I’ve had decent success with a Belgian Wit-styled brew that I then introduce to sweet and tart cherries. I usually score well enough to garner a few second place finishes in category. I’ve been entering it in Category 29A and noting that the base style is a Witbier. The consistent comment I get on the judging sheets is “expecting more coriander notes for a Wit”, which I know to be a valid comment since I haven’t been using any coriander.
I’ve changed up my recipe to be more in line with a classic Wit, to include the use of bitter orange peel and coriander. Since I’m using coriander, have I now moved to 29B - Fruit and Spice Beer?
At first I was thinking it was still 29A, as the coriander was part of the base/classic style and not an added ingredient. But, I’m now second guessing myself and don’t want to be dinged for entering it in the wrong category.
It’s only a fruit beer. Coriander is a requirement of the base style, not an added spice. Now, if you added a metric buttload of grains of paradise, or black pepper, or even coriander, or something wacky like cardamom or anise, then maybe it should go into fruit and spice. But just nominal coriander and orange peel? Naw, it’s just a fruit beer at that point, but only because those spices are already expected for the base style.
Cheers and good luck to any comps you enter. :mug:
I dislike that the wit guideline demands use of coriander at an identifiable level.
I agree with the other comments; adding spices within the range of the base style guideline does not cast the beer into a spiced category unless you are using such a high degree of spice or an unusual spice for the style that it needs to be called out into a specialty style.
