Brewed a witbier that hits all the marks except one critical element…the coriander aroma. I made the mistake of using coriander from a LHBS and that stuff is old. Finding fresh is not much easier….found some organic on amazon and will use some to try and grow my own.
Ive been self brainstorming on this, and thought…..take about a pint of water and boil…..add the coriander in a mesh bad to that and boil ten minutes or so…..crash cool it, then add to the keg in an oxygen purged way……I really have nothing to lose….the beer is very drinkable but not to style as a Witbier nor an American Wheat.
Anyone done something like this? Sometimes you have to think out of the box….
There are two very distinct varieties of coriander. Which are you using? The lemony, smooth coated variety or the wrinkly, peppery variety? Maybe you’re using the variety that doesn’t present the character you want.
Through brewing quite a few very nice Wits, I’ve finally determined that I prefer the wrinkly, peppery variety since I’ve already got plenty of citrusy orangeness in my recipe and the black pepper character is a pleasant contrast to the citrus. In my opinion, using the smooth, lemony coriander just adds to what my Wits already have.
Is the coriander cracked? I put it in a Ziploc and hit it with a hard object a few times to crack it open. From there, soaking it in vodka for a day and then adding the flavored vodka to the finished beer can do the trick. I’ve done this before with good success.
If you have an Asian and/or Indian supermarket nearby, large bags of reasonably fresh coriander is available at a good price. Better than you will find in the supermarket.
As noted, crush it before using (a spice grinder is great for this - don’t be shy - grind it fine). I typically add mine at flame out and let it steep for a bit. Also, don’t be shy on quantity, I use about 25 or 30 grams (an ounce) and before it is crushed it looks like a huge amount.