Coriander /Orange Zest question

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StankAle

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Hello all,
I have a Belgian BLonde Ale in the secondary for about a week now. I am thinking about adding coriander and/or orange zest to modify the recipe a bit. Can I add these ingredients to the secondary at this point?
I think I would like the additional layers of flavor.
Thanks In Advance.
 
I have done a Belgian Wit using these same ingredients....but only towards the end of the boil. If you put them in the secondary, just be very modest for starters. You can always add more if you want...
 
Thanks Steve,
Sould I crush the coriander? I know that the orange zest should be microwaved for about 30 seconds to sanitize. How do I sanitize the coriander?
I am also wondering how much I should put in.....
 
you can just toss it (the corriander) in the secondary, just like dry hops, I would think. It all depends on how much aroma you want out of the coriander if you should crush it or not. Are you using fresh orange zest, just out of curiosity? I usually put any spices in the boil, and it tends to extract a bit more flavor and aroma. so you may wan to (like steve said) be a little modest and thenn sample and see if you want to add more.

Cheers
 
Consider making boiling a small volume with those ingredients to make something of a tea. That helps with sanititation. You can also sample the tea to see if you think you have it powerful enough (or too powerful). You can add some or all of that tea to the secondary.

Also, keep in mind that that coriander often tastes and smells more like orange than the orange peel. It is potent stuff. Be careful, too, to get bitter orange peel, as opposed to sweet orange peel. I know a couple guys who added sweet orange peel, and their beers ended up with an unpleasant, hammy taste.

If you want to get the cheapest, highest quality coriander, check out an Indian grocery.


TL
 
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