My next all grain batch is a Witbier.
Organic sweet dried orange peel & whole coriander seeds will be used.
Both will be added last 5 min of boil, coriander seeds will be crushed and lightly toasted.
The recommended amounts to add, found online, vary greatly.
How much should I use for a 4 1/2 gallon batch ?
Thanks
Whenever I brew a new-to-me style I seek out a trusted reference. In this case Brewing Classic Styles. I would start here and if not where I wanted it, take a note for an adjustment the next time I brew it.
Fresh Citrus Zest, 5 min. 1.5 oz.
Crushed Coriander Seed, 5 min. .4 oz.
When and why did people get away from using bitter orange peel in wit, the way it was intended to be?
It’s Blue Moon’s fault. They had to blandify the flavors for the BMC crowd.
Were people disappointed in the lack of orange flavor? They’re just bitter in my experience, but that is part of the balance of Witbiers. Use Indian coriander to get a bright citrus orange flavor and aroma.
Yeah that’s kinda my point. There’s not supposed to be am overwhelming orange flavor. It should be subtle, from the coriander.
Who’s to say Jamil’s “fresh citrus zest” is not from a bitter orange? He doesn’t really say.
In the accompanying write up he does seem to be going for ‘orange’ vs ‘bitter’.
Thanks all, keep it coming, learning from your input.
Having memories of the beer commercial “Tastes Great”, “Less Filling”
Didn’t give a whole lot of thought on which orange peel to use.
This article may have had an influence though.
Perhaps on a future batch bitter orange peel will be used.
Thanks
Mainly due to the fact that it’s incredibly difficult to buy a fresh bitter or sour orange anywhere. The commercial market is filled with sweet oranges.
While Indian coriander seems lemony to me, I prefer the pepperyness of Mexican coriander in my Wits. When I was in Florida, I could get bitter oranges from the grove.
Kinda off topic but–
https://www.olivenation.com/-terpenless-orange-extract.html
As I was writing that I wondered where he’d get them outside Florida. He wrote of picking them in someone’s back yard. Though I’m not sure, I imagine Hispanic Market’s would have them because I use bitter orange juice in my Mojo marinades. I understand they are ‘Seville Oranges’ and Brits use them for marmalade as well as Belgians using them for beer.
They are only picked during a brief window in the Mediterranean, and are often sold already preserved in sugar in England where they are used for marmalade. Getting them fresh, not preserved or as dried peel, may be difficult anywhere, it seems. But the flavor is far more intensely orangey than what you get with sweet oranges. (Also for this reason the base of orange liqueurs like Cointreau and triple sec.)
Two things come to mind. One, Seville oranges contain more pectin than sweet oranges, good for marmalade, but I wonder if it has any impact in brewing (I suppose Wit is hazy anyway so no problem.) Second, I have read that bitter/Seville oranges are thought to cause the same kinds of drug interactions as grapefruit, so something to be aware of.
When I lived in Texas they were fairly easy to find in Mexican grocery stores but here in Denver I’ve looked all over Latin American and Asian grocery stores and cannot find them at all.
Even if he was talking bitter (which he’s not), I was speaking of a general trend.
I can buy dried bitter orange peel at my LHBS.
Maybe it’s from the style guidelines:
“Bitterness from orange pith should not be present” and “sweet orange peel complement the sweet aroma and are quite characteristic.”
Of course, with Pacific Jade, a New Zealand hop variety that features lemon, orange, pepper, and herbs you could skip the orange and spices altogether.
fyi
IIRC, it used to be different. I think it was changed to co foarm to what homebrewers do. I certainly didn’t encounter any wits like that in Belgium.
Using 10 grams of organic coriander seeds for a 4.75 gallon batch.
First time making a witbier, and adding coriander and orange peel to a beer.
It is also the first time smelling rotten eggs from airlock ?