Cucumber and Coriander Wheat!

[BenjaminBier]

That looks real nice!

 

[BenjaminBier]

I'm imagining pairing this with a nice chutney in the middle of the summer.

 

[shauntraxler]

Someone recommended pairing this with sushi. I can't WAIT to try it.

 

[psutimmah]

soo any pics or updates. the recipe sounds interesting. I wouldnt tell anyone its in there. Id go for a subtleness to it.

 

[shauntraxler]

soo any pics or updates. the recipe sounds interesting. I wouldnt tell anyone its in there. Id go for a subtleness to it.

Update: People LOOOOOOVE this beer. It's by far the crowd favorite thus far. I'll take a pic later this week.

 

[COLObrewer]

Update: People LOOOOOOVE this beer. It's by far the crowd favorite thus far. I'll take a pic later this week.

MAN!! you said that LAST WEEK!! You trying to kill a lurker or what?:cross:

 

[thomas29id]

I just posted this to my own post --- but figured I'd use the same text and photos as a reply since so many people have been asking.


Just poured my first cucumber wheat (idea stolen from shauntraxler: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/cucumber-coriander-wheat-238257/ )

It is actually surprisingly good. The nose is clearly cucumber; the cucumber taste is obvious, yet not overpowering. I normally do not like fruit, or vegetable, beers, but this is the perfect one to use for brewing. The cucumber flavor sours the beer in the same way an orange would -- I have not had it on a hot afternoon yet, but I imagine it will be great.

Recipe:
3 pounds L-DME
3 pounds wheat DME
1 ounce hallertau (60 min)

5 days in primary
5 days in secondary + 3lbs of skinned/sliced cucumbers
7 days in bottle

5.1% (no coriander because that is the most God awful ingredient ever created)

---drink responsibly-----

 

[shauntraxler]

Awesome Thomas!

I'm so glad it turned out good for you! I only used like 1/2 the recommended coriander amount for a witbier. So the coriander is a fantastic supporting flavor, and actually has no real discernability (I just invented that word) at all.

 

[filterban]

This beer looks amazing. I *love* cucumbers -- easily one of my favorite vegetables.

This is a strong candidate for my next beer.

 

[GrizBrew]

Getting excited!! I am doing a cucumber Citra Saison next weekend. I decided to go with Extra light DME for my extract. I hope it is not so light that the hops take it over. I am thinking Citra will bring out some really nice qualities and still let the cukes shine through.

 

[sweetcell]

I am thinking Citra will bring out some really nice qualities and still let the cukes shine through.

personally i'd skip the citra or go very very lightly. it isn't a subtle hop. it'll likely take over your beer and hide the cuke. between flavor and aroma additions, i'd keep it under a third of an oz for 5 gallons. also, don't use citra for bittering. go with something cleaner.

as always: IMHO, YMMV, caveat is emperor, etc...

 

[GrizBrew]

personally i'd skip the citra or go very very lightly. it isn't a subtle hop. it'll likely take over your beer and hide the cuke. between flavor and aroma additions, i'd keep it under a third of an oz for 5 gallons. also, don't use citra for bittering. go with something cleaner.

as always: IMHO, YMMV, caveat is emperor, etc...

Maybe......I have an oz of Saaz too. That might be a better choice. I would like a little complexity though. I got some grains of paradise last night. I may incorporate that

 

[GrizBrew]

personally i'd skip the citra or go very very lightly. it isn't a subtle hop. it'll likely take over your beer and hide the cuke. between flavor and aroma additions, i'd keep it under a third of an oz for 5 gallons. also, don't use citra for bittering. go with something cleaner.

as always: IMHO, YMMV, caveat is emperor, etc...

Ya know though, when I plug this into Beersmith, I end up very low on the bitterness scale. I don't have it in front of me but it seems like I went with 1/2 oz Citra at 60 and 1/4 oz at 2 for aroma in a 5 gallon batch.Ya think with those low numbers it will still be overpowering? I think I have a 14% Alpha and it's been open for a month (which is why I am trying to use it up).

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Ya know though, when I plug this into Beersmith, I end up very low on the bitterness scale. I don't have it in front of me but it seems like I went with 1/2 oz Citra at 60 and 1/4 oz at 2 for aroma in a 5 gallon batch.Ya think with those low numbers it will still be overpowering? I think I have a 14% Alpha and it's been open for a month (which is why I am trying to use it up).

Citra has a very strong flavor while cucumber has a very very delicate and mild flavor. It's not hard to cover up.

 

[sweetcell]

Ya know though, when I plug this into Beersmith, I end up very low on the bitterness scale. I don't have it in front of me but it seems like I went with 1/2 oz Citra at 60 and 1/4 oz at 2 for aroma in a 5 gallon batch.Ya think with those low numbers it will still be overpowering? I think I have a 14% Alpha and it's been open for a month (which is why I am trying to use it up).

it's not the bitterness that is overpowering, it's the citrus/fruitiness. using 1 oz in a 5 gal batch is perfect if you want strong citrus, passion fruit, pineapple, and whatever other strong flavors & aromas people describe citra as having. citra is a bully. it doesn't play well with others, it takes over (in a good way, IMHO).

cucumber is really subtle and would be bulldozed by the citra. i think saaz is definitely a better way to go. with a fruity (vegetably?) beer like this one, you won't want a lot of bitterness anyways. i'd keep it well under 15 IBUs if i were you.

