The second of my "Premium" Mr Beer kits is their version of a Witbier. Just like the Sticky Wicket, it simply calls for the 2 cans of HME plus 2 packets of MB yeast. Since I do enjoy a nice Wit from time to time, I am looking forward to what has been called "a slightly thinner version of Blue Moon"...sounds good enough for me!
Witty Monk - Brewed on 8/23/2010
I heated up about 6 cups of water to a boil, killed the flame on the burner, and stirred in the 2 cans of Witty Monk. I then let it sit in an ice bath for a few minutes while I prepped the MB keg. After adding the wort to the water in the keg, the temperature was about 78 degrees, so in went the yeast. I allowed about 10 minutes for the yeast to rehydrate, whisked it up good and proper, capped the keg, and then it was off to the cooler with 2 blue ice packs.
After a few hours there is a little activity of the yeast getting to work, the keg temperature is reading about 75 degrees, so I am switching out the ice packs with the hopes that the keg temp is between 70-72 in the morning. Once it hits that temperature, I will do my best to maintain it until bottling time.
8/24/2010: There is a thick (about an inch) layer of bubbles (Kräusen!) that has developed across the entire surface of the wort, and the brew-o-meter has the 70 and 72 glowing, so the temperature is right where I want it...
bottled on 9/7/2010: the sample tasted a lot like blue moon. I am looking forward to the finished product. also, this brew is taking the maiden voyage in my re-used Miller Lite Home Draft. It is a roughly 6L bottle with a tap and CO2 cartridge (that helps keep the beer fresh for, supposedly, 30 days), and I couldn't be more psyched about this thing! I don't have the space for a kegerator (yet!), so this is, hopefully, a nice middle ground for the time being.
carb through 9/21/2010
condition through 10/6/2010
1st test of the Home Draft 10/16/2010: the HD worked out nicely...except I think I added too much priming sugar to the bottle. the thing is ROCK solid, and the few pints I attempted to pour were ALL foam! So after giving the pour a few minutes to turn back into beer, I can say that Witty Monk is a great Mr Beer recipe. I would certainly put it up against Blue Moon, and I think the Witty has more of an orange flavor (in a good way IMO). My brother Anthony said that you can easily drink a lot of this brew, and that it would be perfect during the summer...I couldn't agree more.
update 10/20/2010: The crazy foaming action has subsided quite a bit. The picture above was just snapped after the pour from the HD tap, and I think it is definitely acceptable now. Also, big thanks to my lovely wife, Jewels, for helping me kick another ML HD bottle over the past week so I can have dueling taps going from now on! Next Recipe