I raised the beer to 54° on 10 May 2026, and then to ambient on 23 May 2026.
  • I kegged the beer on 27 May 2026, using an open transfer and adding 3 oz. of corn sugar to carbonate in the keg.
  • Final gravity was 1.011, for 5.5% abv.
  • I found the pressure to be 32 psi at 70° on 5 June 2026 – perfect.
  • At this point, I transferred the beer to the conditioning chamber, in order to lager.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Brilliantly clear, reddish amber beer, with a modest, reasonably persistent ivory-colored head.
  • Aroma
    • Caramel malty aroma at a medium-low level; no hop or yeast character to speak of.
  • Flavor
    • Light caramel flavor; dried fruit at a very slight level. Medium level of bitterness.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light bodied, moderate carbonation, off-dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This was fun to try as an exercise, and I think it captured the American craft red lager experience of “microbreweries” and homebrewers circa 1996. It’s not my cup of tea as a beer overall; I think a traditional Vienna lager hits some of the same notes but with more drinkability. Even so, this recipe was worth the experience. And Dad enjoyed it, which was the main goal! If I were to do it again for myself, I’d probably dial back the crystal malts by about 50 percent, to lighten up the mouthfeel and flavor.
  • Overall
    • 6/10

Artemis Amber Ale

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I frequently state that I love brewing an “old-fashioned” American amber ale, because they’re so hard to find in the wild. Lo and behold, I recently discovered an exceptional example from Highpoint Brewing (San Dimas, California) in their “Uncle’s Red Ale.” Although labeled as an American red ale, I would call it an American amber for BJCP purposes. The beer (sampled from a can) had a nice malty backbone, American “C” hops, and some notes of dark crystal malt (e.g., crystal 120).

Based on my tasting of the commercial example, I wanted to create a hombrewed homage. It needed a good chewy malt backbone, so I split 50/50 on Munich and Maris Otter malts for the base. The crystal malts needed to be on the more carmel, toffee, and roast side, so I split those 50/50 with crystal 80 and crystal 120. To amp up the “C” hop character, I went straight Centennial, with a modest dry hop addition to the fermenter. Yeast was just the basic BRY-97.

I brewed this around the time of the Artemis 2 mission, hence the name. I was inspired to draft a label, using a photo shot by the astronauts on the far side of the moon. Aside from the photo, everything else was created in Inkscape. Ad astra per zymurgiam!

A circular graphic, rimmed by a gold circle. At the bottom, a moonscape from a distance forms a half-visible globe. Text at top in large gold letters says, "Artemis Amber Ale." Below that is a large graphic of a hop cone, floating over the surface of the moon. Text below the hop cone says, "Ad astra per zymurgiam." At the very bottom, text says, "Farke Brewing, Claremont, California"

Artemis Amber Ale

  • 3 lb. Barke Munich malt (Weyermann)
  • 3 lb. Maris Otter pale ale malt (Thomas Fawcett)
  • 0.25 lb. 80L caramel malt (Briess)
  • 0.25 lb. 120L crystal malt (Great Western)
  • 0.3 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 0.5 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), 10 minute boil
  • 0.3 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Kick Carrageenan tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. BR-97 American West Coast Ale yeast (Lallemand)
  • 0.5 oz. Centennial hop pellets (8.1% alpha), dry hop in fermenter

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 152°, full volume mash
  • 1.049 o.g., 1.008 f.g., 5.3% abv, 34 IBU, 14 SRM
  • Claremont tap water, adjusted to .110 ppm Ca, 20 ppm Mg, 97 ppm Na, 121 ppm SO4, 110 ppm Cl, 132 ppm bicarbonate
  • 3 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I took 4.5 gallons of tap water, added a Campden tablet, and added 2 g of epsom salt, while heating to the strike temperature of 157°. I mashed in the grains along with 0.3 tsp. of BrewTanB, and held the mash at 152° for 60 minutes while recirculating. I also added 1 tbs. of 10% phosphoric acid to the mash, to adjust pH.
  • Next, I raised the mash temperature to 168°, held it there for 10 minutes, and then pulled the grains.
  • In total, I collected 4 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.042, for 71% mash efficiency.
  • I brought the kettle to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe. I boiled for 60 minutes, before turning off the heat and chilling the wort down to 71°. I recently bought the SwirlyArm for my Foundry, which is used to whirlpool in the kettle and improve chilling efficiency; I quite like it.
  • I transferred the wort to the fermenter and pitched the yeast. The fermentation chamber was set at 68°.
  • I brewed the beer on 4 April 2026. Starting gravity was 1.050.
  • On 9 April 2026, I pulled the beer to ambient. It had overflowed through the airlock at some point, so I replaced the airlock. Ambient is ~65°.
  • I added hops on 19 April 2026, and then cold crashed on 20 April 2026.
  • I kegged the beer on 4 May 2026, using 1.8 oz. of corn sugar (the quantity calculated for bottling, not a keg–I’ve had low carbonation on my kegs, so wanted to increase the sugar volume). When I measured the pressure on 15 May 2026, it was at 17 psi, around 2 volumes for the temperature. I cold crashed and finished carbonation with forced CO2.
  • Final gravity was 1.012, for 5.1% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Deep copper amber color; slightly hazy; pours with a persistent off-white head.
  • Aroma
    • Amazing! Citrus and pine hop aroma at a medium level. Deep caramel malt aroma at a medium level.
  • Flavor
    • A bitter beer, with a bracing resinous bitterness at the forefront. Moderate caramel and a low level of toffee in the malt. Fermenation profile pretty clean, although I sometimes pick up a bit of fruitiness that might be either from the malt or the yeast.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, medium carbonation, dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • Yes! This is a great beer; perhaps a touch too bitter, and it needs a little more time to clear the haze (for my preferences). The Centennial and caramel malt combo just works! This beer would be okay with other “C” hops, but because Centennial is so perfect for it I’m hesitant to change that in future batches.
  • Overall
    • 8/10

