Making a wit - only have ground Coriander

Should I just not use it?
Am brewing right now...steeping.
Was preparing my ingredients for the boil and reading up, and realized I should've used whole (crushed) coriander. Is it futile to try to use the ground? I don't want to end up w/ beer that tastes like hotdogs. Any suggestions for using the ground coriander?

Here's my recipe:

Flaked Oats
Flaked Wheat
Wheat DME (6lbs)
Perle Pellet Hops
Wyeast Forbidden Fruit
Fresh Orange and Lemon Peel

Thanks in advance.

I'm still pretty new so take this for what it is. I personally don't think I would use ground coriander. Coriander is one of those spices that is tricky. Using it a lot in cooking I've found the ground stuff really makes its way thru the dish. Unless you REALLY like coriander I would be worried about the spice overpowering.

Just my 2 c worth, like I said I'm still fairly new. Perhaps someone else has more experience with ground coriander.

Cheers!

Thanks. That's where I'm leaning.

np,

keep us posted on how the brew goes!

Any update here? I have a whole bottled of corriander spice, but no whole seeds was thinking about using it in a Belgian wit.

I brew Wit at least once a month. I start with whole coriander, but grind it to near powder with my corn mill. I have gotten a stronger effect than with crushed whole, but no negatives and no "hot dog".

Pilgarlic, how much do you use?

I keep a wit on faucet all the time. I use about .2 oz whole coriander seed that I run through the spice mill until powder. It gets added for the last 5 minutes of the boil along with .5 oz sweet orange zest.

I skipped the coriander all together. It came out great. Only a couple bottles left...

I just brewed a similar wit recipe. I'm still a rookie brewer, only a half a dozen batches under my belt. Did you steep your flaked wheat or mash it. I simply steeped my flaked wheat for 30 mins in 1 gal of water. After the 30 mins I added 2 more gal of water and my LME and proceeded with my boil.

Is this incorrect and will it grossly affect the outcome of my brew. My OG was 1.048.

V1king said:

Pilgarlic, how much do you use?

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I've been tweaking my recipe for the last several months. I've used between four tenths and .75 oz. The last batch was at .75 and I'm backing off of that to .5 on this weekend's batch. I add it at knockout, whereas I add the orange peel at 20 minutes.

The biggest difference I've found in my research is actually in the origin of the ground coriander. Many of the cheap supermart ground corianders are where people are getting the "hotdog" or "ham" flavors. If you have an Asian or Indian market nearby that would be a great place to pick up your spices and hell it should even save you some money over the LHBS prices. Now with that being said, go ahead and follow Pilgarlic's advice on the quantities as he makes a great Witbier. Hopefully he'll post it one of these days....

I cut the weight by 75% when converting from seeds to ground. No real reason other than winging it, beer tastes great!

GingerbreadMan said:

The biggest difference I've found in my research is actually in the origin of the ground coriander. Many of the cheap supermart ground corianders are where people are getting the "hotdog" or "ham" flavors. If you have an Asian or Indian market nearby that would be a great place to pick up your spices and hell it should even save you some money over the LHBS prices. Now with that being said, go ahead and follow Pilgarlic's advice on the quantities as he makes a great Witbier. Hopefully he'll post it one of these days....

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Thanks, Ginger (shades of Gilligan's Island). Glad you pointed out the coriander source. I get mine at a local Indian grocery. The difference is enormous.

Stones said:

I just brewed a similar wit recipe. I'm still a rookie brewer, only a half a dozen batches under my belt. Did you steep your flaked wheat or mash it. I simply steeped my flaked wheat for 30 mins in 1 gal of water. After the 30 mins I added 2 more gal of water and my LME and proceeded with my boil.

Is this incorrect and will it grossly affect the outcome of my brew. My OG was 1.048.

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To answer your question, it seems correct to me. If you're using malt extract they grains were probably just for steeping (as it was in the wit recipe I had). They're just in there to add to the feel/taste of the beer and shouldn't really affect your OG to much I don't think, but someone else with more knowledge can verify that.

On another note, I've brewed a wit beer twice now, and each time I've never been able to taste the coriander. The first time it was my fault, I failed to fully read the directions and used the whole seeds. The second time crushed it with a rolling pin. I know there can be some bad results from this, but I figured I had crushed it well enough since my whole kitchen smelled of coriander. I also know that a little bit of coriander goes a long ways. Still, the only thing I tasted was the bitter orange peel.

Dahoo,
Sweet Orange zest? All the recipes I have seen called for bitter orange....

V1king said:

Dahoo,
Sweet Orange zest? All the recipes I have seen called for bitter orange....

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Take a look at Zainasheff's recipe in "Brewing Classic Styles". Fresh orange zest.