FYI i got some citra about a month ago and it was 11% AA.

 

[sfrisby]

Didn't see a recipe posted. How much cucumber for 5 gallons? Thanks

 

[GrizBrew]

I brewed my cucumber Saison this week. The wort sure tasted great! I will prolly give this 10 days or so in primary due to a slow start and an addition of candy sugar at high krausen. I cooled down to 60 or 65 before pitching which could have been the cause of the slow start.

I took the advice given here and used Saaz for bittering. I added .5oz of Citra @ 15. I plan to rack over 3lbs of Cukes next weekend. Now if it will get hot enough outside to appreciate this refreshing quaff...... Actually, this is the trial run for a hot August brew.

 

[GrizBrew]

I cannot even begin to describe how good this smelled. The Saison that I am racking over the Cukes is fantastic on it's own. I expect this beer will be PHENOMENAL!!

 

[sfrisby]

Same. Saison racked onto cucumber today as well. Good luck!

 

[GrizBrew]

I tasted mine yesterday after 6 days in secondary. As predicted, the Citra was up front and the Cukes were a bit in the background. Fabulous mix though. I decided to leave it for one more week to see if it would make a difference in getting more Cukes in the nose. Kinda doubting it with the strong Citra going on but.... Either way it will be fabulous. I almost racked it to keg yesterday, I liked it so much, I just thought I would experiment. This will absolutely be gorgeous for a sunny and hot June afternoon.

 

[Blackmuse]

Been following this beer for some time now... I decided to make my own. Here's what I did last night for a recipe (note: mine is not a wheat beer as I had a bit of Munich malt left over that I wanted to get rid of and some Hallertauer hops too).

5 Gal batch - 45 minute, 3 gallon boil

1/2 lb carapils steeped for 30 minutes @ 164-166 degrees
- 45 minute mark added 1 lb Extra Light dry malt (Muntons) and 1 oz Cascade hops
- 25 Minute mark added 2.3 lbs Briess Liquid Munich Mark
- 10 Minute mark added 1 lb Extra Light dry malt (Muntons) and .5 oz crushed coriander seeds
- 4 minute mark .3 oz Hallertauer hops
- Flame out 8 oz of Tulepo Honey
- Pitched Muntons Premium Gold @ 66 degrees (LHBS only had Muntons yeast on hand)

OG was 1.040

This was a 45 minute boil because it is all extract and I am trying to avoid the 1.020 FG curse! Just something new. I plan on letting it primary for 2 weeks and then sit on 2 lbs of Cucumbers for about 4 or 5 days. I want the cucumber to be a light note in the background instead of right up front. My IBU was right around 21.5 - too high? I'm looking at 3.54% ABV.

Any thoughts? Should I have done anything different? Should I not bother with the cucumbers since it isn't a wheat beer? This is only my 4th brew so any feedback would be great! The wort smelled delicious!

 

[sweetcell]

Should I have done anything different?

nope. rock on. sounds like a wonderful summer beer to have on hand. let us know how it turns out!

 

[VanHorneDog]

The Lost Abbey/Port Brewing did a cucumber beer, it was amazing.

Nice to get some information because i was planning on doing a session cucumber wheat.

 

[GrizBrew]

Racked off the cukes and into the keg today. As predicted, the Cucumbers are a little more in the front now. The Citra is still strong, but in a very good way. It should be great after carbonation. Next time I will likely pull them after only a week. I think the saison and citra character is a little nicer up front. All in all, pretty dang good though!!

 

[malt_man]

What's the campden tablet for, and how are you using it exactly?

 

[GryphonBrew]

When I do a watermelon wheat I run the melon through my juicer and just add the juice. Any reason this wouldn't work with the cucumbers too?

 

[GrizBrew]

When I do a watermelon wheat I run the melon through my juicer and just add the juice. Any reason this wouldn't work with the cucumbers too?

I don't see why not:rockin:

 

[GryphonBrew]

I don't see why not:rockin:

Outstanding. Going to brew this for sure.

 

[TBaGZ]

There is a discussion in my homebrew club going on about doing cucumber beers. One guy seems to think:

"if you try adding just cucumber the yeast will eat at it strongly and leave you with a cabbage taste so to battle the yeast from doing that you use sacrificial fruits like red apples or pears and your yeast will eat that first and leave you with a refreshing cucumber zest"

Has anyone had any issues with the yeast fermenting out the cucumber taste, or problems bottle conditioning it?

 

[bovineblitz]

There is a discussion in my homebrew club going on about doing cucumber beers. One guy seems to think:

"if you try adding just cucumber the yeast will eat at it strongly and leave you with a cabbage taste so to battle the yeast from doing that you use sacrificial fruits like red apples or pears and your yeast will eat that first and leave you with a refreshing cucumber zest"

Has anyone had any issues with the yeast fermenting out the cucumber taste, or problems bottle conditioning it?

That doesn't even make sense.