Belgian Wit w/ Grains of Paradise???

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Morrey

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My standard Belgian Witbier recipe uses coriander and orange peel as spice additions. My LHBS owner is an accomplished craft brewer, and has convinced me to try Grains Of Paradise in my next Wit. He suggests I eliminate the coriander totally and add GOP as a spice substitute. He doesn't like coriander, so he is against using it to start with. I, on the other hand, enjoy coriander and hesitate to eliminate it totally, but would like to try GOP as well.

Would it be a mistake to reduce my typical coriander by half, and add about a half dosage (1 gram) of grains of paradise? Since he is dead set against coriander I can't get a real feel from him, so I'm reaching out for advice. Thanks!
 
I'd say go for it, Morrey -

My guess is that it will turn out fine, and should taste good, as well. If you like what the change does for the beer, you can switch to all-GOP in a future brew.
 
I'd say go for it, Morrey -

My guess is that it will turn out fine, and should taste good, as well. If you like what the change does for the beer, you can switch to all-GOP in a future brew.

Thanks, Ron. I think I'll drop my coriander in half which will now be .375oz and half of the suggested GOP which will now be 1 gram. I bet this Wit will be outstanding. (BTW brewing your Jalapeno Saison this Sat. Thanks for the recipe!!)

I don't care if your LHBS is the pope...it's your beer and you can put whatever you want in it and how much. I think 1/2 and 1/2 is a good start if you want to experiment and also shut him up.

LOL. I'll tell him if he wants to give the ingredients FREE, we can talk! I think that will end the conversation!

As I mentioned above per your suggestion, I think I'll split coriander and GOP half and half to see how this one turns out. I think my modifications will accent the bitter orange peel even more, broadbill.
 
Sorry for the name change mid-thread. My wife had logged me out and I posted under her account by mistake. She is my brew buddy and is a darn fine helper. I hope she reads this and will wash the brew equipment for me this weekend...hint hint.
 
Let us know how the GOP/Coriander wit goes...and also the Jalapeno Saison!

Absolutely! I have gotten adventurous and like experimenting now that I have a better handle on the way various flavors will work together.

I have done enough "standard" beers to figure on the basic profiles, now the fun begins. I think YOU have encouraged me!! All good:)
 
My suggestion would be to keep the grains of paradise at 2 grams and use .4 oz of coriander. The two blend wonderfully together.
 
My suggestion would be to keep the grains of paradise at 2 grams and use .4 oz of coriander. The two blend wonderfully together.


That's easily done. Being this is my first try with GOP, I am not sure of the intensity level quite yet. It does come in a 2 gram sachet that I have, so I can certainly try that. I like spicy things anyway......sounds good.
 
I added chamomile to my wit according to Mosher's Radical Brewing and thought it lent a nice fullness and flavor to it (though I would reduce the amount I used next time).
 
I added chamomile to my wit according to Mosher's Radical Brewing and thought it lent a nice fullness and flavor to it (though I would reduce the amount I used next time).

I have seen posts about chamomile in a wit. What amount would you add into a 5.5G batch after adjusting the reduction? I am going to add this to my recipe notes for references.
 
Late to the party but wanted to add my 2¢. I use GOP in my saison. It does add a nice earthy pepper and I would expect that to play wonderfully with a Wit. I would agree with Stru about the 2 g. number but also consider that a max number for your first run with it. Like coriander it also comes thru best with a course grind/crack to open it up. If you were to pulverize 2g. it can easily go from a nice note to an over whelming racket. I would worry about that a little more with a Wit yeast because the two can bind and a good amount in your finished beer can really change the character. Go for it and keep us updated.
As for chamomile I would go .5 to 1 oz. if you are using the actual dried flowers. Don't know about using it sourced from tea. TasunkaWitko may know better.
 
Late to the party but wanted to add my 2¢. I use GOP in my saison. It does add a nice earthy pepper and I would expect that to play wonderfully with a Wit. I would agree with Stru about the 2 g. number but also consider that a max number for your first run with it. Like coriander it also comes thru best with a course grind/crack to open it up. If you were to pulverize 2g. it can easily go from a nice note to an over whelming racket. I would worry about that a little more with a Wit yeast because the two can bind and a good amount in your finished beer can really change the character. Go for it and keep us updated.
As for chamomile I would go .5 to 1 oz. if you are using the actual dried flowers. Don't know about using it sourced from tea. TasunkaWitko may know better.

I appreciate your feedback. Taking the advice of a wise old brew master some years ago, he suggested that anytime I tweak a recipe, only alter one component at a time to see the difference that one change made. Sometimes I get overly anxious and want to adjust everything at once.

So, with that said, I decided to go with my basic Wit recipe but to substitute the .75oz of coriander I would typically use and try 2 grams of lightly cracked GOP instead. This way I'll be completely aware of the GOP impact.

Belgian Wit w/ Grains of Paradise and WLP400 is scheduled for brew day this coming Saturday.
 
I have seen posts about chamomile in a wit. What amount would you add into a 5.5G batch after adjusting the reduction? I am going to add this to my recipe notes for references.

Sorry I just now saw this, but it looks like someone else gave you an answer already. I don't have my notes with me again, so I wouldn't be able to tell you how much it. I want to say I used ~0.4 oz in 5 gal, probably 0.3 during the boil, then another 0.1 at bottling (added more zest, chamomile, and coriander at bottling because I didn't think it had enough flavor).
 
I just used 2g GOP in my witbier and it came out fantastic. I'm not sure where the finishing hops (Styrian Goldings) stop and the grains of paradise begin, but it is nonetheless an awesome earthy pepper complement to wit yeast. I would recommend omitting chamomile, as I've used it in the past and got a weird flowery vibe from it. Not wholly unpleasant but it wasn't something I expected from the beer.

Do yourself a favor and crack the grains before you pitch them, and only pitch them at flameout. You'll get much more punch from the aromatic compounds that way.
 
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