Coriander crush in Wit

[sictransit701]

Bottled my wit a week ago and just popped open a bottle. I know. I know. It’s only been a week. It was pretty good for only being a week. The only problem I have is a very strong coriander flavor that may be off putting by some drinkers. It has a light lemon scented soapy fruit loop flavor. Will this mellow out? Other than that, it’s great. It was a 5 gallon batch. 4.5 abv. I ground 0.87 oz of the coriander in a coffee grinder. I didn’t quite grind it to a powder, but it was ground pretty good. I went 0.87 oz because that’s what the whole spice bottle was and I don’t use coriander often. I thought why not use the whole thing? Ive seen recipes with 0.25 oz to 1 oz coriander. Thoughts? Will it mellow? If not, I’ll use it to boil brats!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Bottled my wit a week ago and just popped open a bottle. I know. I know. It’s only been a week. It was pretty good for only being a week. The only problem I have is a very strong coriander flavor that may be off putting by some drinkers. It has a light lemon scented soapy fruit loop flavor. Will this mellow out? Other than that, it’s great. It was a 5 gallon batch. 4.5 abv. I ground 0.87 oz of the coriander in a coffee grinder. I didn’t quite grind it to a powder, but it was ground pretty good. I went 0.87 oz because that’s what the whole spice bottle was and I don’t use coriander often. I thought why not use the whole thing? Ive seen recipes with 0.25 oz to 1 oz coriander. Thoughts? Will it mellow? If not, I’ll use it to boil brats!

I think you just pulverized them too much. Most people just crush them once leaving larger pieces.

If you're really that concerned you could always make another batch without the coriander and blend them as you drink them...open 1 bottle each and pour them into a pitcher before serving to the glass.

This would be MY preferred method over opening up all the bottles and blending them with the next batch. Much more simple.

 

[beernutz]

Bottled my wit a week ago and just popped open a bottle. I know. I know. It’s only been a week. It was pretty good for only being a week. The only problem I have is a very strong coriander flavor that may be off putting by some drinkers. It has a light lemon scented soapy fruit loop flavor. Will this mellow out? Other than that, it’s great. It was a 5 gallon batch. 4.5 abv. I ground 0.87 oz of the coriander in a coffee grinder. I didn’t quite grind it to a powder, but it was ground pretty good. I went 0.87 oz because that’s what the whole spice bottle was and I don’t use coriander often. I thought why not use the whole thing? Ive seen recipes with 0.25 oz to 1 oz coriander. Thoughts? Will it mellow? If not, I’ll use it to boil brats!

How long did you boil the coriander? Was it in a boiling bag? My $.02 is that it will only mellow a bit but will still be excellent for boiling brats. In my wits the coriander seems to have good longevity while the orange flavors fade over time.

 

[stieg000]

I have a wit on tap right now that I used 1oz of ground coriander at 5min. Turned out great. I used a spinning style coffee grinder to grind it to a point where it didn't look like seed any more. I based the amount and grind on a NHC winning recipie. Not sure why it would have a soapy fruit loop flavor. Coriander has a kind of peppery taste so I wouldn't think that's your issue. Post your recipie

 

[sictransit701]

Added coriander at flameout.

I researched coriander taste. There is a percentage of the population that has a gene that causes coriander to taste like soap. What a coincidence. That’s exactly what I tasted. I must have that gene and be overly sensitive to the coriander.

Fruit loop flavor because fruit loops taste lemony, citrusy, and sugary sweet. My wit has a bit of that same citrus, sweet flavor. Maybe from the coriander and orange peel.

I will tone down the coriander for the next time. I don’t get that soapy flavor from other wits. I just used too much and pulverized it too much.

Pretty much any base wit recipe but with a little oats, crystal 20, and honey.
4.25 pale
4.25 wheat
0.25 lb oats
0.25 crystal 20 (shop didn’t have caravienne so we substituted)
1 oz ekg 60 min
0.87 ground coriander (the whole bottle in a coffee grinder on coarse setting) 0 min
0.5 oz bitter orange peel (eyeballed about half the 1 oz bag) 0 min
8 oz honey 0 min
Wlp400 1L starter

Fermented 68*F for 3 weeks
Bottled for a week now

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I can tell you for sure that 1.5 teaspoons of freshly crushed coriander, using a mortar and pestle, in a 10 gallon batch of Belgian Witbier is too strong for most people initially. Unless you love the style and can appreciate the coriander flavor. I add coriander with 10 minutes left to the boil. I use a counter-flow wort chiller so they steep in the wort until the kettle is empty.

For the average person drinking a Witbier, you just want to add enough coriander to add a citrus flavor. That is the sweet spot. More devoted Witbier lovers may appreciate the coriander flavor.

 

[beernutz]

Added coriander at flameout.

I researched coriander taste. There is a percentage of the population that has a gene that causes coriander to taste like soap. What a coincidence. That’s exactly what I tasted. I must have that gene and be overly sensitive to the coriander.

Fruit loop flavor because fruit loops taste lemony, citrusy, and sugary sweet. My wit has a bit of that same citrus, sweet flavor. Maybe from the coriander and orange peel.

I will tone down the coriander for the next time. I don’t get that soapy flavor from other wits. I just used too much and pulverized it too much.

Pretty much any base wit recipe but with a little oats, crystal 20, and honey.
4.25 pale
4.25 wheat
0.25 lb oats
0.25 crystal 20 (shop didn’t have caravienne so we substituted)
1 oz ekg 60 min
0.87 ground coriander (the whole bottle in a coffee grinder on coarse setting) 0 min
0.5 oz bitter orange peel (eyeballed about half the 1 oz bag) 0 min
8 oz honey 0 min
Wlp400 1L starter

Fermented 68*F for 3 weeks
Bottled for a week now

Do you taste soap when you drink a Hoegaarden, Blue Moon, White Rascal or another beer with coriander?

 

[sictransit701]

I’ve had Hoegaarden and Blue Moon. Don’t recall tasting soap, but I’ll have to taste again. I am sure I over did it with the crush, anyhow. Wit recipes should include the type of crush. How you crush it seems just as important as quantity and time in the boil.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

@sictransit701 How do you feel about cilantro (coriander leaves)? If you have the gene, you will definitely taste it in the leaves. I don't recall anything about coriander seeds having the same issue (we have family members who are sensitive to cilantro, where my wife and I love it and use it often and heavily in cooking).