Rye Saison

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I’ve been enjoying Belgian beers with an increased frequency, and saison has been a fun style to try within that family. This recipe was crafted to bring the simplicity of pilsner malt alongside a bit of Munich for character and some flaked rye to add a rustic quality. Lallemand’s Belle Saison, with an open fermentation, helped bring the yeast character. As is typical for these kinds of brews, I’m doing a small batch of ~3 gallons.

Rye Saison

  • 5 lb. Synergy Select Pilsen malt (Briess)
  • 1 lb. Barke Munich malt (Weyermann)
  • 1 lb. flaked rye
  • 0.25 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 0.6 oz. Perle hop pellets (6.3% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.25 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. LalBrew Belle Saison dry yeast

Target Parameters

  • 75 minute infusion mash, 148°, full volume mash
  • 1.053 o.g., 1.002 f.g., 6.8% abv, 23 IBU, 5 SRM
  • Water built from RO and Claremont tap water, with mineral additions to hit 67 ppm Ca, 15 ppm Mg, 40 ppm Na, 101 ppm SO4, 53 ppm Cl, 59 ppm bicarbonate.
  • 3 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I prepared my water with 2.5 gallons of RO and 2 gallons of tap water, along with a Campden tablet, 2 gram epsom salts, and 1 gram of gypsum. I heated this water to 154° before adding the BrewTanB, 5 mL of 88% lactic acid (probably too much – oops! I had it set for the MPH and not BW model in BeerSmith), adding the grains and holding at 148° with recirculation for 75 minutes. Then, I heated the mash to 168° and held for 10 minutes before removing the grains.
  • I collected 3.96 gallons of runnings with a gravity 1.046, for 70% mash efficiency. This is better than I expected!
  • I heated the runnings to a boil, boiling for 60 minutes before turning off the heat and chilling to 75°. I transferred the wort to a fermenter and pitched the yeast. Because I wanted an open fermentation, I put foil over the out port of the fermenter.
  • I brewed this beer on 29 March 2026; starting gravity was 1.057, a bit higher than calculated (but that’s OK!).
  • The fermentation proceeded at ambient; it was down to 72° by 30 March 2026, with abundant krausen. The fermenter was at 70° by 31 March 2026, so I put it next to a heating pad in order to warm the fermenter. This brought it up to 80° by the evening of 1 April 2026.
  • The fermenter was holding at 74° by 4 April 2026; krausen had largely subsided at that point. I took the foil off and replaced it with a blowoff tube.
  • I kegged the beer on 20 April 2026, transferring into a small keg and adding 3.25 oz. of corn sugar dissolved in ~1 cup of water.
  • Final gravity was 1.001, for 7.5% abv.
  • Tracking keg pressure, the beer was at 18 psi on 4 May 2026, well under the set point for saison-level carbonation. I moved the beer to the conditioning chamber and topped it off with CO2.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Deep gold beer with an orange tinge; slight haze, pouring with a fluffy white and reasonably persistent head.
  • Aroma
    • Medium-high yeast aroma, with fresh pomme fruit quality, a bit of white pepper also. Baked bread malt character at a medium-low level. Not prominent on hops.
  • Flavor
    • A light malty-sweet perception, and a hint of tartness; a slight bit of rye “richness” and graininess. Medium level of clean bitterness, with a slightly herbal character. Red apple and pear at a moderate level in the yeast.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Dry finish, high carbonation that gives a “fluffy” feeling on the tongue. Medium-light body.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a great saison! Interestingly, it doesn’t taste bone-dry; the rye must round it out, along with the fruity qualities of the yeast. I might try a lower mineral water to see if it dries out the perception in the next batch.
  • Overall
    • 9/10