Our latest So You Want to Brew a Beer entry comes from Jonah Norling, who is part of the indispensable warehouse team that gets the Furious out the door and into your hands. He took some time to craft a centuries-old favorite as his SYWTBAB selection. This is the backstory for End of My Wits.
What was your inspiration for making a witbier?
I’ve always liked Surly’s IPAs and strong beers, but I sometimes crave a light, traditional style without sacrificing a craft beer taste. I got bored one day and started to browse all Surly’s past beers, looking at all the different styles of beer in Surly’s back catalog. I noticed that a traditional, Belgian-style witbier was pretty rare. With summer kicking off, what better time for a beer style to relax with while out in the sun.
What kind of hop/malt bill did you go with? Any extra ingredients?
Pilsner malt, flaked wheat, Belgian wit yeast, and a small amount of Sterling hops. There’s also an addition of sweet orange peel and coriander.
What kind of flavors/aromatics should drinkers expect?
Sweet malt. Orange zest. Nice, light hop profile, low bitterness.
If there’s anything else you’d like the drinking public to know about the beer, please let us know!
If available, ask for an orange slice to pair with it
End of My Wits taps this Friday, June 24th at the Surly Beer Hall. As with previous SYWTBAB selections, the one with the most favorable customer reviews and sales velocity graduates to a bigger draft release at end of the year.
NOTE: So You Want To Brew A Beer allows all employees, not just brewers, to take part in the brewing process. If they have a great idea for a beer, pitch it. If accepted, we brew it on the one-barrel pilot brewery at our Minneapolis facility and put it on draught at beer hall. Over the year, we track which one gets the best customer reviews/sales, and the winner gets to re-brew a larger batch that will go on at the Beer Hall for a longer run.
