So, i am growing my own fresh coriander in the back yard so i can make a nice tripel. What is a good amount of the seed to use in a 5 gallon batch? Also, do you crush them or leave them whole? Do you add to the boil, and if so how long?
I am excited too: This will be my second AG attempt. This recipe, which has changed a bunch, was the first beer i ever brewed (it was horrible, got infected). That was four years ago and now i know a lot more about what i am doing.
I use 1/2 oz of coriander in my recipes - crushed. Crush a few seeds and smell them. They should be pretty pungent and lemony. If they are subtle, use a little more.
Indian Coriander has a lemony character and typically has a smoother yellow coat. Mexican or Morrocan Coriander is more peppery and typically has a rough brown coat. I’ve tried both in Wits and have to admit that I prefer the peppery notes in my Wits. I think the orange peel offers a nice citrus note and a lemony note is not so needed. An ounce of either Coriander is going to provide a notable contribution. I typically add in the last few minutes of the boil.
The correct amount of coriander for a tripel is none. It can work well in several styles, but if you want to make a real tripel, leave it out.
Unless you’re talking about tripel karmeliet 
I’m not sure if you need to dry it first… I’ve never heard of anyone using fresh coriander… but taste it. If you know what variety you’re growing, even better… but taste it and adjust from there.
I’ve used coriander a number of times, and gotten a weird soapy flavor from it sometimes in high levels. It tastes like lemon dish soap smells unless I use only a very small amount. I would use like 1g / L.
Also, wouldn’t fresh coriander just taste like cilantro?
Ya know, as much as I enjoy and appreciate that beer, I guess I kinda consider it an outlier. When I think of tripel, I think of Westmalle. Call me narrrow minded…
Astrivian,
If you’re brewing for your own pleasure–by all means give it a try if that’s your desire.
Many new brewers, myself included, tend to get a little crazy with experimentation, especially with the spices.
Use it sparingly–you should barely be able to taste it if you do it right.
If you use too much, you can’t undo it, and you’ll get tired of that beer quickly
If you’re brewing for competitions, then don’t use the coriander for the tripels; they don’t belong there.
Use them in the Belgian Wits. There are a lot of great recipes out there. Randy Mosher’s book, Radical Brewing, has a great chapter [15] on Belgian beers, the use of spices like coriander, and several Wit recipes. Check it out.
Really none? Hmm, i always thought tripels had coriander in them. Maybe i will do a wit then 
It’s not like it’s never done, but not usually…
I make a corriander lager that is an Oktoberfest with 2 oz. of cracked whole seeds per 5 gallons added to the wort when heat is removed at the end of the boil. It is left behind when the wort is transfered out of the kettle. I’ve been making this lager for 20 years. It is one of my most requested/popular homebrews. The flavor the corriander contributes to the beer is nothing like the smell of the freshly crushed seeds. It is also thought to reduce the affects of oxidation on the finished beer.
I grow my own corriander too.
was just yanking your chain…it is ridiculously good but not what I’d call a (normal) tripel either.
just for the record, i love coriander and use it in three different styles.
nateo, there’s two kinds of people in this world - those who think coriander and cilantro taste like soap and those who…don’t. Basically, it’s genetic and is based on your perception of phenylthiocarbamide (if you want the cheap explanation look it up on wikiped).
I find tripel karmeliet to be sickly sweet, ugh
AFAIK, the word ‘coriander’ in the US means the seeds and the word ‘cilantro’ means the leaves. But IIRC, in the UK and maybe other places, the word ‘coriander’ means the leaves and I don’t know what word they use for the seeds.
In any case, the seeds and the leaves are a totally different flavor. I can’t imagine what a beer with cilantro would taste like, it sounds gross but then I’m not a big fan of cilantro.
I AM a big fan of cilantro, and I still think it sounds gross!
Seems like it would give a new meaning to the phrase ‘lawnmowing beer’. 
It just dawned on me where i got the coriander and trippel idea: New Belgium’s trippel has coriander in it (they say it on the bottle). So i just thought that is how trippels were brewed.
In that situation, i may yet add coriander to my trippel (less than NB added however).
I am on the fence about the cilantro though. It MAY be good in very very very small amounts. I hate cilantro but am willing to entertain the idea. Speaking of which, Saison du Buff is a good one to try for herbs. It has rosemary, parsley, and something (thyme?) in it. It would be really good with Italian food. Maybe a cilantro beer would be good with some fajitas. Someone else try it though, i don’t want to contaminate my stuff
I think Rochefort puts coriander in all their beers, albeit in trace amounts (I think it’s them; either them or Westmalle).
I don’t see anything wrong with it, except if you make it smell like a witbier. If you can recognize the spice, I think you added too much. Background complexity is what you should be thinking.
If you start spicing it up, you should probably just call it an Artisanal Blond instead.
Achouffe uses some herbs in their beers, but they live in the woods. Personally, I think cilantro sounds like a horrible idea. I think it would come across more as vegetal than salsa-like. Split off part of your batch and try it as a small experiment. Like grab some wort at knockout, steep your herbs, then ferment separately, like in a growler. Compare side by side. Blend with the original if you need to dilute it. See if you like it.
Charlie P. wrote something once about coriander limiting the amount of staling from oxidation. I don’t remember that he did any experiments, just observations about the longevity of his beers with the spice added.